OLLI University Day: 1968 Around the World

1968 Around the World
An OLLI University Day

Generously underwritten by Diane & Steve Tobin

Wednesday, November 7th, 2018 9am-3:30pm
Daniel Arts Center, Bard College at Simon's Rock
84 Alford Road, Great Barrington, MA 01230
The photograph above was taken in 1968 and is the first ever image of Earth taken from space.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 4pm.
TO REGISTER BY PHONE CALL 413.236.2190.

Fifty years later we will explore the groundbreaking events, ideas, initiatives and cultural output of this extraordinary year around the world. This sequel to OLLI’s 1968: Fifty Years Later University Day explores 1968’s movements and issues around the world in concert with faculty and students at Bard College at Simon’s Rock.

9am – 9:30am Registration + coffee and pastries + interactive 1968 timeline

9:30am – 10:30pm Global Voices of 68
1968 was a year of awakening for the first generation of post-war and post-colonial young people. Young adults all over the world - from France to Poland and Russia, from South Africa to Nigeria, from the UK to Jamaica, from Pakistan to Egypt - began to question why the ideals of decolonization, democracy, and universal human rights were not being realized in their countries. In this collage of voices of young adults and leaders, these contradictions will be voiced anew.

Ken Roht, Director of Daniel’s Art Party, Simon’s Rock
James Warwick, Actor and Director
Chloe Sunderlund, Simon’s Rock Student
OLLI Members
· Amelia Berg
· Nancy Bott
· Karen McNulty
· Molly Pomerance
· Edith Pye
· Will Singleton

10:45am – 12pm Eyewitnesses to History
Berkshire residents who were eyewitnesses to critical events in Panama, Czechoslovakia, and France will share their personal stories and reflect on the changes that occurred in 1968 and how those events continue to have resonance today.

Panelists:
Peter Levine, Panama
Isabelle Kaplan, France
Milos Nebesar, Czechoslovakia
John Dickson, retired Foreign Service Officer, moderator

12pm - 1pm Lunch & Lecture
Latin American in 1968: Revolution or Counter Revolution
Demonstrations by students, workers and indigenous people erupted across Latin American in 1968 and in most cases were brutally put down by government forces. Military governments came to power in Brazil. The bodies of students killed by government forces in Mexico have still not been identified in 2018. Why were the forces calling for democracy so violently silenced in Latin America?

Speaker:
Martin Weinstein, Emeritus professor of political science, William Paterson University and OLLI instructor.

1:15pm – 2:30pm Film and Politics
The 1968 student movement in France began when DeGaulle shut down a Paris movie theatre that was screening films censored during the Nazi occupation. Why were films in France such a cultural touchstone and how did French directors address issues of economic inequality, the place of women in society, and decolonization? French New Wave directors influenced both experimental and commercial film making in the US. Clips from films surrounding 1968 will highlight this presentation.

Dien Vo, Assistant Professor of Film and Independent Filmmaker, Simon’s Rock


2:45pm – 3:30pm Seeking a Middle Path
Many political events in 1968 were forced into the narrow division of the world between pro-American and pro-Communist movements. As a result, it was often difficult to understand the nature of conflict in countries where these simple divisions masked much deeper social, economic and political currents. In this panel, developments in Cuba, the Philippines and Biafra, the first post-war genocide to garner international reaction and shape responses to similar crises, will be discussed.

Panelists:
Bernadette Brusco, JD, L.LM, OLLI member, who was on the ground in Biafra in 1968
Justin Jackson, Assistant Professor of History, Simon’s Rock
David Baum, History Professor, Simon’s Rock
Moderator – Ellen Croibier

Your registration fee includes morning coffee and refreshment and lunch. Parking is free and plentiful.

OLLI University Days are daylong explorations of fascinating subjects with a variety of speakers. No prerequisites, no tests, no grades - just learning for the joy of learning!

Registration is $40 for OLLI and Berkshire International Club members, and $55 for the general public. Click here to register online, here to print out a registration form to mail in, or call 413.236.2190 with a credit card to register.