The Tao of Dreaming
This 6-week experiential course builds on Tao of Dreaming Part 1 but welcomes new students equally. Early sessions review key TCM principles, then shift into Dream Group work, where participants will take turns sharing a personal dream and engage with “Dream Investigators” to uncover personal insights. The course strengthens dream recall and introduces methods for interpreting dream imagery in relation to health. No prior experience is required. Newcomers will meet the same learning objectives as returning students.
Please note that if you do not see the "Add to Cart" button under your course, you must first create a new account or sign in to your current account. If you do not have current membership, once you have signed in, add your membership to the cart in order to register for courses.
We Have Stars in Our Eyes: The Performers in Musical Films
Who are these wonderful actors who capture our attention with their singing, dancing, and acting in musical films? Is it craft? Talent? Charisma? This course will delve into these questions as we explore lesser-known films of these gifted professionals who we treasure and who have managed to connect with us and share their wonderful performances for decades. Garland, Crosby, Sinatra, Kelly, Astaire, and so many more. The films we will watch are Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940), The Pirate (1948), Tea for Two (1950), Carmen Jones (1954), There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954), and High Society (1956).
Please note that if you do not see the "Add to Cart" button under your course, you must first create a new account or sign in to your current account. If you do not have current membership, once you have signed in, add your membership to the cart in order to register for courses.
Documentary Cinema: New York Stories
Fee: $45.00
Dates: 4/14/2026 - 4/28/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Days: Tu
Sessions: 3
Building: UCR-Palm Desert Center B
Room:
Instructor: Dale Knorr
Seats Still Available: 86
Join this esoteric exploration of New York City involving off-beat subjects, unusual events, and the inhabitants of what many have called “the greatest city in the world”. We will cinematically traverse the five boroughs on foot, by rail, and by messenger bike. We’ll view and discuss one feature-length documentary film per week (3) along with short films and other digital resources. Class sessions will be informal and conversational. Member participation will be appreciated. The films will be presented in English.
Please note that if you do not see the "Add to Cart" button under your course, you must first create a new account or sign in to your current account. If you do not have current membership, once you have signed in, add your membership to the cart in order to register for courses.
Workshop on the Environment
This is a group-based interactive set of discussions on the environment. But realize the environment is much broader than climate change. Other topics might include: water (sources, conservation strategies, desalinization), pollution (industrial emissions, hazards in the air and water), renewable and non- renewable energy, the rules and activities of the US EPA especially their scientific foundations, our EPA compared to agencies in other countries), recycling, and the politics of climate change: what are the political benefits and hindrances to legislative approaches? Enrollment is limited to 12 participants who will choose the topics, present their research, and engage in interactive activities.
Please note that if you do not see the "Add to Cart" button under your course, you must first create a new account or sign in to your current account. If you do not have current membership, once you have signed in, add your membership to the cart in order to register for courses.
The Week's News in Review - Palm Desert
An interactive discussion of events shaping the news each week. Media sources include print, TV, the internet, and social media. This course will discuss politics, the economy, sports, show business, and topics pulled from the "headlines."
Please note that if you do not see the "Add to Cart" button under your course, you must first create a new account or sign in to your current account. If you do not have current membership, once you have signed in, add your membership to the cart in order to register for courses.
Irish Spring: Ireland in Film
Fee: $75.00
Dates: 4/16/2026 - 5/21/2026
Times: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 6
Building: UCR-Palm Desert Center B
Room:
Instructor: Bernard "Butch" Epps
Seats Still Available: 82
Ireland’s history, character, and sense of home have inspired some of cinema’s most memorable stories. In this course, we explore Ireland through six films that reveal the country’s deep-rooted traditions, struggles, humor, and enduring spirit. We begin with John Ford’s beloved portrait of rural romance and Irish life in The Quiet Man (1952), followed by the turbulent fight for independence depicted in Michael Collins (1996). Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast (2021) brings history down to the level of childhood memory and family life. Dublin’s working-class energy bursts onto the screen in The Commitments (1991), while The Guard (2011) offers a sharp and darkly comic look at contemporary Ireland through an unconventional local policeman. Finally, Brooklyn (2015) explores the Irish immigrant experience and the emotional tension between leaving home and discovering that its pull never fully disappears.
Please note that if you do not see the "Add to Cart" button under your course, you must first create a new account or sign in to your current account. If you do not have current membership, once you have signed in, add your membership to the cart in order to register for courses.
Current Events Discussion Group
This course covers legal, social and political topics of the day based on articles, studies and brief foundational lectures. Articles, on both sides of an issue, will be taken from a variety of publications such as The New York Times , The Washington Post , The Wall Street Journal , The Economist , and more. All thoughtful views are welcomed and will be respected. This course will be a hybrid course.
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Drawing Fundamentals
In this six-week course, beginners will build a strong foundation in the art of drawing. We’ll explore one-, two-, and three-point perspective, logarithmic patterns, light and shadow, and the structure and nature of shapes. Along the way, you’ll develop observation skills, experiment with techniques, and gain confidence in expressing your creativity on paper. All you need is a pad of paper, a #2 soft pencil, and an eraser. Whether you’ve never picked up a pencil or are returning to a long-lost hobby, this class will help you see—and draw—the world in a whole new way.
Please note that if you do not see the "Add to Cart" button under your course, you must first create a new account or sign in to your current account. If you do not have current membership, once you have signed in, add your membership to the cart in order to register for courses.
Mid-Century Science Fiction Classics: A Cautionary Window to Our Future
Explore four iconic science fiction films from the 1950s and 1960s that reflect the hopes and anxieties of their time—many of which still resonate today. This engaging series features The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), Forbidden Planet (1956), The Time Machine (1960), and Fantastic Voyage (1966). Through guided viewing and discussion, we’ll examine themes of nuclear threat, technological advancement, human nature, and the future of civilization—revealing how these classic films serve as both entertainment and enduring cautionary tales.
Please note that if you do not see the "Add to Cart" button under your course, you must first create a new account or sign in to your current account. If you do not have current membership, once you have signed in, add your membership to the cart in order to register for courses.
What is Next for Me?
If you have ever wondered, what am I really doing with my life? Or felt deep down that you are meant for something greater but cannot quite name it- this transformative workshop is your chance to pause, reflect, and reconnect with your true purpose. Guided by certified life successful coach Barbara Stenning, you will experience powerful exercises designed to uncover the dreams and passions that set your soul on fire. You will also discover clear steps to take to live them. Take the time to uncover a life that is more energized, inspired, and confident. Come ready to embrace the extraordinary possibilities that exist ahead of you.
Please note that if you do not see the "Add to Cart" button under your course, you must first create a new account or sign in to your current account. If you do not have current membership, once you have signed in, add your membership to the cart in order to register for courses.
How We Make Our Moral Decisions: An Introduction to Philosophical Ethics
Ethics is the study of values and how those values influence our moral choices. Over centuries, ethicists have identified the 7 values at root of all our moral choices. This class will examine each, and the moral theories of right and wrong built on them.
Please note that if you do not see the "Add to Cart" button under your course, you must first create a new account or sign in to your current account. If you do not have current membership, once you have signed in, add your membership to the cart in order to register for courses.
The Week's News in Review - Palm Desert
Fee: $75.00
Dates: 5/28/2026 - 7/2/2026
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Days: Th
Sessions: 6
Building:
Room:
Instructor: Neal Dinoff
Seats Still Available: 34
An interactive discussion of events shaping the news each week. Media sources include print, TV, the internet, and social media. This course will discuss politics, the economy, sports, show business, and topics pulled from the "headlines."
Please note that if you do not see the "Add to Cart" button under your course, you must first create a new account or sign in to your current account. If you do not have current membership, once you have signed in, add your membership to the cart in order to register for courses.
The Creative Lives of Artists in Film
The grand scope of this course invites you to explore how films reframe creative lives through relationships, sacrifice, and myth. Giorgio Vasari began this tradition in 1550 with The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects , blending biography with cultural legend; cinema extends his project by transforming artistic lives into visual narratives of intensity. We distinguish among so-called “tortured artists”—not as a uniform pathology but as distinct creative temperaments shaped by human bonds, whether between brothers (Lust for Life , 1956), spouses (Pollock , 2000), muses (Moulin Rouge , 1952), or models (A Model for Matisse , documentary). The course then turns to The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007), showing how creativity can survive even under extreme physical limits, and concludes with Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! (2001), a pop-modern retelling of the Orpheus myth set in the world of Toulouse-Lautrec’s Moulin Rouge. Join us—no previous obsessions required.
Please note that if you do not see the "Add to Cart" button under your course, you must first create a new account or sign in to your current account. If you do not have current membership, once you have signed in, add your membership to the cart in order to register for courses.
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