OLLI at Duke - Our Changing World 

This class for lifelong learners is held weekly at Duke University in Durham, NC.  We view and debate the interesting and cutting edge talks given at the annual TED conferences which bring together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes!

OLLI at Duke

The Lifelong Learning Institute at Duke began in 1977.  Since 2004 we have been members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes funded by the Bernard Osher Foundation.  As a part of Duke University Continuing Studies, OLLI at Duke, headquartered in the Bishop’s House on Duke’s East Campus, is an organization where lifelong learners can enjoy daytime courses, good conversation, and the companionship of peers.  In this relaxed and congenial atmosphere, OLLI at Duke affords an opportunity to rekindle former interests and pursue new ones in classes without papers or tests, where members have in common a passion for learning and all the benefits that come from keeping mind and body healthy, active and engaged.

TED - Ideas worth spreading

Our Changing World is anchored by video presentations of ‘TEDtalks’ recorded at the annual TED conference which began in 1984, originally devoted to the converging fields of Technology, Entertainment and Design. More than a thousand people now attend from all over the world -- indeed, the event sells out a year in advance -- and the content has expanded to include Science, Business, the Arts and the Global Issues facing our world. The speakers at TED present amazing performances, information and ideas about new knowledge and thinking that is evolving in many fields and which affect how we live now, and will in the future. They each have 18 mins to present the talk of their lives. 

TEDTalks License

"This site makes the best talks and performances from TED available to the public, for free. More than 200 talks from our archive are now available, with more added each week. These videos are released under a Creative Commons license, so they can be freely shared and reposted."  Link here to TEDTalks usage policies 

 Instructor Bio

Ian Goddard grew up in South Africa and came to the United States 40 years ago.  His career in heavy engineering carried him throughout the USA and many other countries.  A member of OLLI since 2004 and a past Board member, he conducted a class on the History of South Africa in 2006 and then led a group of OLLI members on a tour of South Africa in 2007.  A class on the Anglo-Zulu Wars followed and he also conducted two semesters of Our World Today classes.  In the fall of 2008 he initiated the Our Changing World series.