2026 FALL TERM CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
see bottom of page for Zoom information
NOVEMBER CLASSES
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Week of November 2
Tuesday Nov. 3 — 1:00 – 2:30 pm ELECTION DAY – PLEASE VOTE!
Title: Matinee Madness! "The Bird Cage" (1996)
Presenter: Warren Karmol, SSI Member
Location: CLIMB only
Class description: We will view this movie together and discuss afterwards.
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Wednesday Nov. 4 — 10 - 11:30 am
Title: Bridging Divides
Presenter: Jeff Gudman, SAGE Board member (in person)
Location: NHH & Zoom
Class description: This presentation is offered to civic-minded and involved organizations. Together, we discuss the cause and degree of the current state of political polarization and how it creates policy gridlock, undermines democratic institutions, and sabotages personal relationships. We then outline the social science research that suggests what individuals and organizations can do to work across differences so communities can move forward in a productive way and solve problems.
Bio: Jeff serves on the board as Treasurer of the non-profit and nonpartisan organization SAGE (Senior Advocates for Generational Equity). SAGE engages older adults in causes that benefit younger and future generations. Jeff was also a two term (8 years) Lake Oswego city councilor. Jeff is a lifelong Oregon resident (except for time at Pomona College and graduate school at the Wharton School of Business). He has been and continues to be actively engaged in a variety of non-profits and government organizations and stays active in the business community.
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Thursday Nov. 5 — 10 am - Noon
Title: Portland Regional Natural History... Part 1
Presenter: David D. Lonsdale
Location: Zoom only
Class description: Explores the Geology of & Peopling of Portland & Portland's Wetlands
Bio: David Lonsdale was born in the British Dependent Territory of Bermuda. His career in Marine Biology has spanned 50+ years that has included Public Aquarium Management, marine educational programming, & most recently the speaker gained certification as an Oregon Master Naturalist. David has directed aquarium operations at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo; Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, and Duluth’s (MN) Great Lakes Aquarium. He has also taught college-level courses in General Ecology, Aquatic Biology, and Introductory Marine Biology.
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Week of November 9
Tuesday Nov. 10 — 1 - 2 pm
Title: Conspiracy Theories in America
Presenter: Sean Munger, PhD
Location: CLIMB & Zoom
Class description: Discover the details in the history of conspiracy theories and conspiracy thinking in American history and in politics from colonial times to the present, and how conspiracism and disinformation have played an important role in history.
Bio: Sean Munger has a Ph.D. in American environmental history and has lectured, published and taught on numerous historical topics for many years. He is known for his deep dive historical presentations on YouTube. A former attorney, he now teaches history online and in person with students of all ages.
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Wednesday Nov. 11 — VETERANS DAY - NO CLASS
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Thursday Nov. 12 — 7 – 8:30 PM (Evening)
Title: Portland Regional Natural History... Part 2
Presenter: David D. Lonsdale
Location: Zoom only
Class description: Discussion of Portland's Natural History continues (from Nov 5th session). Westside Mixed Conifer-Hardwood Forests and Today's Urban Landscapes are explored to reveal how land development, invasive species & human needs & desires have modified & embellished today's regional landscape.
Bio: David Lonsdale was born in the British Dependent Territory of Bermuda. His career in Marine Biology has spanned 50+ years that has included Public Aquarium Management, marine educational programming, & most recently the speaker gained certification as an Oregon Master Naturalist. David has directed aquarium operations at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo; Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, and Duluth’s (MN) Great Lakes Aquarium. He has also taught college-level courses in General Ecology, Aquatic Biology, and Introductory Marine Biology.
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Week of November 16
Monday Nov. 16 — 10 – 11 am
Title: A Sing-along: Rock & Pop of Yesteryear
Host: Diedre Cain, SSI Member
Location: Zoom only
Class description: All you need to enjoy this class is a love of songs--especially Rock and Pop of the 50s, 60s and 70s. You will sing along with one of our very own singers or a video of a singing performance. Either way, while muted, you will have the lyrics on the screen right in front of you, and you will be invited to sing to your heart's content. Come prepared to travel down memory lane in the comfort of your own home.
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Tuesday Nov. 17 — 1 - 3 pm
Title: Great Decisions Discussion (3 of 3)
Presenter: Steve Browning, SSI Member (in person)
Location: CLIMB only
Class description: The Great Decisions discussion group will end the 2026 series with Chapter 8 of the Great Decisions Briefing Book, “The Future of Human Rights and International Law in a Divided World,” (https://fpa.org/product/great-decisions-2026/). As democracy and human rights retreat globally—and the U.S. pulls back—how can civil society and legal norms remain effective in a divided world? What is the role and force of international law in this era of impunity?
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Wednesday Nov. 18 — 10 am - Noon
Title: 2nd Annual Art Show
Presenter: Mimi Shore, SSI Member
Location: NHH only
Class description: As a group, SSI has many members who are wonderful artists in many areas. They are painters, sculptors, quilters, embroiderers, photographers. We will exhibit their art at Neighborhood House (NHH). You will be able to view them and understand how talented they are.
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Thursday Nov. 19 — 10 am - 11:30 am
Title: AI Yi Yi: Emerging Issues with Artificial Intelligence
Presenter: Michael Trigoboff, PhD; SSI Member
Location: Zoom only
Class description: Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is advancing in ways that surprise even its creators. In one recent example, a team of AI “agents” broke out of a containment, set up a message board so they could communicate secretly, escaped into the Internet, and hacked servers in another company’s lab. Starting with a brief history, we will examine recent developments in AI technology, and the issues that these developments raise.
Bio: Michael has a PhD in Artificial Intelligence, 30 years of experience as a software engineer, and 20 years teaching Computer Science at Portland Community College. Michael creates and performs music, usually rock and jazz, but recently also including rap/hip-hop. His music creation process uses computers extensively. Michael has received great tech support recently from Google’s Gemini AI, both with his music projects and with transitioning from Windows to the Mac.
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Week of November 23
Monday Nov. 23 — 10 am – 11:30 am
Title: Social Media in the Era of AI
Presenter: Donna Z. Davis, PhD
Location: Zoom only
Class description: This lecture will address how we can navigate the promise and the peril of social media technologies in the age of artificial intelligence. Dr. Davis will discuss the evolution of social media from the early days of platforms such as Twitter and Facebook whose purpose was to connect families and friends to what have become behemoth technology companies that are marketing and news powerhouses. Attendees will gain insight to better understand both the strengths and vulnerabilities of today's social media and how they influence our culture.
Bio: Donna Davis is an expert in virtual reality (VR), digital embodiment, and tech equity. She is the founding director of both the University of Oregon's Oregon Reality (OR) Lab and the Immersive Media Communication master’s program. She currently serves as Endowed Chair in Public Relations and director of the Strategic Communication Master's program at UO-Portland. Her research focuses on the potential uses of social virtual worlds, and other emerging immersive media, with a special interest in marginalized and vulnerable communities. Her research on embodied experience and identity among people with disabilities was funded by the National Science Foundation. She has also extensively studied people with Parkinson’s disease who find and build support in the virtual world. More recently, her research explores the ethics of embodied AI as communication tools and strategy.
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Tuesday Nov. 24 — 1 – 3 pm
Title: Matinee Madness! “La La Land” (2016)
Presenter: Warren Karmol, SSI Member
Location: CLIMB only
Class description: We will view this movie together and discuss afterwards.
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Thursday Nov. 25 – THANKSGIVING – NO CLASS
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END OF TERM
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Guide to Attend SSI’s Zoom classes....
USE THE CLASS ID AND PASS CODE INSTEAD.
● Log in to your free Zoom app (https://zoom.us/)
● Click on “Join Meeting”
● Use the Class ID and Pass Code from the Zoom invitation in the Newsletter to join the class meeting.
Step 3: About 10-15 minutes before the start of class, click on the participation link in the Newsletter.
Step 4: If you have the Zoom application (app) installed, you will go directly to the Zoom Waiting Room and
wait to be admitted to the class. (Be sure your app is the latest version of Zoom. See the note below.)
Notes:
● If you do NOT have the Zoom application (app) already installed you will be asked to download the FREE
Zoom app before joining the class. (It is not necessary to have the Zoom app to participate in an SSI class -
however, you will have better tools to make the most of your class experience if you have the Zoom app.)
● Zoom customers are now required to keep their Zoom software no more than three months behind the
current version. If you are running an older version of Zoom, you will be prompted to perform an update.
This takes a little time--so if you suspect that your Zoom software is out of date, you may wish to log into
an SSI activity a few minutes early to ensure that you are admitted on time.