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Office of the Provost
Continuing and Professional Education

Propose to Teach a Seminar

Overview of Seminars

Seminars are college-level courses in topics such as literature, poetry, philosophy, history, art, architecture, archaeology, religion, and current events. They are for people eager to engage in college-level study for the sake of personal fulfillment. Seminars are noncredit and ungraded. However, there is a good deal of challenging homework, which typically includes reading of both primary and secondary materials. While seminars are led by faculty who provide formal study guides and lead college-level discussions, participants are expected to be prepared to actively contribute to each session.

The typical format consists of four 2.5 hour class sessions. Classes are in-person only, at the UO Baker Downtown Center in Eugene.

This program draws inspiration from the legacy of the UO Insight Seminars program, led by UO Emeritus Professor, Dr. James Earl. In its new iteration, the essence of the learning format continues while benefitting from shared resources with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI-UO), all housed within the department of Continuing and Professional Education.

All participants register and pay per Seminar, and Seminar instructors receive a modest honorarium. Participation is open to all adults; no previous affiliation with UO is required. Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) membership is not required, however, active OLLI members may register at a reduced fee.

How to Submit a Proposal

  1. Review all the information on this page.
  2. Download and fill in the Seminars syllabus proposal document.
  3. Send email to osher@uoregon.edu with your completed syllabus proposal document as an attachment.
  4. Proposals are reviewed March–July. Advertising begins, and registration opens, in August.

Operational Information

The purpose of this document is to provide a general overview of operational details that are specific to the Saturday Seminars series. In particular, for those familiar with the OLLI-UO format, this should clarify unique characteristics of the Seminars in contrast from the routine arrangements in OLLI-UO.

Seminar Selection Process

  1. Proposals will be reviewed by a sub-committee of the Program Committee at OLLI-UO in Eugene/Springfield, along with OLLI-UO program staff.
  2. Proposals will be solicited and reviewed primarily in the March–June cycle, with additional consideration given into summer, if the schedule is not already filled.

Seminar Selection Criteria

The “season” of seminars will be curated, with consideration of numerous goals:

  • Participation of both UO and non-UO faculty.
  • Participation of a variety of instructors.
  • Consideration of participant feedback from prior seminars.
  • Inclusion of literary content, as has frequently been part of the seminar series in the past, e.g poetry, novels, plays, etc.
  • Inclusion of other topical areas drawn from the breadth of academic disciplines, such as science, social science, art, architecture, history, ethics, music, performing arts, etc.
  • Selection of topic areas that are most likely to be of greatest interest to potential participants. Given that seminars have a special registration fee (and instructors receive an honorarium), there is a business need for strong likelihood of having at least 15 attendees per session, with capacity for up to 30. This projected viability will be assessed by staff.

Instructor Obligations

  1. Your reading assignments or other essential class materials should be clearly stated in your syllabus proposal. There is a strong preference for identifying course materials that are (a) free or low cost, (b) can be readily obtained by attendees on their own, and/or (c) accessed via PDF, web site, or other digital modalities that you provide to them. A small number of handouts can be printed in the office, with 2 days advance notice.
  2. You may need to modify your syllabus to a brief paragraph format appropriate for promotional materials, e.g. web site, printed fliers, e-blasts.
  3. The instructor will be provided with a “roster” that includes participant names and email addresses, beginning about four weeks prior to the first class. You will communicate directly with your “students” via email to answer any questions in advance or share any items necessary in advance of a session. (May include links to web sites, PDFs as attachments, and the like.)
  4. You will need to schedule a “dress rehearsal” at least one week in advance of the first session, to test out all technology resources such as microphone, videos, CDs, laptop connections, etc.
  5. Additional details may need to be clarified and confirmed, based on your specific topic and teaching support requests.

Instructor Support

  1. Teaching is compensated with $1,000 honorarium, for a 4-week seminar. (This amount is total for the seminar, whether there is one instructor or team taught.)
  2. Classroom facilities are supported by on-site “staff” which most often will be a student employee. Technical arrangements will be made in advance with a professional staff so that the student employee can be appropriately trained for your session.
  3. Promotional campaigns will be managed by the office of Continuing and Professional Education, consistent with UO and OLLI-UO style guide requirements. You are encouraged to also promote the seminars through your personal and professional networks, in tandem with the professionally managed materials.
  4. You may be invited to present, for free, at a “preview” session within the OLLI program.
  5. Additional details may need to be clarified and confirmed, based on your specific topic and teaching support requests.

Academic Year 2025-26

Fall Term 2025

S1 Saturdays: September 27 and October 4, 11, 18, 2025; 9:30 a.m.–noon

W/Fall Wednesdays: October 8, 15, 22, 29, 2025; 6:00 p.m.—8:30 p.m.

S2 Saturdays: October 25 and November 1, 8, 15, 2025; 9:30 a.m.–noon

Winter Term 2026

S3 Saturdays: January 10, 17, 24, 31, 2026; 9:30 a.m.–noon

W/Wtr Wednesdays: January 21, 28 and February 4, 11, 2026; 6:00 p.m.—8:30 p.m.

S4 Saturdays: February 7, 14, 21, 28, 2026; 9:30 a.m.–noon

S5 Saturdays: March 7, 14, 21, 28, 2026; 9:30 a.m.–noon

Spring Term 2026

S6 Saturdays: April 11, 18, 25 and May 2, 2026; 9:30 a.m.—noon

W/Spr Wednesdays: April 22, 29, and May 6, 13, 2026; 6:00 p.m.—8:30 p.m.

Notable Dates

  • Labor Day, September 1, 2025 (UO closed)
  • Rosh Hashanah, September 22-24, 2025
  • UO Fall term begins, September 29, 2025
  • Yom Kippur, October 1-2, 2025
  • Election Day, November 4, 2025
  • Veterans Day, November 11, 2025 (UO closed)
  • Thanksgiving, November 27-28, 2025 (UO closed)
  • Christmas Holiday, December 25, 2025 (UO closed)
  • New Year’s Holiday, January 1, 2026 (UO closed)
  • UO Winter term begins, January 5, 2026
  • MLK Holiday, January 19, 2026 (UO closed)
  • Presidents Day February 16, 2026
  • UO spring break, March 21-19, 2026
  • UO Spring term begins, March 30, 2026
  • Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026
  • Memorial Day, May 25, 2026 (UO closed)