An American Portrait: Part 2, 1878-present

Dates: April 7 - May 12, 2026
Meets: Tu from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
 Location: Bozeman, MT - Hope Lutheran Church
Cost:  $75.00

There are still openings remaining at this time.

Date Day Time
04/07/2026Tuesday4 PM to 6 PM
04/14/2026Tuesday4 PM to 6 PM
04/21/2026Tuesday4 PM to 6 PM
04/28/2026Tuesday4 PM to 6 PM
05/05/2026Tuesday4 PM to 6 PM
05/12/2026Tuesday4 PM to 6 PM

OR

Please note: This course program requires membership in a 2025-2026 OLLI at MSU Membership

Description

This course builds upon An American Portrait, Part 1, and surveys later American history from Reconstruction to the present. Through weekly lectures, brief historical readings, videos and related class discussions, this engaging chronological study of United States history integrates history, art, music and multiple perspectives to convey a more complex and sophisticated portrait of America's diverse past and rich cultural heritage.

Course Takeaways

Class participants will walk away with:

  • A thorough, interdisciplinary understanding of American history, especially its key players and defining events.
  • A greater appreciation for the major eras in America's late-nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including the historic and contemporary relevance of key conflicts and reform movements.
  • A better understanding of the often-overlooked roles played by women, African Americans and native peoples in creating America's history after Reconstruction.

Available Formats and Pricing

Face-to-face only:

This type of registration allows you to enjoy the face-to-face version of the course ONLY. It does not include any of the recordings from the pre-recorded version of the course.

Pre-recorded content only:

This type of registration allows you to enjoy the pre-recorded version of the course ONLY. The instructor will record this program separately from the face-to-face class. It is NOT a recording of the face-to-face class. Recordings will become available weekly in your OLLI at MSU account after April 7. You will receive an email with access instructions when the recordings are available to view. Click or tap here to register for pre-recorded content only.

Face-to-face with access to pre-recorded content:

This type of registration will grant you access to both the face-to face course and pre-recorded content. Recordings will become available weekly in your OLLI at MSU account after April 7. You will receive an email with access instructions when the recordings are available to view.

Scholarships

Apply for a needs-based scholarship to take this offering.

Fee:  $75.00

Fee Breakdown

DescriptionAmount
Face-to-face only$ 75.00
Face-to-face with access to pre-recorded content$ 110.00

Bozeman, MT - Hope Lutheran Church

2152 W Graf St
Bozeman, MT 59718
View the location on a map.

Derek Strahn

Derek Strahn has an M.A. in history from MSU-Bozeman and teaches Advanced Placement U.S. History at Bozeman High School. He was the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History's Montana's Preserve America History Teacher of the Year in 2010. He has written numerous works about Montana History, including The Montana Medicine Show's Genuine Montana History, which the Great Falls Tribune called "one of the classic books every Montanan should read."
Date Day Time Location
04/07/2026Tuesday4 PM to 6 PM Bozeman, MT - Hope Lutheran Church
04/14/2026Tuesday4 PM to 6 PM Bozeman, MT - Hope Lutheran Church
04/21/2026Tuesday4 PM to 6 PM Bozeman, MT - Hope Lutheran Church
04/28/2026Tuesday4 PM to 6 PM Bozeman, MT - Hope Lutheran Church
05/05/2026Tuesday4 PM to 6 PM Bozeman, MT - Hope Lutheran Church
05/12/2026Tuesday4 PM to 6 PM Bozeman, MT - Hope Lutheran Church