Cascade! Winter 2010
Course Catalog

Ever wondered why Shakespeare is so popular? Sure, cool insults like "glass-gazing, super-serviceable finical rogue" have some appeal (King Lear II.2), but what really inspires Will's fanclub today? In this class, we will share with you our passion for the Bard, and a wealth of experience in professional Shakespearean acting, starting with the basics of Shakespeare's language (what's the difference between "thy" and "thine", and WHAT ON EARTH does "anon" mean?), and leading into a close study of Shakespeare's infamous (and cursed) tragedy, Macbeth. We will focus on understanding the drama of the text, and how it comes to life in performance. "Suit the action to the word, the word to the
action" (Hamlet, III.2).

In this interactive course, students will learn the basic tools and ideas of mathematics as it is done at college and beyond (which is often very different from how it’s done in high school!). They will learn to think about mathematical ideas and arguments as a mathematician would, and explore a broad scope of ideas from mathematical analysis, topology, graph theory, etc. Students will also learn about a variety of contexts in which their new mathematical knowledge can be applied, from business to computers.

This class is a survey of American humor. Each day, we will look at a different target or subject matter of comedy: language, race, sex, politics, etc. Our discussion on racial humor will be especially important: we will see that comedy can be a wonderful method for ridiculing and exposing bigotry and prejudice. Language will also be an integral part of the class: we will be asking ourselves how the right words are necessary to correctly craft a joke. The class will make use of visual media, drawing from stand up comedy, sketch comedy, television, and film. For instance, we might contrast a Richard Pryor stand-up bit with a sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus. Please note that much of the material used in this class will involve "dirty language," so students should be prepared to hear these words in this class. Above all, this class is a chance to understand humor, and to think about how and why it both delights and offends.

Who is the Buddha? Why do some people wear cloths on their heads? How many Hindu gods are there? What is the difference between the Christian Old Testament and the Jewish Bible? Which way is Mecca? If you've ever wondered about any of these questions, or didn't understand some of those questions, this is your chance to ask all you want! In this class, we will learn about many of the world religions (their histories, doctrine, and cultures) and how they interact in a religiously diverse world.

What are some of the freedoms we possess? What are the limits to that freedom? We will be discussing how and when we exercise our freedoms, including the freedom to vote, organize and form political parties, lobby lawmakers, freedom of speech and religion, capitalism and free markets. We will look at the origin of freedom and discuss whether "freedom" is really free. Finally, we will be discussing parts of our society that may be considered less than free, and why that is the case.

How did a bunch of chaotic molecules form to where we are today? This course attempts to answer this question by detailing, in chronological order, the life of the universe and the formation of life on Earth. The first half will be focused on formation of the universe, starting with the Big Bang, to the formation of the stars and planets. The second half would concentrate on early Earth and the conditions that allow life to occur, detailing how life might have evolved and changed over the billions years of Earth's life.

Why do we have cities? And once they’re founded, why do they get so big? In this course, we’ll look at the forces that drive cities, from the massive metropolises of the developing world to your very own Chicago. We’ll cover such topics as economic geography, population, transportation, and architecture. In addition, we’ll also look at the role of design and planning in urban development and try a little ourselves.

The Earth is approximately 4.6 billion years old. Modern humans have only been around for .0002 percent of that time, and recorded history
covers only a fraction of that. How do we know what the early Earth looked like? How do we know that life evolved on Earth? The answer to
this question can help us understand our past and prepare for our future. The evolution of complex organisms, such as humans, is so gradual
that no one can watch it. But evolution does leave evidence. In this class, we will examine fundamental methods of science, document the
overwhelming evidence in support of biological evolution and evaluate the alternative perspectives offered by advocates of various kinds of
creationism, including intelligent design. Lectures will be supplemented by hands-on activities: search for clues embedded in rock, encoded in
DNA and in the shape and structure of living things, in order to learn how scientists collect evidence for evolution.

A man with 24 distinct personalities. A woman convinced that her husband has been replaced with an identical impostor. A man requesting surgery to amputate a limb that he swears doesn't belong to him. By looking at psychological disorders such as multiple personalities, schizophrenia, and somatic delusions, we will explore just how subjective an individual's "reality" ultimately is. We will conclude that anyone could potentially develop unusual psychological perceptions that fundamentally influence "reality". No prior knowledge of psychology is necessary. Students will be given small reading assignments to stimulate discussion but there will be no writing homework or tests.

You will be given the opportunity to learn how to write and speak basic conversational Hindi. We will use Bollywood films to introduce you to Indian culture and talk about the uniqueness of the culture. We will explore different aspects of the culture: food, media, clothing, and religions. In the midst of this, we will look at famous tourist sites and learn about the history behind them.

As long as humans have been able to think for themselves, there have been thoughts considered dangerous by the community at large. We will be leading a head-first investigation into these so-called "dangerous ideas" in the media, asking questions like: What makes an idea dangerous? Is censorship necessary? Do these ideas have anything to give back to society? Why should we care? What gives our government the right (or responsibility) to control the information we are allowed to see? How has the way we perceive dangerous ideas changed over time? To answer these questions and others we will be exploring in-depth real examples of these dangerous ideas from the Middle Ages to the present, including controversial elements related to sex, drugs, violence, politics, and even philosophy through a variety of disciplines and perspectives. Today, such elements in television shows, movies, video games, popular music, and pulp literature are subjects of intense controversy and censorship. What don't they want you to know? And why? Come find out...

We all know there are good movies out there. But what makes a good movie? Sometimes we get lucky; we see a movie that draws us in. There is something about it that makes us think: perhaps we shared something in common with a character, or recognized a theme from our own life. Good film makes us think like that, and in Introduction to Film, we will discuss the elements that make this possible. In each class we will discuss a particular movie, focusing on elements in that movie that make it outstanding. The class will be discussion-based, to allow students to construct their own interpretation and analysis of the films.