Cascade Winter 2015
Course Catalog

Modern Storytelling is our foray into the world of fiction--and our journey to put our own stories into words. We will be reading, absorbing, and interacting with writers and artists like Junot Diaz, Marjane Satrapi, and Sarah Kay to see how the creative world is really rooted in personal experience, and how personal experience can be illuminated by the fictional worlds that we encounter. Come with a curiosity about yourselves and others.

Learn the basics of Japanese history! We will be moving through history exploring how Japan has risen and fallen in international power and influence. Starting from Japan's early emperors we will track the rise and fall of imperial rule. How did the Shogun gain power? And why did Japan cut themselves off from the world? We will follow the intervention of foreigners into Japan and find out how the small isolated island nation survived Western interference while China crumpled. We will see how Japan rose, conquering their neighbors and striking a blow at the United States and fell again crushed under the weight of the first offensively deployed nuclear weapons.

How did everything around us come to exist? How did we come to exist? Is intelligent life outside of Earth possible? is it plausible? In this class we will explore some of the deepest questions about the universe and learn how astronomers and astrophysicists look at these problems. Using these same methods from astronomy and some methods from biology we will try to answer questions about the Big Bang, dark energy, black holes, and maybe even try to answer the ever-going debate about whether alien life can ever happen.

"Ever wondered if brains can communicate with machines? How drugs interact with the brain? How emotions work? In this interactive intro to neuroscience class, you will learn the basics from cellular to social brain science. Starting with how brain cells are structured and communicate, we will then look at what happens when things go wrong in the brain, and how the brain interacts with its surroundings.

Come learn a new language, where you can converse after only a few lessons! ASL is a gestural language spoken mainly by the Deaf in the United States. We will review basic grammar, vocabulary, finger spelling, numbers, and cultural lessons on the Deaf community. You will have the opportunity to practice your signing skills, learn any words you might be curious about, and watch the art forms of ASL poetry, song and dance. American Sign Language is easy, fun and exciting to learn, but most importantly of all- it allows you access to the complex and rich world of the Deaf. No previous knowledge necessary, just come with ready hands.

Come learn the fundamentals of emergency medicine with the University of Chicago Emergency Medical Services!

In a crash course designed to pass on some of our most essential skills, we will be teaching you how to 1) recognize when someone is seriously hurt, 2) call for help, and 3) start providing them emergency care while you wait for the ambulance to arrive.

You'll learn how to perform CPR, splint broken bones, care for gunshot wounds and collapsed lungs, as well as any number of other little "tricks" that our dedicated EMT and EMR instructors have learned on the job while working in Chicago!

These crucial skills may not only help you save a life - they could get you started down a career path as well! Don't let yourself be a helpless bystander - learn what it takes to make a difference today!

Join us for a weekly discussion about the history of comics, followed by the opportunity to make your own. During the lecture component of the course, we will explore how the medium of comics has developed over time and examine how comic creators from different genres blend words and images for maximum effect. Once you’ve learned a bit about the historical background, we will guide you through the process of creating your own comic. All levels of familiarity with comics and artistic experience welcome. Materials will be provided.

This class will aim to teach you more about all the different skills needed to be a successful Model United Nations delegate. At the beginning of the course, you will get to pick a cool new country to learn about, and you will be acting as a representative of that country throughout the class. You will learn all about representing your country, giving speeches from the point of view of your country, and working with other countries. At the end of the class, we'll be doing a simulation of a real United Nations meeting, which each of you serving as representatives of your countries. This class is a great way to practice essential skills and learn a lot about issues and the world around you!

Are you curious about how sharks can detect electrical currents? Want to learn why a sea star’s arms never get tired? These odd facts are just some of the things we’ll talk about in this class, which overviews plenty of exciting classes of marine life. We’ll start by looking at less complex (but still fascinating!) organisms like starfish and crustaceans, and from there work our way up evolutionarily to more complex organisms like sharks and whales. A big part of the course will focus on the anatomies of these creatures and examining how their bodies are useful for the lives they live under the sea. We’ll also talk a bit about ecology and how human behaviors relate to and impact the variety of life in the ocean.

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In many ways, we have been thrown into this world. This discussion-based

class aims to explain what this thought may mean and illustrate how we have become the people

we are. We will discuss theoretical topics such as: the self, culture, knowing, religion, ethics,

normalcy, time, desire and perspective. This course offers two things: (1) a taste-test of multiple

social science and humanities disciplines (anthropology, history, philosophy, linguistics,

psychology, sociology) and (2) a way to broaden your perspective of one’s place in the world. In

essence, this course is about what it means to be a human in the world. You can find more information at http://thrownintoaworld.strikingly.com/

From World War Z to The Walking Dead, the threat of zombies has captured a part of the national zeitgeist. When thinking about the zombie threat, a few questions almost inevitably arise: How would you personally react in the event of a zombie outbreak? How would your friends and neighbors go about surviving in a post-apocalyptic wasteland? How would your government? This class will try to examine the popular phenomenon of zombiism through a variety of perspectives, ranging from behavioral psychology to human physiology to international relations.