Cascade Winter 16
Course Catalog

How do NBA teams use basketball statistics to determine who they want on their team? How do coaches use these statistics to improve their strategy? This class will teach you how advanced basketball statistics can change the way you see the game. You will learn about what kind of shots are the most efficient if you want to win, what kind of statistics teams use to decide what players they want, and how you can use these statistics to understand the game better. These are not simple statistics like points, rebounds, assists, steals, etc. These statistics will help you look at the game in a new way, they will include things you didn't even know they keep track of, and you will see things that you never used to see.

How does the Court function? Which amendment gives us our right to free speech? How are our civil liberties protected? These are all questions that this course will answer through a basic overlook at the Supreme Court and several monumental cases that have shaped the protection of our civil liberties.

Should we judge actions by their intent or by their consequences? Why do we value maximizing the greatest good for the greatest number of people? Are the good and the pleasant the same? Is it even moral to be moral? Questions such as these have captured the human imagination for millennia and inspired many passionate responses throughout the ages. Many of us may have strong beliefs concerning these questions, but it isn't enough to just have opinions - we need to back up our answers with reasoned argument. In this course, we will examine several ethical theories that seek to provide answers to these questions in the works of acclaimed and highly influential philosophers throughout history: Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Mill, and Nietzsche. By examining their ideas of what it means to be ethical, we'll shed light on the origins and bases of our own moral convictions. Applying these theories to historical and contemporary moral issues, we’ll prepare ourselves to defend our chosen positions in reasoned debate.

A wise sovereign once inquired, “Who run the world?” Though her noble masses were cued to righteously declare, “girls!,” American history doesn’t settle so fast. Ah, feminism, a mighty word with misconstrued connotations! Surely, it is the movement toward social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. Even more, it’s about respecting one another’s choices while being mindful of our differences. Awareness that, well hey, we all deserve the opportunity to kick butt! This class welcomes open minds and the will to be armed with revolutionary notions. Together, we shall explore the making-sandwiches-in-the-kitchen stereotype, perceptions of Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty, the words of a man named Tony Porter, aspirations, and perhaps a dab of Beyoncé.

Did you know that Bollywood produces the most movies per year? All of those movies have a lot of drama, acting, comedy, and a Bollywood staple: lots and lots of dancing. In this class, we will explore the transition in Bollywood movies from traditional classical dancing to modern Bollywood takes on hip hop and contemporary. In addition, the class will include learning your very own Bollywood routine to some of the top songs in Bollywood right now! Do you want to be a part of the producers of the most movies in the world? Then sign up! We’d love to have you!


Prerequisites
None

Why does climate change make some places warmer and other places cooler? How do we grow our food once the weather we grow it in changes? And what do people do in climate talks anyway? In this class, we'll learn about our changes and challenges affecting our environment today, as well as proposed solutions for the future. To do this, we'll cover the science behind climate change, the pros and cons of different energy sources, and the threats to agriculture in the face of a changing environment. We'll also talk about the recent Paris climate talks, and the ways that both governments and individuals can work to help the environment. Join us to learn how to navigate through and make a difference in our changing environmental world!

"Is the Moon falling?" was the key question Isaac Newton asked when he was a young scholar at Cambridge University. It opened up the way of thinking that enabled him to come up with his theory of gravity. If the Earth is pulling on nearby objects and causing them to fall, it should also pull the Moon and cause it to fall. Using Newtonian Theory of Gravity, we were able to explain the motion of stars, planets, nebulae and countless other celestial objects (We went to the Moon using only Newtonian Gravity!). It was so powerful that we did not need to come up with a better theory until 1915. However, it left a key part unanswered, how does gravity exert its force? Before answering that one, another key question was asked at the dawn of the new century by Albert Einstein, "Does light fall?". In this class we will follow the same thought path that Einstein did as he constructed the General Theory of Relativity, crown jewel of Classical Physics. We will learn the basics of one of the most mathematically elegant theories in Physics (Trust me, there are a lot of ugly ones). We will discover the true nature of space and time (it may not be "the answer to life the universe and everything", but it is the next best thing). Spoiler alert: Yes! Light does fall.


Prerequisites
Basic Calculus

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.

Do you ever wonder why your computer freezes for apparently no reason? Computers have problems. They all do, at least eventually…. Buffering issues, slowness, crashes, and more. Come learn how a computer guy sees problems—and how to understand different symptoms—to get you to “the usual solutions”. For example, this class will teach you what steps you can take to fix a hardware problem and how you can figure out whether the problem comes from hardware or, say, the operating system. Come learn all this and some history, too!

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.

On the one hand, Hollywood makes filmmaking appear dauntingly inaccessible to your average person. On the other hand, thanks to Youtube, it seems like everyone and their cat is a filmmaker. To strike a proactive balance, this course will introduce students to a version of the process of writing a short film script. We will proceed from the brainstorming stage of ideas to writing and revising an actual short script draft. As a professional actor and a thus far short filmmaker who is in the process of developing her first feature length script, I will guide the class in pit falls, do’s and don’ts, and the fun of turning the weirdness of everyday life into what we call a story. We will touch on elements of writing like the visual medium of film, dialogue, screen direction, character, and theme, and we will work on existing in the world like writers. We will also touch on elements of production. While action, fantasy, and romantic comedy lovers are very welcome, my emphasis in this class will twofold: psychologically realistic and absurdist/surrealist short comedy, because those are what I thus far do.


Prerequisites
Please sign up if you already have some sense of yourself as a writer or as wanting to become a writer. This does not mean you have already shared work of yours with a thousand people, or even know what medium you would ultimately like to work in, it just means that you like to express and explore through the written word and are eager to continue to do so. Also, be ready to talk about yourself. The best creative work, even if it's "far out," is always grounded in some logic of human behavior/psychology. If you are unsure if this course is right for you, you are welcome to email me at atorem@uchicago.edu.

What is an adrenaline rush? How do we see? What are neurons and what do they have to do with robots? All of these questions fall under areas of study that are currently being addressed in neuroscience. We will begin with the structural and functional components of the nervous system and examine the role of neurons, the brain, and spinal cord in sensation, movement, behavior, and cognition. Then, we will delve into the real-world applications of neurosciences, from disorders, neuropathies, and injuries to medicine, learning, and technology. The purpose of this course is to provide a broad overview of some of the key concepts, themes, and controversies in neuroscience and provide the tools and background for further inquiry and application to the field and its related disciplines.