Droplet Fall 2015
Course Catalog

What good are old movies? Some are just plain great movies having terrific performances, great photography and / or writing. (Even in black and white! Even silent!) And some are just crap. But there's another entire use for old movies. Come find out what I mean and see if you really see into our past! Increase your awareness of things present and past!


Prerequisites
None

This course will serve as an introduction to one of the most important forms in classical music: the sonata. We will briefly discuss the history of the sonata, the standard form, and some common deviations as well as listen to a few examples. All levels of musical experience are welcome.

Ever wonder what movies audiences thought were funny in the early 1900s? What Charlie Chaplin did to become so popular? How cartoons became seen as primarily children's films, or how Tarantino put together the humor of Pulp Fiction? Look no further! This course will serve as an introduction to the different eras of film comedy, the principles those eras were based on, and the men and women who made them possible. We'll laugh our way through film clips from the past 120 years in order to discuss what they do, how they do it, and what makes them so funny.

A good review of basic logical fallacies you hear all over. Learn to call out bad arguments and question what you see on t.v


Prerequisites
None

An introduction to advanced basketball statistics, how to use them, etc.

This course will serve as an introduction to the practice of writing film criticism. Students will be given an overview of how film reviewers work and how one could go about writing critical film analyses.

I will teach an accessible introductory lesson on the Chinese language, covering some basic concepts and explaining how the composition of Chinese characters is tied to not only their meaning, but also China's historical and cultural background. The course will also include 'fun facts' about the Chinese language - for example, what happens if you add an extra dot on top of a certain character? Why do many characters share the same ‘radicals?' I hope that students will leave the class with a newfound appreciation - and budding interest - in the Chinese language!

You've all seen Disney's "Hercules" ... now welcome to the real (fictional) world, where Hercules murders Meg and their children, eventually burns himself to death, and Hades is a relatively nice guy. Come hear about the kind of stuff that inspired "Game of Thrones" and also most of Western culture as we know it.

Learn about dinosaurs and their life histories in this brief overview of paleobiology!


Prerequisites
none

"We can imagine that this complicated array of moving things which constitutes "the world" is something like a great chess game being played by the gods, and we are observers of the game. We do not know what the rules of the game are; all we are allowed to do is to watch the playing. Of course, if we watch long enough, we may eventually catch on to a few of the rules. The rules of the game are what we mean by fundamental physics..." -Richard Feynman

The course will start with the early human civilizations and examples from what kind of explanations they came up with to explain the Universe. The narrative will follow the historical context with the enlightenment and the birth of scientific method, and the paradigm shift of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. Finally the modern scientific models of the universe and their extraordinary results(Black Holes, The Big Bang, Supernovae etc.) will be discussed without diving into the math.

In this course students will get a chance to learn about how computer use algorithms to operate. To do this students will conduct various hands on activities where they follow the same instructions as a computer.

All animals communicate or exchange information with each other in some way or another. But the ways in which they do may surprise you. From whales that sing to each other over hundred-mile distances, to birds and insects that attract attention from the opposite sex using colors outside of the visible light spectrum, to sponges and sea slugs that "talk" through nearly imperceptible chemical signals, animals have spent hundreds of millions of years of evolution perfecting unique ways of communicating effectively in their environment–often through means well beyond our own physical capabilities.

In this class, we'll take a whirlwind tour of the strangest modes of animal communication and how they've evolved over time, and we'll learn about parallels between human and animal communication. And when the topic of bioluminescence and the glowing signals some fishes and invertebrates use comes up, we might even break out some glowsticks.


Prerequisites
An interest in unusual animals. Also recommended: at least some HS-level biology and chemistry, and familiarity with the concept of evolution.

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 vocabulary, finger spelling, numbers, and cultural lessons on the Deaf community. You will have the opportunity to practice your signing skills, and learn any words you might be curious about. 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. 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!


Prerequisites
n/a