Splash Fall 2014
Course Catalog

Opera was once the enemy of public decency—a pre-TV Game of Thrones, if you will. Incest, murder, and sex graced stages from Moscow to Milan. I will be your guide on this journey of operatic depravity: along the way, we’ll peep at masterpieces like Don Giovanni, Carmen, and Tosca. This class will explore opera as it is, raw and without preconceptions. I combine brief lectures with performance excerpts from live performances and archival footage. Come willing to listen and discuss. No dress code.

You are the architects of a murder mystery. Bring your energy, creativity, and ingenuity because this class will craft together a murder mystery performed by yourselves.

The class will be divided into actors and gamemakers. The entire class will brainstorm characters, design choices, and plot pieces while only the gamemakers will know what is truly going to happen. The actors only know their pasts, and they all want to solve a mystery.


Prerequisites
Serious commitment to character development, a creative mind

Have you ever wanted to be a human? Then you've come to the right place. Learn how to do all the human things like sneeze, make chitchat, breathe and stuff. No humanity necessary! All ages welcome.

(An immersive crash course on satirical writing. Be ready to create, innovate, and take part in satirical art and performance.)


Prerequisites
Sentience (and a creative heart)

Learn how to fly. If you are willing to try new things and give 110%, step out of your comfort zone and into the air. Learn to control your body in astounding ways. No experience necessary. You'll never want your feet on the ground again.


Prerequisites
A brave heart, Comfortable clothing (jeans will be unkind)

While I cannot claim a unique (or even comprehensive) survey of the entire span of the modern architectural and design traditions in Finland, I can guarantee you will walk away with a much better exposure (and hopefully understanding) to the history and principles found in this study of a particular Nordic region.


Prerequisites
There are no required prerequisite skills or level of familiarity; student interest is assumed.

From the cave paintings in Lascaux to Apple in the 21st century, graphic design as always played an important role in how we communicate with others. Be prepared because we'll be going through 90 years of design per minute.

Ranging from Jackson Pollock's canvases of dripping paint to Mark Rothko's blocks of color, abstract expressionism is a post WWII art movement which pushed the boundaries of art past realism and even surrealism. With an emphasis on colorful, spontaneous and automatic creations, abstract expressionism adds a new dimension to the age-old question, "What is Art?" This course will overview abstract expressionism and give students a chance to create their own manic masterpieces.

Chicago is a rich home of hip-hop and of music in general, and to an extent, the type of music that individuals listen to helps to shape and confirm views they have about the world. We would like to look into more detail what kind of messages certain kinds of hip hop put forward, and the kind of impact these views can have on society. This would neither be in praise of a criticism of hip hop and rap, but a look at what hip hop and rap as art forms are attempting to communicate-and how such messages vary both across artists and have evolved in the past number of years. We'll watch music videos, listen to music and have discussions about various topics.

This course will explore the rise of the Beatles, a British rock band that revolutionized rock and pop music during the 1960's. We will look at the evolution and influence of this classic group.

Come one, come all, to the circus!

Learn partner acrobatics, juggling, and more with UChicago's circus, Le Vorris & Vox!


Prerequisites
Come wearing loose clothing! Tight jeans, khakis, and button down t-shirts will make things harder on you.

This course will investigate how we (and others) understand the concept of time. We will be using several different perspectives (e.g. philosophical, anthropological, economical, scientific) in order to illuminate the complexity of time. If you want to challenge your perceptions of the world, you will enjoy this class.


Prerequisites
An open mind

Ever see a movie that was so good you didn't want to leave the theater? These are not that type of movie. In this course, we will be dissecting, discussing, and snickering our way through some of the worst B movies ever made in order to figure out what works, what doesn't, and what they can teach us about cinema as a whole.

What is the origin of "trick or treat"? Who wore the first Halloween costume? Do we give out candy to pay a tribute to the spirit world, or the Hershey corporation?

Learn about All Hallows' Eve and its cultural, economic, and spiritual history and influence. Costumes not required!

In this course, we will define what a psychopath is and isn't. By using psychological, anthropological, biological, and philosophical perspectives, we will try to understand what "went wrong" with the individuals who have psychopathic tendencies. We will also attempt to answer the question: What roles do psychopaths play in culture?


Prerequisites
Maturity and an open mind

In this course, we will develop an understanding of causation. Some questions that will be asked in the course: What does it mean for one thing "to cause" another? Can there be different "causes" or does there have to be only one? What role does culture play in the way we perceive causation? Why is causation important to us?

Mark Twain once said, “Never let your schooling interfere with your education.” But what does he mean? What’s schooling, and what’s education? Is there a difference? And most importantly, how do they affect you and how much you enjoy your life?

In this discussion class, we'll put basic assumptions about school and education to the test and then explore what all this means for education policy.

In this course, we will be discussing different scenarios that challenge the way you view the world, others, and yourself. The goal is to see what underlying problem or question the examples have and to see what solutions we can have.


Prerequisites
This course requires an open mind and maturity.

We'll learn about some cool Buddhist beliefs/mythologies, especially through looking at Buddhist art and symbolism. Students will also learns about the history and political issues of the Himalayas. Be prepared to do a bit of meditation and join the search for Enlightenment!

We all live in hierarchies: Schools, work, family…. What tactics can you use to gain advantage against--or work better within--such groups? And some history, too, like: why did we develop bureaucracies? What did we do before them?

In this class we'll look at underground markets and the influence of crime on other aspects of economic life, including education, health care, substance abuse, and the labor market.

Large corporations with tens of thousands of employees play a large role in our lives, but where did they come from? As late as 1830 most businesses had only a handful of employees, and hardly any more than a few hundred. In the class we will look at how today's massive corporations came into existence. Students will get a chance to make their own corporations and try to grow them the same economic landscape that produced the the famous robber barons.

Are you interested in the intersection of business and community service? Do you want to make change in your own community or the world at large? Join us as we go over what social entrepreneurship is, how it is changing the world, and the qualities of successful social entrepreneurs. By the end of this class, I hope that you will be thinking of concrete action you can take to apply lessons from social entrepreneurship in your own life.

What are old movies good for? 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 and match your wits and awareness of things present and past against your teacher and your fellow students!


Prerequisites
None

"Sociology is the scientific study of social behavior, its origins, development, organization, and institutions..." What exactly does this mean, anyway? A social science closely intertwined with psychology, economics, and more, sociology is more pervasive and important than one might think! This class will introduce the subject of sociology, give history and examples of modern social constructs, and talk about careers in the social sciences. Specifically, we will focus on some of Emile Durkheim's works. This is perfect for anyone interested in learning more about the social sciences!

John Nash in A Beautiful Mind. Lars in Lars and the real girl. Dr. Daniel Pierce in Perception. Foop in Fairly OddParents. Harry Potter in the web series- Harry Potty. These characters all display delusions and hallucinations that are characteristic symptoms of psychosis. We will analyze these characters in order to gain a greater understanding of psychosis, its symptoms and forms. At the end of the class, errors in characterization will be discussed.

Why *do* people do what they do? There are lots of explanations buy why work through difficult philosophical or religious understandings? Come hear what I've figured out: straightforward (though not simple-minded). Why *do* people do what they do?!


Prerequisites
None

How does media impact what we believe, the way we think, and how we act? We'll look at some scenes from pop movies, talk about how Drake is the smartest self-promoter literally ever, run through why diet soda is the drink of the internet age, etc. It's pretty much going to be an analysis of pop culture, how it reflects the modern bent-up psyche, and how it feeds off itself like some disgusting TV monster. No prior experience necessary, should be interesting idk.


Prerequisites
Know at least a few celebrities, eat some Lays chips, and have watched at least 2+ movies in your lifetime.

Follow your heart or follow the law: what's the right decision? If you believe a person is guilty but harbor anger towards the legal system, the police department, the prosecutor's arrogance, the country's terrible record of defending the downtrodden should you vote "not guilty"? These questions including discussion of the verdict in the Travon Martin shooting; the events occurring in Ferguson, MO; and the OJ Simpson trial will all factor into our examination of why juries do what they do and whether they should have ever done what they did in the first place.


Prerequisites
A general understanding of what juries do, how they're seated and what struggles jurors encounter during the trial process.

Brazil is the world’s fifth largest country in terms of geographical size and population. It is very likely that you have heard of this country’s soccer teams, Samba, Carnaval and beautiful beaches. However, a little known fact is that Brazil has the largest number of people of African descent outside the continent of Africa—even larger than the number of people in the United States. In this Splash course we will talk about music, culture and politics wiith a game-quiz show format on hot topics in this country.


Prerequisites
Just come with an open mind, ready to have fun and learn!

Ever wanted to change the world around you? We'll talk about what revolutions are, how they've happened in the past, and why they don't always go as planned. Then we'll have our own revolution in the classroom, and see how much we've learned!

During the Cold War, the world stood on the brink of destruction every day--so why didn't it ever blow? We'll talk about the logic of the nuclear age, and explore the intrigue, secrets, spies, and weapons of the longest game of chicken ever played.

Chicago is a racially diverse city, but most of its neighborhoods are not diverse. Many neighborhoods on the South and West sides are over 95% black, while many North side neighborhoods and suburbs are mostly white. In this class, we will learn the history of how Chicago (and similarity many other cities across the nation) became so segregated. If segregation is harmful, then what makes it harmful, and who is affected? Moreover, what can we do to try to end residential segregation? We will discuss these questions in class, so come prepared to talk!

Have you ever wondered why most young girls seem to play with baby dolls, while most young boys play with trains and building blocks? Could this have any correlation with the fact that in our society, women have mostly been seen as caretakers while men have largely held the positions in the science and engineering fields? Why is it that a woman takes her husband’s last name when she gets married? Why doesn’t the man, instead, take her last name? This class is about identifying certain gender divides that society has created for us. We will discuss these issues and come up with ways to dodge these preexisting, and sometimes completely irrational, restrictions that society has seemed to place on women and men.

In this course, we will explore answers to a common social question: Why do good, smart people disagree so much when it comes to political and social issues like abortion and gay marriage? Using psychological research into the source of peoples' values, we will see that the source of peoples' political and social values are not primarily rational, but instead emotional and intuitive. This conclusion has striking consequences for politics, and will discuss and debate why people disagree on contentious social issues including gay marriage, abortion, and the role of religion in government and society. We will also see how the role of values in politics differs between liberals and conservatives, and Democrats and Republicans. For a preview of issues and topics to be covered, visit therighteousmind.com, from which we will draw the core values to be discussed in a political context: authority, sanctity, loyalty, fairness, liberty, and care.

If you have no idea how to solve the Rubik's cube, this class will teach you! Bring a cube to class and get ready to have fun!

Also, we'll talk about Rubik's cube competitions -- what they're like, how fast people are, etc.


Prerequisites
You should *NOT* already know how to solve the cube.

Become a creative writer in just 2 hours! Discover the basics of creative writing through close examination of a few famous and fun writing samples. Then, explore your own creativity through practice: from flash fiction to poetry, nonfiction to short story, you'll get a chance to become a writer yourself! At the end of the class, you'll have your own mini-portfolio to take home!

This class will explore what linguistics is and introduce students to basic language analysis from phonology (the sounds of language), to syntax (how words are put together), to semantics (how meaning is associated with language).


Prerequisites
none

We generally only think about what we say, not how we say it. However, there are a lot of differences between how people speak, even within the same city. This class looks at how we speak and the implications and ramifications of that.


Prerequisites
none

Reading is a passive experience, right? Not if you're reading hypertext fiction! Hypertext is a genre that give the reader as much control over the story as the writer has. We'll explore hypertext literature disguised as games, puzzles, and linked webpages, and even try our hand at writing our own hypertext stories!

Ever wonder if your English teacher was wrong when they corrected your speech, and you were really right all along? This class will explore just that, whether the rules about English that we were taught in school are real, or just a bunch of lies.


Prerequisites
none

Yes, you may hate taking Spanish in school, but this class will show you how similar languages from all around the world really are. We'll use language puzzles from the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad to begin exploring these commonalities, investigating the ways words and sentences are structured.

A fun an informative look at English and how it got to be the way it is today.


Prerequisites
none

In this course we will look at the language of one of the world's most fascinating cultures, Tibet. We will explore some of the background of Tibet's unique history and religion. Our main focus will be on the languages of the land of the Dalai Lama. Students will learn the principles of the Tibetan alphabet and by the end of the class will be able to translate simple sentences in transliteration.


Prerequisites
Student should have taken at least one foreign language.

Famed author Vladimir Nabokov possessed a unique gift for depicting cruelty. In this class, we'll read and discuss one of Nabokov's short stories with an eye towards developing a better understanding of cruelty and the kind of sensitivity capable of opposing it.

This course's focus will be on characterization in literature and in personal writing. We will initially discuss different types of characters (e.g. if a character is flat or round; directly or indirectly characterized) moving on to different categories of characters (e.g. archetypes; symbolism and characterization) to how a character appears within a narrative (e.g. analyzing the purpose of the character).


Prerequisites
There may be posted short stories (very short!) that you should read before class. If not, then the only prerequisite is to love reading.

Got two hours to grapple with the third most widely spoken language in West Africa? Then, Crash Course: Fulfulde might just be the kosan (milk) to your bon-bon (cookie).

What is Fulfulde? Fulfulde – also known as Fulani, Peul, Pulaar, Toucouleur, and Fula - is the language of the Fulbe, cattle-raising and farming people of Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Cameroon, and Niger. Pulaar in spoken in over twenty countries in Africa, and while Fula speakers are not a majority in any country they live, in Guinea they represent a plurality of the population (the largest single group).

At the end of this Crash Course, students will be able to greet, answer and ask basic questions, and communicate their basic needs in Pulaar. The standard Pulaar Latin-based alphabet will be the primary writing system.

Why should YOU sign up for this class? “Si bahe cumɗi gooto fof ñifata ko waare mum.” If the beards are all on fire, each person must put out his own beard (Pulaar proverb). That’s why.

Author Haruki Murakami is known worldwide for his surreal narratives and clever, poignant prose - from disembodied visions of the self to an other dimensional Sheep-Man. But in the midst of all the strange and all the confused, how does the author write about love? Love, a complex and incomprehensible idea, concept,... thing. What can we learn from Murakami? How does Murakami portray love in his stories and what can we gain from studying love through Murakami's particular lens?

Can you have something bigger than infinity? Do all things of infinite size have the same size? Are there more real numbers than integers? In this class, we'll develop a way to think about and answer these seemingly nonsensical questions.


Prerequisites
Know what integers, rational numbers, and real numbers are.

Did you know that most people's friends are more popular than they are? That in a classroom of 23 students, there's a 50% chance that two share a birthday? That it's easy to make a (false) statistical argument that smoking cigarettes will make you live longer?

In this class, we'll explore a bunch of powerful paradoxes in statistics and think about situations where our common intuitions about data fail spectacularly.


Prerequisites
Curiosity! (Stats background is welcome but totally not necessary).

Sometimes, if you're doing it the hard way, you're doing it wrong. In math, oftentimes we can get away with very few equations and calculations, if any at all. Instead, we can rely on another powerful tool at our disposal: storytelling. We will examine how we can do some serious math simply by interpreting what the math means.

HEY! Do you want to play games with MORE MATH? Take our class, and we'll play games with GRATUITOUS AMOUNTS OF MATH! In particular, we'll be studying the mathematics of game theory. In what games does one player has a winning strategy? How can we find it? What interesting bits of math come out of such studies? You'll try to find the answers.


Prerequisites
It might help if you have ever played any kind of game in your life, but if not, that's okay too!

Blackjack, the staple of modern day casinos, movies, and online games. The fate of billions (if not trillions) of dollars has been determined by the flip of the card, or a lucky decision. However blackjack at its core is a game of probabilities. This class will introduce you to optimal strategies for playing blackjack including perfect play, card counting, bankroll management and common gambler's pitfalls.


Prerequisites
Experience with probability is highly suggested

Are there unanswerable questions? If you could guess the right answer every time, could you finish your homework faster? Is it harder to discover something new, or to verify someone else's discovery?

Computer scientists have thought long and hard about questions like these. In this class, we'll cover a broad overview of the most important discoveries that they have made, and end on the most important open problem in modern mathematics -- P vs NP.


Prerequisites
No particular skills are necessary except for an ability to reason about the abstract. Some familiarity with proof-based math is strongly recommended.

Today Economics is about trying to use math to model how human beings make decisions.

We'll introduce ourselves to to fundamental ideas about how to do this, predicting the behavior of rational consumers in a perfectly competitive market. This means, in English, how YOU as an individual make choices about what to consume based on your available resources.

We'll use the basic example of you going into a market, such as a corner shop or clothing store, and give a theory of the way you spend your money. We'll use some math, but not too much; just enough to get the idea.

This class is unrelated to high school economics with supply and demand graphs. We'll take a look at the very deep micro-foundations of those things.


Prerequisites
You need to know what a graph is, what a point on a graph is, and what a function is.

Want to learn the fundamentals of computer science and programming? Think you need a computer to do it?


Prerequisites
Basic Algebra

We display some fun and accessible proofs of important or interesting results.

With all of the buzz about the ABC conjecture and twin prime conjecture, I'm sure you've heard something along the lines of "internet security is based on the difficulty of factoring large primes." Enroll in this class to find out why this is true!

Class begins with an introduction to modular arithmetic (including a hands on demonstration of Fermat's little theorem), then transitions to encryption methods, and ends with the difficulty of decrypting said methods.


Prerequisites
Familiarity with the fundamental theorem of arithmetic, remainders, greatest common divisor, and least common multiple, and very basic proofs. Some knowledge of modular arithmetic may be useful, but isn't absolutely required. Calculus won't even be mentioned.

This class will have three segments. The first segment will introduce users to HTML, CSS, and Javascript.

The second section will introduce ideas of best practices in software development.

The third will take an HTML5 application built over the previous 2 hours and wrap it in Adobe Phonegap, allowing participants to download, play, and improve the app on their Android or iOS device.


Prerequisites
Some knowledge of the rules of logic, basic programming skills, or completion of an algebra class would be nice, but I've attempted to build a curriculum that will work regardless of previous skillsets.

How does Netflix recommend movies? Or Spotify songs? Or Facebook ads? How are new planets and galaxies discovered? Can machines ever replace doctors? In this class, you will learn about: 1.) current technologies that are driven by machine learning algorithms; 2.) how computers learn to do certain tasks; 3.) similarities and differences between how computers and humans learn. By end of the class, the students will 1.) understand how and why computers are better at certain tasks than humans; and 2.) know which type of tasks computers currently struggle with and why.

Out of all the things one can learn, the most important is to learn how to learn! By acquiring the knowledge and skills that can increase the rate at which we acquire knowledge and skills, we enter a virtuous cycle of positive feedback. This is the type of cognitive investment that compounds on itself. This Splash presentation will expose students to the research of Harvard educated cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham on the neuroscience behind the principles of learning. By doing so, high school students will be better prepared to maximize the amount of learning during college.

"Big Data" and "Data Science" are big fancy-schmancy buzzwords these days in the field of technology. Facebook, Twitter, Google etc. all have "data science" teams. The Harvard Business Review called it the "sexiest job of the 21st century." But what is it? Why are people even interested? If you want to find out, come to this brief introduction to data science -- led by some Fellows from UChicago's Data Science for Social Good Fellowship.

Physicists were some of the first individuals to solve important problems in biology. Using some of the tools from physics, we will examine how physicists answer questions in biology. What can physics tell us about how genes work? Why does DNA fold? How do physicists model proteins, and how do molecules move inside a cell?

Only a few years after a new kind of insecticide is introduced, resistant insects are found in the wild. Penicillin, an antibiotic which revolutionized medicine at its invention, is no longer effective against many kinds of bacteria. And in England there are rats which can survive five times the normal lethal dose of rat poison. How did this happen?

We're going to play a game that simulates this situation; and maybe by altering the rules, we can come upon strategies to beat--or at least hold back--the superbugs.

We’ll play with some strange and neat science. You'll see superconductors that levitate magnets in midair, colorful fire that isn’t orange, materials that behave differently when cooled to 321°F below zero with liquid nitrogen, metal wire that remembers its original shape, counter-intuitive light behavior, and more!

Learn about the science behind an activity we do for a third of our lives ... sleep!

We'll have a quick look at the science behind sleep and then ways in which you can improve your sleep in order to live happier, healthier & smarter!

Fun Sleep Fact: Did you know REM sleep was discovered at UChicago?


Prerequisites
Basic Biology Basic Chemistry

You might have heard about the strange results of Einstein's relativity and quantum mechanics, but the physics of everyday objects can be just as surprising! Through demonstrations, we'll explore the counter-intuitive physics behind gyroscopes, bouncing balls, pendulums, rocket ships and more. Along the way, we'll observe several of the most important ideas in physics, including the law conservation of momentum and the concept of a frame of reference. Some knowledge of physics might help your understanding, but everything will be shown without assuming prior knowledge.


Prerequisites
Algebra I required; basic physics and algebra II may be helpful

They're all around us, but what do you really know about plants? Come learn more about how plants get energy and nutrients, and why they are such an important part of our world. You'll even get the chance to learn how to grow your own indoor plants and take home your own herb garden!

You may have heard about the mysterious object in outer space that ensnare everything in their path and are so powerful that even light cannot escape. Did you know that there is a black hole 4 million times heavier than the sun that holds our galaxy together? How it is possible that a black hole can be extremely heavy but take up no space? How is it possible that light cannot escape from a black hole, and is there anything that can escape from a black hole? Sign up for this class if you want to learn the answers to these questions!


Prerequisites
Some basic physics would be helpful, but it is not necessary

At velocities near the speed of light, physics takes a noticeably bizarre twist: from our perspective, fast-moving objects seem to warp, time slows down, and events that were once simultaneous may happen at different times. In 1905, Einstein showed that all of this must follow if we believe that the laws of physics are the same for all observers.

Starting with this simple assumption and a little geometry, we will follow in Einstein's footsteps and examine just exactly how his theory of special relativity works. More importantly, we will explain why relativity has a bearing on everyday science and technology far slower than the speed of light and changes our intuitive notion of space and time.

From Ada Lovelace to Rosalind Franklin, the achievements of women in science have historically been pushed aside or co-opted by their male counterparts. Come learn about Angelina Fanny Hesse, the woman who made modern microbiology possible, Chien-Shiung Wu, who overturned the concept of atomical parity, what was considered a physical law at the time, and many more!

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!