2012 Classes should be available January 13. The ones currently published are for 2011.
BROAD-BASED COURSES
The following broad-based classes will be taught at GHA in 2011. Students select one broad-based and one intensive course. The broad-based classes meet for a lesser period of time than the intensive courses, and they are designed for students who simply have an interest in a particular area. No previous experience is necessary.
Humanities and the Arts
"Comedy and Commentary: English Comic Drama in the Gilded Age”-Broad-based
This course will explore a number of English comedies -including Gilbert and Sullivan’s Patience, Shaw’s Pygmalion and/or Candida, and Wilde’s The Importance of Being Ernest – from the theatre of the Gilded Age. Together, we’ll read and discuss these and other works from the era not only as performance documents but also as contemporary commentaries on the social mores of the society in which they were conceived, written and performed. We’ll also spend some time exploring the artistic legacy and social relevance of these plays in theatre and society today. Instructor: John Shirley
“The Hills Are Alive: With the Sound of Music?” –Broad-based
What does a tree sound like? A mountain landscape? An ocean? How about a cloud of smog? In this class you’ll examine the musical techniques that composers and songwriters use to depict natural and man-made environments. As a class, we’ll match with music various indoor and outdoor settings available to us, and you will create a playlist of music that evokes or describes environments that have been important in your life. We’ll also watch films to hear and see how composers have employed music to promote conservation of nature in films directed at adults, such as Into the Wild (2007), and Avatar (2009), or children, such as Fern Gully (1992), Pocahontas (1995), and The Jungle Book (196). No previous musical training required! Instructor: Katherine Altizer
“Vampires and Revolutionaries at the Fin du Siecle”–Broad-based
A study of the literature, culture and popular press during the Gilded Age show tells us one thing: Londoners were a very anxious people. They agonized over gender roles, sexuality, social ethics, class division, and a changing political landscape following the death of their Queen Victoria in 1901. Follow many of these anxities through British literature form the 1890s through the first decade of the 20th century, and see how the Brits were nervous about the “New Woman” and how she relates to Stoker’s Dracula, rising social activism, developing sexuality, realignments in social classes due to decline of the British Empire, new worker’s movements like Socialism, and their xenophobic paranoia about revolutionaries abroad. Authors will include Bram Stoker, George Egerton, George Bernard Shaw, G. K. Chesterton, Joseph Conrad, and E.M. Forster. Instructor: Lisa Weihman
“Bestofus (for the) Restofus” - Broad-based
Environmentalist and writer Wallace Stegnar called our national parks “the best idea we ever had,” and he surely was onto something. The idea of preserving the best of America is grandiose in its vision and simple its philosophy--The special and unique places that make America should be owned, not by the rich and powerful, but by us all. Their names--Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Mammoth Cave, and Shenandoah--conjure up majestic images. They are America’s national parks, and they are yours. We’ll study the history of the parks and how they developed. We’ll examine some of the more controversial aspects of the park movement such as how should we balance conservancy with enjoyment by the masses, and how forest fires should be handled. We’ll look at some of the incredible photography that has captured iconic images that have shaped public opinion. We’ll discuss some of the diverse characters who worked to develop the parks. Instructor: Dan Hollis
“From Gangs to Governance: The Birth of the Administrative State”–Broad-based
Take a walk through the streets of New York before the birth of the Gilded Age and find out why we were driven to vast political change. Familiarize yourself with the transformation of American government during the Progressive Era, and following its shift from a political state to an administrative state. Through movies, presidential essays, historical reviews, and historical documents, students will discover the transformations of the American government that are frequently overlooked by political scientists.Instructor: Margaret Stout
“Social and Personality Psychology: An Instruction Manuel to the Real World –Broad-based”
What results in an individual’s personality development? When are human relationships most likely to be fostered? Why are people motivated to behavior in certain ways? Explore the answer to these and other questions with your GHA peers, as we delve into basic tenets of social and personality psychology, including identity development, motivation, socialization/relationships, mental health and personality. This course is designed for a student with limited background information in psychology, who wishes to learn more about the domain for enrichment purposes. Key social behavior and personality theories will be related to the real world through creative students projects, interactive collaborations, and class discussion. You’ll learn about assessment of personality, observing social behavior in everyday life, and critical thinking and relating theoretical principles to everyday life. Instructor: Catherine Goffreda
“The Proud Tower: The Belle Epoque and the Origins of the Twentieth Century”–Broad-based
In the years immediately following World War I, T. S. Eliot wrote that he and his contemporaries were “hollow men,” and W.B. Yeats lamented that “the ceremony of innocence is drowned.” Five years earlier, in an optimistic age of invention and discovery, these two authors as well as most of their contemporaries would not have guessed that within the four years of World War I Europe’s self-image would change forever. World War I would only be the beginning of the world’s bloodiest century, and the atrocities that plagued it throughout that century would largely be committed by the same Europeans who in 1914 considered themselves the most civilized people ever to walk the earth. However, surprisingly little that happened after 1914 was without precedent in the 35 years that preceded it. This class will examine the ways those years affected the course of the twentieth century…as well as the ways they did not! Instructor: Erich Lippman
“Charities and Advertisements” –Broad-based
Be part of something big as you help a local charity! We will participate in a problem based learning activity that will involved researching the Social Gospel movement during the Gilded Age and all the charities that were created to help social process. After learning about the charities, we will work with one or two local charities to create an advertising campaign to promote the charity, its mission, and any upcoming events. Instructor: Keisha Kibler
“Demystify the Dragon-China in the 21st Century”–Broad-based
Is Chinese the most difficult foreign language? Are we learning the same Chinese language spoken by Chinese people three thousand years ago? How were the Chinese characters created? This short-term course on Chinese language and culture has two components. The language component focuses on the teaching of Mandarin Chinese pronunciation, the pinyin system (Romanization) and basic conversation. The cultural component includes lectures and cultural activities on Chinese history and civilization, Chinese folk songs and dances, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese films, making Chinese dumplings, martial arts practices, etc. Instructor: Julie Juan Yu
Math and Science
Science Meets Art: The Study of Human Anatomy” –Broad-based
Artists have long appreciated the human form. Prior to the advent of quality photography, anatomists have also needed to be artists to share their observations via detailed drawings. Whether you’re a budding Rembrandt or a casual doodler, come learn what’s beneath the surface of the skin that gives humans their shape and form. We’ll use artwork primarily created during the Gilded Age to inspire our lessons, and study the anatomical features depicted on people in those works. Improve your own artwork through better understanding of human form and movement, or develop your appreciate of these features in others’ artwork. We will primarily learn details of the skeleton and surface muscles that provide the contours of our bodies. Apply what you learn in the course to your own creative expression of the science of anatomy. Instructor: Heather Billings, Ph.D
“Mathematical Logic: What does math have to do with philosophy, politics, debate?”–Broad-based
Did you know there is more to math than addition, multiplication, polynomials and graphs? A large part of mathematics is logic and arguments. In this class, we will examine the fundamental s of predicate logic. We will take arguments, analyze, them, and decide whether they are valid or not. We will look closely at how to improve our own arguments made in speeches, papers, and casual conversations. Instructor: Doug Squire
“Foxfire and Frontiers: Traditional Practices and New Ideas in the Gilded Age”–Broad-based
This is a hands-on class in chemistry. Students will undertake the challenge of chemistry in the Gilded Age, from the labs of France to the farms of West Virginia. Topics covered will include, but are not limited to, food preservation, Le Chatelier’s Principle, and the development of the periodic table. Curious minds and adventurous spirits are welcome.Instructor: Mike Burr
“Geometry to the Higher Dimension: Caution this is Not Your High School Geometry Class!”-Broad-based
Have you ever wondered what life might be like if we weren’t on a sphere? What if in fact we lived on a cone or even a watermelon, could we still use our GPS to navigate as we do now? In this class we will investigate what allows us to navigate the seven seas and why Magellan could determine that the world was not flat. We have all seen a straight line on a plane but have you ever thought about what it means to walk a straight line on a sphere or other curved surface? Come discover how the Euclidean geometry of high school actually fails on the very surface we live on! This course will allow you to develop your own world that is not a sphere but rather another curved object. Instructor: Jennifer Manor
“Environmental Engineering: A Survey”–Broad-based
Engineers solve complex problems using mathematics and science. This course will introduce the student to the exciting and growing field of environmental engineering. Students will leave with answer to the following question and more: How is the water I drink everyday treated? What happens to my trash after it is picked up by the garbage truck? What is the evidence of global warming? How is used water treated before disposal? Learn to use the “tools of the trade,” including unit conversions and basic calculation, basic concepts of environmental chemistry, and mass/energy balances. Application in water and wastewater treatment, air pollution, solid/hazardous waste management, and water quality management will be presented. Instructor: Jason Hill
“Biology and Science of the Guilded Age”–Broad-based
This course will focus on major scientific breakthroughs of the Gilded Age and will be taught in the context of a Gilded Age biology setting. A general scientific background will be provided in order to provide students with scientific views of the time period. Scientists during this people spent little time inside of classrooms and a lot of time observing natural phenomena in the lab and outdoors, so this course will do the same. We’ll focus on famous experiments of Gilded Age and we’ll spend a great deal of time outside, seeing those principles in the real world. Students will learn to view the world and solve modern problems with the eye of a Gilded Age biologist.
Instructor: Nick Wilburn
Note: the handbook and forms are posted on the Honors Academy Home Page.
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