Governor's Schools of West Virginia | Governor's Honors Academy

Governor's Honors Academy 2010
Course Descriptions for Intensive Classes

How exciting it must be for you to be making a decision about the two classes you’ll spend hours in each day at GHA. While designed to be intellectually stimulating and demanding, the classes are interesting, active, and memorable. Each student is to select one intensive and one broad-based course.

Do not select two courses from the same teacher or classes that are similar. You may enroll in a science class and a math class, but not two science classes. You should also choose classes in the arts and humanities in case you don't get your first choice.

Talk to other students in your school and decide a group of classes among yourselves. We will look at class choices and make every attempt to keep two students from the same school in the same classes. If we have to change your class, you may end up in one that you were not originally interested in taking.

The intensive classes at GHA are designed for students who have at least some prior knowledge in the broad subject. For example, a student considering Arabic or Japanese should have experience in some foreign language. Students will attend their intensive class approximately 3 hours per day. The following clauses will be taught in 2010.

HUMANITIES AND THE ARTS

Roads Less Taken: Writing on Travel and Place

The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new llandscapes but in having new eyes. --Marcel Proust What is the role of travel in our culture? What is it that attracts us to journeys, pilgrimages, road trips, national parks, tourist traps, souvenir shops with weird thimbles, patches and spoons? What do we learn en route? What is our relationship to our destination? How are we changed when we return home?

Together we’ll think about the nature of travel. We’ll read a variety of forms, including short stories and poetry, though we’ll focus on the essay. Our discussions will cover travel writing but also writing more generally: What makes good writing so good? How are compelling stories told? How are effective essays structured? How do we render in words what we've experienced with our five senses? You don't have to take a long or expensive journey to a faraway land to be a traveler. A visit to Bali does not guarantee smashing prose; a walk to the mailbox or supermarket can lead to writing that dazzles.

Instructor: Nicole Sheets

Nicole Sheets appreciated the latitude given by her instructors at GHA in 1994, but she also valued their encouragement as they pushed her and her fellow students to try new things. She brings that experience to her teaching. Whether she is teaching expository writing at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, English at WVU or leadership classes in the Peace Corps in Moldova, Nicole presents challenging-but-not-daunting class material. She is currently pursing the PhD in English at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

Shakespeare, Slightly Shaken

This class is designed for students with at least some theatrical experience and/or familiarity with Shakespeare. Most people are in the dark about Shakespeare. They think his work is old, outdated and out-of-touch. Well, that couldn't’ be farther from the truth, and we’re going to prove it. Together, we’re going to put Shakespeare in a whole new light – literally – stripping away three centuries of pretense and prejudice to create head-on, full-contact, hard-core, old-school Shakespeare the way it was meant to be done.

Using a condensed one-act edition of Macbeth derived exclusively from the original First Folio text and adapting Elizabethan staging conventions for the modern stage, we will rehearse for just three short weeks before we bring the script to life on stage in a live, once-in-a-lifetime performance at the end of the Academy.

It’s going to be challenging, and you’ll probably work harder than you’ve worked on stage before. It’s also going to be interesting and should generate a lot of fun along the way. In short, it’s going to be Shakespeare like you’ve never seen before and may never see again.

Are YOU ready for the challenge?

Instructor: John Shirley

John Shirley has been affiliated with GHA professionally since 2000, when he began as a resident assistant. He has also been the administrative intern and a full-time faculty member. He earned the MFA at Mary Baldwin College .John attended GHA and says that the experience truly changed his life.

The 21st Century Digital Darkroom or "Now That I've Taken All These Pictures, What Do I Do With Them?"

You'll have a working knowledge of "post" digital photography skills, learning about color space and modes, color adjustment, tonal range composition, cropping, black and white conversion, layer controls and filter effects. You'll discuss "Why does this image do what it does to me?" and how certain images got the way they are. This course will leave you with the digital darkroom skills that are used today to give us images we remember tomorrow.

Instructor: Dr. Jay Libby

Jay LIbby, an assistant professor of communications and electronic media at Bethany College, has a rich background in television and video production. He has also managed the medical photography department for a large hospital in California. He has worked with students to produce a dvd electronic yearbook for Bethany, and was involved in the web production of a literary magazine.

Yalla bin3a! Natkallam bilrabi!---Come on! Let’s speak Arabic!

Mar7aban! Welcome! And no, that seven isn’t a typo. That’s/instant message spelling in Arabic. Interested?

In this class we’ll learn the alphabet and some basic grammar and vocabulary for Modern Standard Arabic which is used for reading, writing and media purposes across the Middle East…but isn’t spoken. Anywhere. So to have some fun talking, we’ll learn Egyptian Arabic too! We’ll learn some phrases and tips (haggling anyone?) that will help you if you ever get to go abroad to these fascinating countries. And yes, well earn text/IM. Arabic (3shan lazim natkallam 3la internet—because we have to talk on the internet!)

In addition to our language studies, we’ll learn about Middle Eastern culture—music, dance, cuisine, religion, mythology—and have a brief overview of the other dialects of Arabic. We’ll do art. We’ll dance. We’ll talk about food…you…So yallah bina! Natkallam bil3rabi! (So come on! Let’s speak Arabic).

Instructor: Rachel McGuire

Rachel McGuire, a Fayette County native and an alumna of GHA, fell in love with languages at an early age. She has continued that study and is a recent graduate of the University of Maryland.

Title of Course

"I was naive...I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which only I could answer." (Ellison, Invisible Man) Who am I? This is a question everyone asks at some point in life .

The problem is that the answer can change each time the question is asked. Who you were at five-years-old is different than the "who" you are now. Like the narrator in Ellison's book, do you look to others for your definition, or do you look at life as an author looks at a piece of paper? "I am Blank Paper! Your Blank Paper! Make me say something else. I'll say whatever you want me to. Just put your pen to the paper an write!" ("An Original Musical" (title of show). This class will force you to look at yourself in ways you may not have thought about before. Are you ready to look in the mirror and face everything you see?

You won't be told what to write--that will all come from within--but you will read and write, a lot. We will also look at popular movies and music to see how they impact our definition of our"self' as we compile our own multi-media autobiography.

Instructor: Heather A. Taylor

Heather Taylor is the director of the McCann Writing Center at Bethany College. She has taught special needs students, served as 4-H camp counselor, and developed the9th-grade Language Arts curriculum for an Ohio school district. At Bethany, she is a learning specialist, the academic liaison to the Bethany College soccer program and the trainer of writing consultants. She also collaborates with faculty and staff in addressing writing issues across the curriculum.

Thirdrail Therapy

Caveat: This class is not for the faint of heart!

"Success consisted of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. “I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying"

For centuries, the brightest have understood the significance of failure. This class is designed for failure, because failure is one of the best cultivators of curiosity. For it's only when you face the improbable that you become curious about the possible.

Thirdrail Therapy grew from the concept that the fear of failure is much like the fear of the thirdrail of train stations. Without the thirdrail, there would be no power for the trains, and without failure there would have been very, very few successes.

Instructor: Henry "Hank" Hampton

Hank Hampton graduated from Bethany College four years ago. He immediately went to work for the college as the supervisor of student employment where he spent two years managing a program that allows students to earn their tuition through career development positions. He has taught at GHA for two summers. A student wrote about him, "He never demanded greatness, but instead created it."

Japanese Language and Culture

In just three short weeks, you will learn the reading, writing, listening and speaking skills to understand basic, everyday conversations in Japanese. You'll learn phrases used in meeting people, speaking about family, school life and shopping. In addition, you'll be able to complete some functional writing tasks as you learn about the Japanese people and their magnificent culture.

Instructors: Sachiko Wood and Fujijo Sawtarie

Ms. Wood and Ms. Sawtarie are natives of Japan who are currently part of an international team working at Bethany College. In addition, they have traveled to several public schools to conduct cultural awareness workshops and training.

The Greatest Collection of 45 Words in the History of the Planet

The first amendment to the U.S. Constitution comprises a mere 45 words, but those 45 words are brilliantly crafted and much debated. They make America envied around the world and divided at home. They are the cornerstone of our country, yet it is clear most students don’t understand or appreciate them.

This course is a natural for students interested in law, political or journalism careers. We will include discussions of the history and current debate on many issues such as separation of church and state, privacy, free expression and free press. We will, of course, examine Supreme Court cases as they relate to the First Amendment.

I won’t tell you what to think, but I will make you think. I foresee a lot of interesting class debates, so come armed with your opinions.

Instructor: Dan Hollis

Dan Hollis, a tenured professor at Marshall University, teaches several journalism and broad casting classes. He also supervises the class that produces MU Report, Marshall’s award-winning student TV newscast. He developed the first cross-media news class on the Marshall campus that incorporated print, broadcast and online journalism. Professor Hollis has taught at the Governor’s Honors Academy since 2002.

The Holocaust: Genocide and Responsibility

Immediately after the Holocaust, the world exclaimed collectively, "Never Again!" However, despite efforts to apply the lessons of the Holocaust, experts have disagreed on how to interpret this event. Despite the "Never Again" mantra, the 20th century was plagued by multiple genocides, and the 21st Century has not gotten off to a very good start.

This class will explore what lessons actually can be taken from the Holocaust It forces all of us to re-evaluate the big questions of life: Why are we here? Do our lives have meaning? What is the appropriate role of God in the face of evil? How should we act toward other people? Is there really a right and wrong? This class will use the Holocaust to explore these and other "eternal questions" of human existence.

Instructor: Erich Lippman

Dr. Lippman, who teaches at Bethany College, earned degrees in History and Philosophy (BA), Modern European History (MA) and Russian History (Ph.D.). In addition to English, he speaks, Russian, German and Modern Greek. One of his major goals for GHA is that students don't leave thinking that they have all the answers. Instead, he wants them to realize the complexity of historical circumstances and their motivations.

Sacrifice, Witchcraft, Reincarnation, etc.: The Fifteen Most Fascinating Topics in Religious Studies

Cannibalism. Human Sacrifice. Snake Handling. Crucifixion. Rumspringa. Reincarnation. Just to name a few.

These topics and others will guide you around throughout the world’s religions as each class meeting focuses on a different, strange and fascinating religious practice or belief. In a whirlwind tour of Religious Studies themes, key concepts and current questions you will engage a variety of rituals, rites and devotional practices from Appalachia to India, Greece to Polynesia, and Mexico to China. Focusing on practices from Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and native traditions of the Americas and the South Pacific, we will examine the importance of “exotic” religious activities in their context and reflect on the reasons for our own fascination. Warning: Enroll at your own risk.

Instructor: Molly Bassett

Molly Bassett graduated from Marshall University as a Yeager Scholar, attended Harvard University for her Master of Divinity, and recently completed the Ph. D. in Religious Studies.. She has been ateaching assistant at University of California, but recently accepted employment in the Religious Studies department of Georgia State University. This will be her seventh year teaching at GHA.

Math, Science and Technology

Governor's Schools of West Virginia | Governor's Honors Academy

PoWEr ThInKErS: Preparing For Advanced Studies in Chemistry

This is a lab-based course that will focus on preparing students for taking the next steps in their study of chemistry, whether in an Advanced Placement or college course. Students will examine the foundational concepts of chemistry, apply them to solve a variety of problems, and then carry out laboratory procedures to prove the validity of their findings. Students will complete at least one complex synthesis reaction; explore the topic of environmental impact in the community; and, perhaps most importantly, learn why Slimer from Ghostbusters is a perfect example of bioluminescence. Students will need to come prepared with old clothes, closed-toed shoes, and a calculator.

Instructor: Roger M. “Mike” Burr

Mike Burr returns to GHA for the seventh consecutive year. A graduate of Marshall University, he has taught in California for the past three years, and he recently accepted a position teaching in a science magnet school in Atlanta. He attended GHA as a student in 1996. In previous GHAs, Mike chose Filippo Brunelleschi as a topic for study, knowing that students should be aware that a talent for math does not exclude one from being a poet”I want my students to become thinkers across disciplines, unafraid to attempt something because of a perceived lack of talent.”

The Electric Universe

Take a mental dive into the heart of the sun and ride out on a solar flare headed for planet earth. Ride into the earth’s magnetosphere and learn about resulting phenomena including massive currents that can disrupt satellites and the production of the aurora borealis around the north and south poles. Then come down to earth through the atmosphere where lightening, sprites, blue jets and elves electrically connect storm clouds to the earth and ionosphere. Finally, come down to the ground and explore the ways electricity and magnetism are used by humans to generate electrical energy, transmit radio waves, and much more.

Students will investigate electric and magnetic phenomena through hands on experiments, exercises, and physics theories. Students may build electric generators, electric motors, transmitters and receivers, detectors, and more. Students will be encouraged to use their imagination while exploring projects that can be build for demonstrating physical concepts in electricity and magnetism.

Instructor: Eric Reynolds

Doctor, Doctor! Tell Me the News

Diabetes. Stroke. Cancer. Cardiovascular disease. None of these are fun, but you can have fun learning about them and six other diseases that are rampant in the world. Learn to recognize the significance of how lifestyle choices can impact the type of diseases they may already have, could develop in the future, or have a family member dealing with them, and find out what those nutritional labels really mean. You'll also have the opportunity to explore a variety of potential career choices in the pharmacy and medical field as you challenge yourself and your classmates in interactive actiities.

Instructor: Sekhar Mamidi

Former GHA resident advisor (2001-2003), Sekhar Mamidi started his education in general studies at Rutgers University. He received both the MA and the PharmD at West Virginia University. He is currently an assistant professor of pharmacy science at Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy.

Conservation Biology: The science of protecting the earth’s biota

In this course we will explore the major threats to biological diversity at global scale and sub-continental scales. We will focus on several case studies locally within the eastern United States, and abroad in the so called bio-diversity hotspots (areas rich with species). Students will gain a clear understanding of the major concerns in this field including scales and causes of habitat destruction and degradation, along with some of the cutting edge efforts to protect species and natural communities during a time of unprecedented global change. We will become familiarized with standard protocols of designating a species as being rare, threatened or endangered.

A significant proportion of time will be spent in the >400 hectare Parkinson Forest at Bethany College. In the forest, we will hone our identification skills covering a variety of taxonomical groups (e.g. reptiles, plants, amphibians), and work to unravel mysteries in an area which harbors a highly diverse assemblage of herpetofauna (amphibians and reptiles). As a class we will gain the ability to answer questions like: why are there more species of amphibians on the east facing slope vs. the west facing slope? & what could we do to improve salamander habitat? The course will culminate in a group effort to develop conservation plans for the Parkinson Forest. Most importantly we will get muddy while exploring West Virginia’s biodiversity.

Instructor: Patrick Raney

LASER TECHNOLOGY

Learn about the fundamental properties of photons from the quantization of energy to the wave-particle duality of light! In this interactive class about laser technology, students will review the history of the laser starting with its theoretical origins and early incarnations and expand into the different types of present-day lasers and their applications. The architecture for the latest exotic lasers such as ultrashort pulse and high energy will be explored. There will be discussions about the role of lasers in manufacturing, communications, medicine, and defense.

The course will conclude with anticipated future developments in the field and its potential for growth. There will in-class laser demonstrations and a tournament for Khet, a laser based strategy game.

Instructor:Dr. Ben Campbell

Dr. Campbell, a research engineer at the Penn State Electro Optics Center, holds degrees in Physics (BS), Electrical Engineering (MS) and Engineering (PhD). His research involves applications of lasers for manufacturing, specializing in laser-material interactions with ultrashort pulses. Dr. Campbell was an alumni and faculty member of the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences which in 2009 fell victim to the state budget crisis and was sadly canceled and has not yet been reinstated. This will be his first year teaching at GHA.

So What Is Calculus Already? The “Real Life” of Calculus

Have you ever wondered why everyone says you need to know Calculus butnever understood why? Have you ever been told that there is math behindeverything but wanted to know the math? In this course we investigate what leadto the invention of Calculus and investigate its applications to real-life situations.In this course we will look at how the speedometer in your car works and howyour dog picks the most optimal distance in catching a ball in the ocean. We willalso look at applications within biology, economics, and physics. Also discussedwill be the idea of infinity. We say that any line as an infinite amount of points,however when we draw a line with a pencil there is a finite amount of lead goingonto the paper? So what is infinity really?

Instructor: Jennifer Manor