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. 

 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 Chinese

should have experience in some foreign language.

Students will attend their intensive class approximately

three (3)hours per day

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.

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The following clauses will be taught in 2011.

 

HUMANITIES AND THE ARTS

“Human Behavior in Today’s Society: Apply Theories from the Gilded Age to Present”- Intensive Course

 

Join your fellow psychoanalysis enthusiasts on a cognitive-behavioral journey through the broad theoretical bases in psychology, ranging from biological, psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, and humanistic psychology. We will review the empirical works of key figures spanning from Galton and Darwin to Freud, Piaget, and Skinner from a practical, real-life standpoint. You’ll have the opportunity to learn about behavioral modification, careers related to psychology, and conducting research techniques in psychology. Through class wide interactions, small-scale research undertakings, and creative group projects, have fun while learning to move beyond preconceived notions of individuals in society spanning form the Gilded Age to modern-day theories on human behavior.  Instructor: Catherine Goffreda

 

“Wild for Wilde: Aestheticism at the Fin du Siecle”- Intensive Course

 

This course will be a multidisciplinary exploration of the Aesthetic Movement in Great Britain through the study of literature and visual arts, with a focus on the writings of Oscar Wilde. We will examine the late Vicotiran culture’s obsession with the ethic sof art andwith the personal morality of one artst, Wilde. His played a large part in the Aesthetic Movement, which wanted to destroy any “purpose” for art other than the promotion of beauty. After looking through the principle theories, writings of Wilde and his contemporaries, public debates, art schools like the Slade, and outside influences of French Symbolism, you will have to decide if you agree with Wilde when he says, “Art is not something which you can take or leave, it is a necessity of human life.”  Instructor: Lisa Welhman

 

 

“Visionary Advisor to the President: The Political Theory of Mary Parker Follett”- Intensive Course

 

Synergy, integration, win-win, intersubjective truth, constructive conflict, creative innovation, community-based solutions…these are terms and ideas we find common in the postmodern era of management, human relations, and government. But Follett was theorizing about these tings in the early 1900s! This course will give you insight into a woman often called a prophet of management, and a visionary political theorist. Instructor: Margaret Stout

 

“Macbeth Burlesque”- Intensive Course                                                                    

Most people today think Shakespeare’s 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 four centuries of pretense and prejudice to create head-on, full-contact, hard-core, old-school Shakespeare with a twist. Embracing the idea of burlesque – an irreverent form of drama popular during the Gilded Age – and adapting Elizabethan staging conventions for the modern stage, we will devise, write, rehearse, and perform an original reinterpretation of Macbeth in only three short weeks. Instructor: John Shirley

 

“Russia in the Silver Age (1880-1917)” - Intensive Course

Winston Churchill once said, “Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” American foreign policy analysts are quickly reaching the same conclusion today. This class will give you an insight into the “Russian soul” and what drives it to its extreme heights of beauty and its extreme depths of depravity – how the same country could produce Tolstoy and Dostoevsky as well as Stalin and Rasputin. By the end of the course you will understand what the great poet Tiutchev meant when he wrote, “Not with the mind is Russia understood/The common yardstick will deceive/In gauging her: so singular in her nature -/In Russia one must simply believe.”  Instructor: Erich Lippman

 

 

“Not Today’s Desperate Housewives” - Intensive Course

 

The role of women during the Gilded Age was vastly different than what we see today in the media. These desperate housewives were hungry for a voice; they had been silenced for so long. Come and explore the role of famous activists through literature and speeches. We will read famous pieces of literature, write, reflect, research and create products that will show our own interpretations of the role of women throughout history, with special focus on the Gilded Age. Instructor: Keisha Kibler

  

“45 Words: The First Amendment”–Intensive 

Can the Ten Commandments be displayed in the state capitol? Should the media be allowed to publish information that might harm national security? Do students have to stand and recite The Pledge of Allegiance in school? The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has a mere 45 words--45 words that, no matter how brilliantly crafted, are much debated. They make America envied around the world and sometimes divided at home. This class will seek to make students more aware of the role the First Amendment’s 45 words play in their lives, more dedicated to the freedoms they protect, and more appreciative of the role they play in society. Instructor:  Dan Hollis

 

 

“Ludwig van Beethoven and the Deathly Hallows: Art and Entertainment in America”- Intensive Course  

 

Imagine this scenario: Ke$ha is your older sister’s favorite singer, replayed time and time again on her iPod and in the car. Your sister listens almost exclusively to pop and hip-hop, and she dislikes both classical and country music; however, at her wedding, you heard exclusively Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, and Richard Wagner. Why was her favorite music "inappropriate" for this important event in her life? Why does she think the classical music she never listens to is well-suited for the occasion? In “Ludwig van Beethoven and the Deathly Hallows: Art and Entertainment in America,” we will examine the distinctions between--and similarities between--works and mediums historically regarded as entertainment and works and mediums historically regarded as art. We will discuss approaches to the evaluation of art, and we will then use these approaches to examine modern mediums that are commonly regarded as entertainment, including video games, children’s books, popular music, television, and some films. Instructor: Katherine Altizer

 

“Encounters: Chinese Language and Culture”- Intensive Course

 

This short-term course is designed for English-speaking individuals ready to embark on the adventure of learning Mandarin Chinese. Lively and immediate, the course provides multi-media based study of authentic Chinese materials and immerses the learner in Chinese language and culture right from the start. This intensive course has two components. The language component, with a strong emphasis on spoken Chinese, focuses on the teaching of Mandarin Chinese pronunciation, the pinyin system (Romanization), basic conversations, and reading, writing and typing Chinese characters. The cultural component includes lectures on Chinese history and civilization, and various cultural activities.

Instructor: Julie Yu

 

SCIENCE AND MATH COURSES

“Naturalistic Biology of the Gilded Age”- Intensive Course 

 

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. Students will learn the basis of evolutionary theory, natural selections, genetics, ecology, and naturalistic sciences. Class will be taught with the Gilded Age biologist in mind. This means that problem solving, experiments, and demonstrations will be appropriate for the time period and students will have to act as scientists of the time would have. This course is about getting out of the text-books and getting into the field. Gilded Age biologists spent a lot of time making observations and experiments in the same manner as scientist on the leading edge of Gilded Age discovery. Instructor: Nick Wilbur

“Applied Hydraulics and Hydrology” - Intensive Course 

 

Students with an interest in physics and mathematics will find this course appealing. This course will introduce the student to the exciting fields of hydraulics and hydrology. Hydraulics is a branch of fluid mechanics concerning the static and dynamic behavior of water. Students will learn basic principles that govern how water behaves at rest or in motion. Course topics include water properties (density, viscosity, specific weight, etc.), pressure, Bernoulil’s principles, buoyancy, and hydraulic machines like pumps/turbines. Students will learn about the various processes that make up the hydrologic cycle (precipitation, evaporation, etc.). Applications will focus on extreme rainfall events (i.e. floods). Instructor: Jason Hill

 

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

Have you ever wondered why everyone says you need to know Calculus but never understood why? Have you ever been told that there is math behind everything but wanted to know the math? In this course we investigate what lead to 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 how your dog picks the most optimal distance in catching a ball in the ocean. We will also look at applications within biology, economics, and physics. Also discussed will 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 going onto the paper? So what is infinity really? Instructor: Jennifer Manor

“Anatomy through the Ages” - Intensive Course

 

During the time frame of the “Gilded Age,” several advancements in science were revolutionizing the field. The cell theory was still relatively new, and scientists were still developing methods for studying the cells that form the human body. Some of these techniques are still used today. In this course, we will delve into scientific publications for the time period of the Gilded Age, and compare and contrast with modern-day knowledge of anatomy. The course will include exercises in the anatomy laboratories at our Health Sciences Center, with an opportunity to study human cadaver specimens. The course will culminate with presentations on organ systems of choice and a health issue affecting that organ system. For the laboratory experiences, students should wear close-toe shoes, and bring old clothing to change into (changing rooms are available at the anatomy facility). The attire wore should include long pants and long-sleeved shirts without holes.  Instructor: Heather Billings, Ph.D

 

 

“Foxfire and Frontiers: Traditional Practices and New Ideas in the Gilded Age”- Intensive Course  

 

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. This class will go more in depth then the Broad Course, and includes more lectures. Additionally, it will contain a unit on prepping for the AP Chemistry exam. Curious minds and adventurous spirits are welcome. Instructor: Mike Burr

 

“The Art of Problem Solving”- Intensive Course 

Is math easy for you? Do you enjoy difficult problems and math contests? If so, this class is for you! We will examine some advanced math ideas that are used frequently for brain teasers, math competitions, and in college level mathematics. number theory, abstract algebra, combinatorics and probability, and non-Eucildean geometry will be some of the topic discussed.  Instructor: Doug Squire

 

 

 

 

 

 

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