HSSP Summer 2010
Course Catalog


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Arts Engineering
Humanities Mathematics
[Deprecated] Science Miscellaneous

Grade ranges are for the grades that students will be entering in September. Graduating seniors are considered to be in 12th grade.



Arts

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A3584: Making Manga: Anime-Style Illustration and Comics
Teachers: Jennifer Fu

This class will cover the basics of manga-style illustration and sequential art. Topics to be covered include manga-style sketching, inking, common coloring techniques in analog and digital, exaggerated and realistic anatomy, and the comics production process, including concepting, storyboarding, panelling, finishing and tones, and typesetting. Students should drive much of the class's contents according to their needs, but by the end of the session, they should expect to complete a 1-5 page manga short-story.


Prerequisites
Previous experience drawing comics or manga-style is recommended.

A3598: Intro to Photography Full!
Teachers: Alex Catullo

A3587: Composing Music
Teachers: Danielle Yuen

Ever want to write your own music? This course will go over some music theory and classical composition basics. By the end of the course, students will have written their own short, original piece of music.


Prerequisites
Some musical experience or background. Can read music and has a general understanding of basic music theory (eg. key and time signatures, pitch names, note lengths)

A3576: Rock Subgenres and You
Teachers: Frank Nakashian

So you like The Beatles and Green Day? How about Bad Brains, Opeth, or MU330? In 'Rock Subgenres and You' we will explore the history and characteristics of different musical styles and bands many casual rockers overlook. Subjects include progressive rock, punk rock, indie, metal, alternative, ska, reggae, and their offshoot styles. We will also explore the evolution of styles and trends in rock such as the new wave movement of the 80's and grunge of the 90's. Students will become familiar with as well as gain an appreciation for different groups and styles, many of which that receive little to no exposure on modern media outlets.

A3543: Intro to Photography Full!
Teachers: Alex Catullo

A3596: Intuitive Design Full!
Teachers: Vincent Lee

A3552: Experimental Music
Teachers: Nick Seaver

What is music?

Experimental music tries to push the boundaries of what counts as "music" by exploring unusual answers to these questions. Beginning in the 20th century, composers, performers, and inventors came up with a wide variety of experimental musics that stretched the imagination, challenged the ears, and broke with tradition. Technologies for making sounds like the phonograph, synthesizer, and computer allowed new kinds of music to be made.

In this class, you will learn about the history of experimental music from the early 20th century to today and discuss what "experimental" means; you will get to perform some historical pieces; and you will have the chance to compose your own experimental pieces. We will be looking at the music technology of the 20th (and 21st) century, learning how it works, and using it to make and think about experimental music.

Students who took the version of this class taught last summer (see the syllabus and course materials here: http://nickseaver.net/hssp/ ) had this to say:

"This was my favorite class at HSSP this year."
"I <3333 you and your class. Seriously. Best class I've taken at HSSP- it's the one I keep telling people about. Thank you so much! This was a great part of my summer- definitely one of the best parts."

(This class has some overlap with "Sound in the 20th Century" taught last summer, but focuses more on in-class performance and student activities. Repeat students are welcome!)


Prerequisites
No prerequisites. Much of the music in the class is amateur-friendly: you do not need to know music theory or how to play an instrument to take this class. You should be interested in creative experimentation and sound.


Engineering

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E3583: Intro to Circuits & Electronics
Teachers: Tommy Anderson

The goal of this course is to teach you enough about electric circuits so that you can begin to become a hobbyist. The course will introduce the fundamentals of the lumped circuit abstraction. Topics covered include: resistive elements and networks; independent and dependent sources; switches and MOS transistors; digital abstraction; amplifiers; energy storage elements; dynamics of first and second order networks (RL, RC, RLC, LC circuits).


Prerequisites
Students should know how to differentiate and integrate. Previous experience with circuits and physics E&M would be beneficial, but is not necessary to take the class.

E3575: Vision and Computational Photography

This is a class that is both serious and fun based upon the rich MIT experience in Vision, Signals and Systems, Computational Photography and its Pioneers (Prof. Edgerton and Prof. Schreiber).

July 11 Light and Color: Mirror, mirror on the Wall; who is the fairest of us all?

July 18 Lens and Cameras: The Human experience from the Cave to the iPad

July 25 The Pixel and demosaicing the neighborhood: Never have so many given so little.

August 01 A use for the Linears: A one hour Matlab for image processing

August 08 Digital Camera Deconstruction (DCD): and that’s All there is!

August 15 High Dynamic Range (HDR) methods according to St. Paul (Debevec)

August 22 Compressive Sensing (CS) and the Single Pixel Camera

E3577: An Interactive Introduction to Robotics Full!
Teachers: Chris Merrill

E3565: Creating Projects with Scratch and Clutter Full!

E3601: Intro to Engineering

Do you think you might want to be an engineer, but don’t know much about what an engineer does?

In this class, you will learn how to build a bridge, set off a rocket, among other things. The class will offer a mixture of lecture-based and activity-based classes.

The following engineering disciplines will be offered (subject to change).

Mechanical Engineering
Civil Engineering
Aero/Astro
Electrical Engineering

This class is designed to be an introductory course. Math will be kept at a basic level, and older students might be bored.

Each class will be taught by a different teacher, so it will be more like a series of seminars on engineering than an actual class.

E3594: Model Rocketry and Related Topics
Teachers: Ben Sena

A hands-on introduction to model rocketry and the physics and engineering topics involved. This section is for 10th-12th graders; there is another section (E3595) for 7th-9th graders.


Prerequisites
Recommended one year of physics and basic calculus, but we will teach you everything you need to know.

E3595: Model Rocketry and Related Topics

A hands-on introduction to model rocketry and the physics and engineering topics involved. This section is for 7th-9th graders; there is another section (E3594) for 10th-12th graders.


Prerequisites
Recommended some experience with physical science/physics and some famiiliarity with graphing functions. Know something about position, velocity, and acceleration. In any case, we will teach you everything you need.

E3610: Creating Projects with Scratch and Clutter Full!

E3567: Introduction to Sustainable Energy and Development
Teachers: Carlos Greaves

Everyone is talking about global warming and the environment these days, but if you are wondering what people are actually doing to reduce CO2 emissions and conserve resources, then this is the class for you. Each class day will focus on a different topic, everything from alternative sources of energy, to green architecture, to the economics of sustainable energy. Class time will be divided evenly between presentations, discussions, and activities designed to apply the concepts. This class won’t focus on any one topic in particular, but rather it will serve as a starting point for those who are interested in sustainability, but aren’t sure where to begin.

E3597: Basic Power and Hand Tools
Teachers: Frederick Moore

This course will cover basic use of some of the most popular hand and power tools used by hobbyists today. It will cover use of simple hand tools like hammers and screwdrivers to the use of hand drills, jig saws, and more.


Prerequisites
None, but a willingness to learn how to use power tools!

E3592: Introduction to Optoelectronics Full!

E3615: Introduction to Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Full!


Humanities

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H3544: Fashion in Revolution: Fashion History from Rococo to the Napoleonic Era
Teachers: Lee Hershey

The French Revolution did not just bring changes in social and political thinking; it also transformed the fashions of French culture. These changes have since manifested themselves in the world’s cultural and fashion perspective, and elements of the styles and trends which arose during the Revolution remain consistent today.

This course intends to follow the fashion trends from the Rococo and Neo-classical era until the Napoleonic era. It will put in context both the events of the French Revolution era: from the reign of Marie Antoinette to the reign of Napoleon, and just how these fashion changes were wrought both because and by the political and social changes at the time.


Prerequisites
none

H3548: The Art of Story Telling and Writing Longer Fiction

Ever wanted to write a novel? Design a television series? Tell stories in front of a captive audience?

In this interactive workshop, we'll go through the basic elements of creating longer fiction: how to build scenes that grab us from the first moment, to design plot twists and turns that will keep us engaged for hours, to create compelling characters that will stay with us for months to come. We'll warm up with a few sessions of fun writing and oral exercises, and a bulk of the course will be devoted to getting started on a longer work -- oral or written -- and critiquing the work of other students.



Prerequisites
Students should be open to sharing and critiquing works in a group setting. Prior story-telling and/or fiction writing experience encouraged but not required. Active imagination recommended :)

H3553: Shouting at the Top of Our Lungs: The Modern American Story
Teachers: Nathan Williams

A multi-media examination of the modern American story and how the increasingly diverse population is struggling to have their voice heard. Students will watch, read, engage and analyze movies, television shows, comic books, blogs and magazines as we attempt to discover what it means to be American in today's media-saturated world. We will contemplate what, for better or worse, makes our country unique and attempt to predict the future of our nation.

This class will focus on developing analytical skills and theories of modern media criticism. Students should be prepared to develop original opinions based on the story of the week and debate their classmates on the story's merit.

H3554: Word Families: Relationships Between Sound & Meaning
Teachers: Murray Denofsky

Explore the many subtle connections between words. Class will trace out themselves such word families as (carry, car, cart, carriage, chair, care), (house, home, hovel, hive, hut, hutch, hotel, hospital) and (glare, gold, glitter, glisten, glory, gloat, glad, glade, glamor, gleam, gloom). Learn both historical (etymological) connections and phonosymbolic connections (certain sounds innately expressing certain meanings by analogical structure or symbolism). We will see how these principles work in English, in languages related to English, and in unrelated languages. This will be an activity with much class participation. Bring an English dictionary, as well as some foreign-English dictionaries if you have them.

H3524: How to Question Everything and Argue with Everybody Full!

H3539: On Being a Writer
Teachers: Sarah Merriman

Writing skills are important, but it can get boring to write essays and stories on topics you aren't interested in. Well, it's summer, so let's take a creative approach--learn to write prose and poetry, and learn about yourself, too. The best writers are ones with imagination, passion, and some knowledge of themselves and their world--and you can be among them. We will write, of course, but more importantly, we will explore many types of inspiration--film, nature, even each other-to get on the path to writing well, and writing often.


Prerequisites
A pen and enthusiasm.

H3589: Slavery in the World Today

This class explores the issue of modern-day slavery across several fields: history, social movement theory, law, public health, and business. We will answer questions such as "Did slavery end in the United States after the Civil War? How do you define slavery? How can the fields of law, medicine, and business support the modern abolitionist movement?" In addition to listening to lectures and reading slave narratives and legal case studies in class, we will also be watching clips of documentaries, listening to expressive music, and writing creative pieces from the perspective of a slave.

H3573: Pop Culture
Teachers: Elizabeth Koczera

Ever wanted to have a serious discussion about rap music? How about your favorite movie or website? This class will explore various forms of media including music, television, photography and the internet and how it influences our lives. Each week students will explore a different facet of the media and through in class projects and discussion learn to interpret and critically engage with popular culture. Students will work collectively in groups and individually toward understanding media and the manner of its production and what that means in our American society. At the conclusion of the class students will have the skills necessary to engage with and challenge all kinds of media, as well as the knowledge to create new effective media forms. Note: Short (but fun) weekly out of class assignments are required for this class.


Prerequisites
-Having ever watched television, a movie, listened to music or read a book.

H3580: Introduction to Arabic
Teachers: Hanah Nasri

With 186 million speakers, Arabic is relatively common making it a great language to learn. Whether you want to sound knowledgeable abroad or just want to impress your friends, this course will cover the language's fundamentals and will give you the opportunity to dabble in calligraphy.

This class will focus on Classical Arabic and will only be an introduction, so the objective of this class will be to learn the Arabic letters, basic words, some calligraphy and general phrases that might help students traveling to the Arab world.

H3588: DREAMS Full!
Teachers: Carol Hardick

H3591: Intro to French Full!
Teachers: Julia Arnous

H3607: Weekly World News
Teachers: Vincent Lee

Are you not content with just "living your life", oblivious to the terrors happening around the world every day? Have no fear! This class will cover the past week's world news, keeping YOU updated!

Each week's class will be taught by a different teacher and will cover different areas of interest.

H3572: The Philosophy of Science
Teachers: Lester Kim

This course will discuss important scientific facts and how they have impacted modern philosophy. We will tackle big questions such as:
Why do we have a sense of morality?
How did the universe begin?
What is consciousness?
What does physics have to say about free will?


Prerequisites
WARNING: Prepare to challenge your beliefs. My job is to inform you of the scientific facts but their mere presentation may contradict your preconceived notions about human behavior, life, and the nature of the universe. The most important prerequisite for this class is to have a curious and open mind.

H3558: Anarchism 101

An introduction to Anarchist theory, history, and current practice. This class is for people interested in learning about the Anarchist political system, consensus decision making, and direct action. As well as learning about the many struggles anarchists partake in such as anti-capitalism, anti-racism, radical feminism, both animal and earth liberation, prison abolition and queer liberation.


Mathematics

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M3579: The Magic of Matrices
Teachers: Ruth Byers, Jason Gross

In arithmetic, if you multiply two numbers, you get the same result no matter which order you put them in. Learn what a matrix is and why the product of two matrices depends on which order you multiply them in. The class will cover determinants, matrix multiplication, row operations, and inverses.

M3609: Game Theory
Teachers: Alex Arkhipov

You and a friend take turns placing dominoes on an 8 by 8 chessboard. Each domino covers two squares and no two dominoes may overlap. You place dominoes vertically and your friend places them horizontally, and whoever can’t fit a domino loses. Will you or your friend come out on top?

We’ll look at the math and the theory behind certain games. How do you find a winning strategy? Can you break the game up into smaller games? Although we will play a few games, the focus is on figuring out who will win before the first move is even made.

M3568: Calculus! Full!
Difficulty: Hard - This class may be exceptionally difficult
Teachers: Sondra Smith

M3600: Introduction to Differential Equations
Difficulty: Hard - This class may be exceptionally difficult

Differential equations are mathematical equations whose solutions provide insight to many of nature's laws. They are fundamental to many disciplines in science and engineering. In this course we will be studying ordinary differential equations (ODE's), which deal with functions containing one variable. Topics covered in this course include: techniques for solving ODE's, variation of parameters, input-response models, complex numbers and exponentials, homogenous and inhomogenous DE's, stability, simple harmonic oscillators, direction fields, integral curves, and existence and uniqueness theorem.


Prerequisites
The only prerequisite for this course is experience with differentiation and integration.

M3547: What are the Odds? A Practical Introduction to Statistics Full!

M3550: Intuitive Calculus Full!
Teachers: Lucas Tambasco

M3605: Introduction to Website Design using WordPress Full!

M3606: Intro to Calculus Full!


[Deprecated] Science

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S3561: Sensation and Perception
Teachers: D Y

“What is real? How do you define real? If you’re talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain. This is the world that you know”
–Morpheus, The Matrix (1999)

How do we make sense of the world? When you look at a rose, how can you tell it’s a rose? Was it the color of the rose that helped you identify it? Or perhaps it was scent or texture of the petals that gave it away. The knowledge that we have of the world is limited by what we can learn through our senses, and what our brains process of the things that we can see, hear, smell, taste, and feel.

In this course, we will take a closer look at individual senses and learn about how these senses help us interpret the world around us. Students taking this course will learn a bit about the history of perceptions and psychophysics, the study of sensation of perception. We will also explore brain anatomy, how our senses work, and the neural basis of interpreting information from the experiences around us. We will cover all the senses in the system and introduce some of the biggest unanswered questions in the field of neuroscience today.



Prerequisites
Previous biology knowledge is required, previous high school physics is recommended.

S3569: Chemistry of Your Everyday Life
Teachers: Marie Herring

Have you ever wondered how they make artificial sweetener? This class will take one aspect or object that appears in everyday life and show its chemical roots. For example, we might start with aspartame (an artificial sweetenerl), starting with an explanation of its synthesis and historical significance. We might then take some samples of sweeteners and do some tests. We might also try to do some of the reactions involved in making aspartame. Lastly, we would consider the environmental effects of the chemicals that are used to make aspartame, and how these effects might be ameliorated.

These classes will be a rigorous treatment, involving both theoretical and hands-on work. Students will be expected to have a level of scientific maturity and a curiosity about their surroundings. Students should have completed a one-year course (or equivalent) in the physical sciences, and have an understanding of algebra and geometry.


Prerequisites
1 year of a physical science, optimally including some chemistry.

S3614: Social Psychology: Why people do what they do, and how to outsmart them.
Teachers: Alex Catullo

In this course you'll learn about the root of prejudice, and where bad decisions come from. You'll figure out how to be a better leader, and why your lab partner is so lazy. You'll learn whether or not you can trust a jury, and how otherwise good people can be driven to commit acts of evil. For better or for worse, people do things which we sometimes can't explain, yet we go on interacting with them because we have to; but wouldn't things be easier if we knew the reasons why?
This course is about people, how they think about other people, and why. As we study experiments and theories which reveal surprising truths about our own thoughts, this course will teach you how to recognize where social thinking goes wrong, and how to outsmart it.

S3590: Experimenting in the atomic world: an introduction to modern physics
Teachers: Eduardo Sverdlin

You have learned in school all about electrons, neutrons, and protons, but have you actually seen one? This class will explore a number of groundbreaking experiments which allowed man to peer into the heart of matter and observe its smallest components. Along the way, you will learn why salt melts snow, why glass is transparent, and why a basketball can never touch the court. The course will culminate in an independent research project that uses modern physics to explain ultra-complex physical systems like transistors, LEDs, digital camera sensors, lasers, etc.

Click here to download a tentative syllabus


Prerequisites
One year of high school physics; Algebra II.

S3551: Intro to Neuroscience Full!
Teachers: Greg Hale

S3549: Genes, Genomics, and Evolution Full!
Teachers: Ana Lyons

S3582: The Hip Bone is Connected to the... Full!
Teachers: Jaishri Atri

S3557: Human Anatomy and Physiology Full!
Teachers: Bridget Wall

S3566: Introduction to Organic Chemistry
Teachers: Myriam Taibi

This class will introduce students to the basics of chemistry and building up on these concepts to learn about organic chemistry, which is the study of carbon containing compounds. We will cover topics such as orbitals and bonding, acid-base reactions, naming of compounds, and different types of reactions! This class will explore organic chemistry through many class examples and see how organic chemistry is used to create many of the products we use today!


Prerequisites
One year of high school chemistry is strongly recommended.

S3570: Chemistry of Your Everyday Life for Middle Schoolers
Teachers: Marie Herring

Have you ever wondered how they make artificial sweetener? This class will take one aspect or object that appears in everyday life and show its chemical roots. For example, we might start with aspartame (an artificial), starting with an explanation of its synthesis and historical significance. We might then take some samples of sweeteners and do some tests. Lastly, we would consider the environmental effects of the chemicals that are used to make aspartame, and how these effects might be ameliorated.
This class will be a fun introduction to how chemistry has come to affect many aspects of your life, sometimes without your knowledge. It will be hands-on, focusing on the questions that are raised as we investigate each substance.



Prerequisites
Some basic knowledge of scientific concepts

S3581: Intro to the Solar System
Teachers: Ashley Nash

The Solar System is vast. It would take light nearly two years to travel across it. This class is designed to be an introduction to this system. It will survey what we know about the solar system, what we don't know, and what we are currently trying to figure out. The class time will be split between lectures, discussions, videos, and labs.


Prerequisites
None

S3599: MIT Hogwarts Full!
Teachers: Rebekah Dawson

S3541: The Chemistry of Toxins, Explosives, and Space

Get a taste of chemistry far beyond high school curriculum! We will take you through a whirlwind survey of the branches of chemistry including organic chemistry, inorganic, physical, forensics chemistry, chemistry history (the interesting bits), biochemistry, and astrochemistry. Get exposed to the diversity of topics in chemistry from the study of natural toxins to radioactivity. A unique approach will be taken to explore chemistry both in historical context and in contemporary world. Our goal is for you to walk away with a broad introduction to the many disciplines of chemistry and get excited about contemporary ideas in science and technology.


Prerequisites
1 year of high school chemistry

S3538: Ecology (of microorganisms)
Teachers: Sarah Preheim

In this class we will review principles of ecology using microorganisms as our "model" system. Microorganisms are too small to be seen with the naked eye, but they are a vital part of our ecosystem. We will discuss why it is important to study the ecology of microorganisms, examine their competitive, symbiotic and antagonistic interactions, survival and growth in exotic habitats, evolution and speciation, and technologies for sensing microbes in the environment. Each class will begin with an outline of basic ecological principles, how these may or may not apply to microorganisms, and elaborate on these principles using examples from microbial ecology.

S3564: Nanomaterials: A World in the Nanoscale

This course would be a brief introduction into the nanomaterials world, from porous materials to nanoparticles. You will learn about the applications of nanomaterials and some of their properties.

S3559: Where are we in the universe?
Teachers: Rebecca Sobel

Where are we in the universe? This course is an introduction to Astronomy designed to answer questions about our place in the universe and how our location and movement in the universe affect what we see in the sky. Students will learn about the ‘big pictures’ of the dynamics and relative scales in the solar system, galaxy, and universe. More importantly students will learn how the various phenomena in the universe manifest in the night sky. The course will address questions such as: Why do we only see Mercury and Venus at dawn and dusk? Why do we see the Milky Way as a ‘milky’ band in the sky if we’re located in it? And how do I figure out when the moon will set if I only know its phase?


Prerequisites
The course will not be math intensive and will only require algebra. However, some students may find geometry helpful.

S3571: Introduction to Organic Chemistry Full!
Teachers: Alan Leung

S3585: Topics in Molecular Biology and its Application
Teachers: Diana Wang

In this course we will be examining certain techniques used in Molecular Biology and studying these techniques in the context of specific research application. Topics include RNAi, stem cells, cancer genetics, and viruses.


Prerequisites
Minimum prerequisite is high school level biology. AP biology recommended.

S3560: Human Medical Genetics
Teachers: Mallary Hoidal

This course is designed to provide an introduction to the world of medical genetics. My hope is that students will achieve an understanding of basic human genetic principals through the examination of various genetic diseases. We will discuss the chromosomal basis of heredity, the structure and function of genes and proteins, and the mechanisms of DNA mutation with an emphasis on the molecular pathology of disease.


Prerequisites
An introductory biology class. Some knowledge of genetics would be useful.

S3613: Neuroscience--Exploring The Brain and all it's Connections

This course will serve as an introduction to the field of neuroscience. You probably know what the brain is, but what exactly does it do? You've probably heard of neurons, but how exactly do they work? We'll give you the fundamental answers to these questions so you can come to understand exactly how amazing this body system is. If time permits, we'll try to jump into higher level topics such as dreaming, the senses, emotion, language acquisition, memory and mental illness.


Prerequisites
Some familiarity with basic biology and chemistry will be helpful, but is not absolutely required. We will try to go over all that is necessary.


Miscellaneous

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X3578: Juggling & Math: 3-ball beginner/advanced techniques Full!
Teachers: Robert Myers

X3603: ABC of investing Full!
Teachers: Shobha Narasimha

X3604: Leadership Training Institute

Welcome to the Leadership Training Institute (LTI). The goal of the Leadership Training Institute is to teach motivated high school students the philosophy behind leadership, the importance of teamwork, and to promote self-reflection and the comprehension of self-identity.

In a world of advancements in technology, globalization, partnerships and interactions amongst nations, severe environmental problems and humanitarian crises, there must be leaders who will build the future. We plan to start with students in the Cambridge and Boston area. Currently, we feel students are engaging in leadership activities for the wrong reasons or do not know how to apply their innate leadership ability because they do not know the foundations of leadership. LTI seeks to enlighten students with the basics of leadership concepts while also engaging them in a supportive mentorship with successful, experienced MIT leaders. Ultimately, our goal is to fulfill and optimally apply their leadership potential.

LTI is proud of our interactive curriculum. Instead of a lecture format, we encourage our students to scream, run, think, reflect and learn in their own way.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS CLASS WILL BE 2 HOURS LONG.

X3540: The Crash Course Course 6 Full!
Teachers: Jordan Persson

X3602: ESPrinkler

During the third block, middle school students are given the opportunity to participate in ESPrinkler, a mini-program that consists of several one-shot (Splash-style) classes each week, including:


  • Genetics Lecture

  • Improv Acting Activity

  • Engineering Design Activity

  • Capture the Flag!



There is no need to register in advance for ESPrinkler classes -- just show up to classes that interest you each week!