MIT Educational Studies Program
84 Massachusetts Avenue, Room W20-467
Cambridge, MA 02139 Email: esp@mit.edu FAQ | contact us | donate | instagram
Cambridge, MA 02139 Email: esp@mit.edu FAQ | contact us | donate | instagram
HSSP Summer 2016
Course Catalog
Filter Catalog by Grade:
| Jump to Categories | |
|---|---|
| Arts | Computer Science |
| Humanities | Mathematics |
| Science | Miscellaneous |
This is 2016’s catalog. Summer Registration for 2017 will open tentatively around May 28, and the updated catalog will be released around May 23rd.
Arts
A10515: Introduction to Music Theory Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Isabel Quispe
A10512: History of Heavy Metal
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Lauren Paul
Heavy metal has, since its inception, been as much a cultural movement as a musical one. This course will cover the history and development of metal from the mid-20th century on. We will explore everything from the big hair of Poison to the dark cult of the Norwegian inner circle.
Computer Science
C10552: Introduction to Computation Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Orhan T. Celiker
C10511: Philosophy of AI Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Michaela Ennis
C10546: Making Games with Gameblox Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Paul Medlock-Walton
C10550: Essentials of Information and Computer Security Full!
Humanities
H10536: Friendship and Curiosity: A Book or a Smartphone? Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
yc yu
H10559: Wanting, Pleasure, and the Good Life Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Leonard Katz
H10517: Women of SciFi and Fantasy
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Stirling Newberry
Read a few of the classic authors and set your pen down to learn the task of offering up your own work. You will have to buy The Mists of Avalon and The Left Hand of Darkness to read - and a notebook for your own work. Also helpful is a way of looking up on the Internet.
H10521: Intro to Kantian Philosophy
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Elise Bickford
Come learn about the brilliant and inspirational philosopher Immanuel Kant! In this course, we will broadly cover Kantian ideas in metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics, and human agency. We also will examine Kant's influence on contemporary philosophy and political theory.
Prerequisites
Willingness to read some difficult philosophical texts
Prerequisites
Willingness to read some difficult philosophical texts
H10547: A Brief History of Film Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Joshua Segaran
H10558: Sociological Imagination Journey Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Izumi Ludgate
H10525: Wanting, Pleasure, and the Good Life
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Leonard Katz
What is success in life -- or living well? 'Being a winner' in competitive games, or in politics, or in business deals aimed at 'besting' others in pursuing 'wealth'? Succeeding in getting what one wants? Plato, in his dialogue Gorgias, argues not -- and that thinking and acting in these ways makes us miserable. We will read this philosophical classic closely, discuss it critically, and see how these issues connect with adolescence, neuroscience, politics, and most importantly with how to live well.
Prerequisites
Ability and interest to read about 16 pages of material every week slowly and patiently and discuss issues raised thoughtfully. Zeyl's translation, published by Hackett, will be used, but you can use older translations free online or from libraries before we meet. Before our first class read the first 20 pages or so up to the place (in 461B, if you see marginal numbers) where Polus interrupts. Think especially about the argument leading up to this point. Think of Gorgias as an esteemed expert in debating, advertising, and political consulting who's selling his services to people planning political careers, like Donald Trump and young people who want to be like him.
Prerequisites
Ability and interest to read about 16 pages of material every week slowly and patiently and discuss issues raised thoughtfully. Zeyl's translation, published by Hackett, will be used, but you can use older translations free online or from libraries before we meet. Before our first class read the first 20 pages or so up to the place (in 461B, if you see marginal numbers) where Polus interrupts. Think especially about the argument leading up to this point. Think of Gorgias as an esteemed expert in debating, advertising, and political consulting who's selling his services to people planning political careers, like Donald Trump and young people who want to be like him.
H10526: Introduction to Fiction Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Caitlyn Kinsella
H10533: How public spaces shape culture: an exploration of architecture and anthropology Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Kaylee Brent
H10540: How to Write for an Animated Show Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Emily Ramirez
H10541: RELIEF: Topics in Civil Litigation Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Julia Arnous
H10527: Intro to Sociology/Human Diversity to Globalization Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Izumi Ludgate
H10537: Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Carol Hardick
Hello Everyone!
With an the interdisciplinary approach of dream science, cognitive psychology, art and humanities, Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious will introduce you to the huge topic of the subconscious with an emphasis on the sleeping brain.
Ideas about dreams filter into our pop culture. The Harry Potter series and the movies Inception and the Matrix, for example, have lots of twists and turns and raise questions about memory, knowledge and artificial intelligence. What’s possible and what isn’t? What’s déjà vu? Can an idea be planted in a person’s mind? Can two people share a dream? Can a person’s mind be controlled or manipulated?
With lots of discussion, we’ll use different perspectives and the principles of critical thinking to study the mystery, the nature of the mind and learn different theories about dreams and the subconscious.
As we discuss the breadth and depth of the mind, the sheer ingenuity of an individual’s ability to think and create in so many ways, (and even do it while we’re sleeping,) we open the door to understanding that vast universe we call a mind.
With an the interdisciplinary approach of dream science, cognitive psychology, art and humanities, Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious will introduce you to the huge topic of the subconscious with an emphasis on the sleeping brain.
Ideas about dreams filter into our pop culture. The Harry Potter series and the movies Inception and the Matrix, for example, have lots of twists and turns and raise questions about memory, knowledge and artificial intelligence. What’s possible and what isn’t? What’s déjà vu? Can an idea be planted in a person’s mind? Can two people share a dream? Can a person’s mind be controlled or manipulated?
With lots of discussion, we’ll use different perspectives and the principles of critical thinking to study the mystery, the nature of the mind and learn different theories about dreams and the subconscious.
As we discuss the breadth and depth of the mind, the sheer ingenuity of an individual’s ability to think and create in so many ways, (and even do it while we’re sleeping,) we open the door to understanding that vast universe we call a mind.
Mathematics
M10519: Advanced Topics in Combinatorics Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Kavish Gandhi,
Timothy Ngotiaoco
M10523: Fun with Probability
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Sandeep Silwal
Come learn what makes probability fun and arguably the most useful branch of mathematics! We will learn about various concepts such as expected value, bayes rule, etc and connect these concepts with number theory, real world problems, games, paradoxes, etc.
Prerequisites
Enthusiasm for math and little knowledge of algebra. A little experience with probability would be helpful but not required!
Prerequisites
Enthusiasm for math and little knowledge of algebra. A little experience with probability would be helpful but not required!
M10555: Knot Theory
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Carlos Cortez
This course will be an exposition to the beautiful subject of knot theory. While knot theory first attracted interest due to an outdated atomic model, it is now a central topic of study in low-dimensional topology with connections to several other fields. Furthermore, it is easy and fun to experiment with - we'll provide the string! However, you may be surprised at how difficult it is to tell if your friend's knot is the same as yours.
Topics will be tailored to the audience. Likely ones include: examples of knots and links, Reidemeister moves, prime knots, knot invariants (particularly knot polynomials), Seifert surfaces, braid groups. You may even learn a couple of party tricks and some knot-so-great puns!
Prerequisites
Despite some theorems in knot theory requiring advanced mathematics to prove rigorously, we will focus in understanding and experimenting with them - which does not require such a strong background. Most, if not all, of the course should be accessible to students familiar with polynomials and functions. Knowledge of the definition of a group could be useful occasionally, but will not be assumed.
Topics will be tailored to the audience. Likely ones include: examples of knots and links, Reidemeister moves, prime knots, knot invariants (particularly knot polynomials), Seifert surfaces, braid groups. You may even learn a couple of party tricks and some knot-so-great puns!
Prerequisites
Despite some theorems in knot theory requiring advanced mathematics to prove rigorously, we will focus in understanding and experimenting with them - which does not require such a strong background. Most, if not all, of the course should be accessible to students familiar with polynomials and functions. Knowledge of the definition of a group could be useful occasionally, but will not be assumed.
M10535: How to Win Games Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Della Hendrickson
M10530: Numbers That Do Weird Things
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Jordan Hines
You've heard of the natural numbers, integers, rationals, reals, and complex numbers. These number systems are nice, but don't all of those nice properties get boring after a while?
In this class, we'll construct and play around with number systems that behave differently than the number systems you're used to: ones where multiplication isn't commutative (or associative), ones where something like …121012102
Prerequisites
Familiarity with complex numbers. Knowledge of calculus may be helpful for some parts of the class, but it is not required.
In this class, we'll construct and play around with number systems that behave differently than the number systems you're used to: ones where multiplication isn't commutative (or associative), ones where something like …121012102
makes sense, and more! Along the way we'll encounter multiple branches of mathematics. Come see how many strange examples we can get through!
Prerequisites
Familiarity with complex numbers. Knowledge of calculus may be helpful for some parts of the class, but it is not required.
M10516: Relational Databases Before There Were Such Things
Difficulty: ****
Teachers:
Stirling Newberry
Long before there were databases, the underlying mathematics was discovered. Travel over 2000 years with Galilei, Cantor, Gödel, Turing, Nash, and Codd to learn the secrets of games.
Science
S10528: Books I Wish I'd Read Before College Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Shaun Datta
S10545: Phenomenology of Superconductivity
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Alfred Zong
Superconductivity is one of the most exciting discoveries in the 20th century. Superconductors are cool (literally) not just because they have zero electrical resistance; they exhibit a whole zoology of strange properties that still fascinate physicists today. This course will introduce many properties of superconductors and provide several theoretical frameworks to study their phenomenology. Topics include London equations, Ginzburg-Landau theory, Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory, and Josephson junction. We will end with discussions on high-Tc superconductors, which are at the forefront of condensed matter research today.
Prerequisites
Prior experiences with calculus, AP physics and elementary quantum mechanics are highly recommended.
Prerequisites
Prior experiences with calculus, AP physics and elementary quantum mechanics are highly recommended.
S10543: Electronics for Medical Device Design
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Jason Yang
Come learn the basics of Electronics and Electrical Engineering with a medical device twist. Note that this class is focused on the electronics and design pertaining to medical design, starting from the very basics. Though we will be starting from the basics, we will be moving fast and there will be math.
Prerequisites
Calculus
Prerequisites
Calculus
S10520: Introduction to Plasma Physics and Nuclear Fusion Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Megan Kralj
S10518: (Not So) Close Encounters of a Third Kind (That we haven't found yet)
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Megan Russell,
Devany West
Is there life on other planets? How could we find it? How can we even find other planets? And how did life begin on earth in the first place? So many questions, and we'll try to come up with some answers while nerding out about the satellites and other stuff!
Prerequisites
None!
Prerequisites
None!
S10549: Space: Exploring the Final Frontier Full!
Difficulty: **
S10542: Laser Physics
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Anya Burkart
What exactly are lasers? How do they work and who developed them? What kinds of lasers are there and how dangerous are they? How can lasers be applied in bioscience research as well as in every day life? We will delve into all these questions and more in our study of laser physics.
Prerequisites
Physics (independent study is sufficient, especially on Maxwell's equations and the nature of light)
Prerequisites
Physics (independent study is sufficient, especially on Maxwell's equations and the nature of light)
S10524: Natural History 101 Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Mary Spanjers
S10531: Drug Discovery For Neglected Tropical Diseases Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Travis DeLano
S10534: Reading Climate Records
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Kaylee Brent
What sort of world did the dinosaurs walk on? What about the creatures that lived before the Permian Extinction? Hey, how do scientists know what the Earth's climate looked like even ten thousand years ago, before historical records? And how do we use this information to help make predictions about the future of the planet's changing climate?
Come learn about paleoclimate (that means old climate) and how we measure and understand it -- using ice cores, sediments, rocks, and even stalagmites! And find out what all this information about the past means for our shared future on Earth.
Prerequisites
Some chemistry required; some earth science preferred but not necessary
Come learn about paleoclimate (that means old climate) and how we measure and understand it -- using ice cores, sediments, rocks, and even stalagmites! And find out what all this information about the past means for our shared future on Earth.
Prerequisites
Some chemistry required; some earth science preferred but not necessary
S10532: Climate Change: Scientific, Political, and Economic Analysis
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Josh Moss
Climate change poses a dangerous threat to our planet, and the vast majority of scientists agree that humans are largely responsible for causing it. This class will largely focus on understanding the science, notably the chemistry and physics of the atmosphere, governing climate change, and will also include analysis of the cutting-edge climate research currently being undertaken in labs all around the world. The later portions of the class will involve analyzing the political and economic repercussions of climate change and will culminate in a mock government scenario in which the students will attempt to work together to devise a plan to combat climate change.
Prerequisites
Basic understandings of chemistry and physics and an open mind are recommended
Prerequisites
Basic understandings of chemistry and physics and an open mind are recommended
S10551: The Human Body Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Dawn Truong
Miscellaneous
X10522: Nerds Examining Wizarding Theory and Society (N. E. W. T. S.) Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Penrose Allphin,
Lee Friedman
X10557: Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Lecture Series
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Ahaan Rungta
Lecture series in the humanities, arts, and social sciences.
X10548: World Changer's Think Tank
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Yoo Eun Kim,
Emily Pond
Keep your coins; I want CHANGE!
Are you interested in starting your own community service project? If you want to design and implement a project that maximizes impact for your school or community, attend World Changer's Think Tank (WCTT)! WCTT has been presented in leadership and service conventions throughout the United States and will cover the following topics: brainstorming ideas, budgeting, delegating, advertising, executing, and building on your results.
What are you waiting for? Be a World Changer!
Are you interested in starting your own community service project? If you want to design and implement a project that maximizes impact for your school or community, attend World Changer's Think Tank (WCTT)! WCTT has been presented in leadership and service conventions throughout the United States and will cover the following topics: brainstorming ideas, budgeting, delegating, advertising, executing, and building on your results.
What are you waiting for? Be a World Changer!
X10554: Slightly Advanced Card Games Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Joanna Sands,
Margaret Sands
X10529: Economics Games Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Vladislav Nivorozhkin
X10510: LaTeX!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Ahaan Rungta
Come learn the art of the most useful and fun math typesetting language in the world! At the end of this course, you should be able to write a paper or mathematical proof in fancy font - LaTeX!
Prerequisites
The ability to type.
Prerequisites
The ability to type.
X10556: Math & Science Lecture Series
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Ahaan Rungta
Lecture Series in mathematics and the sciences.