Splash 2016
Course Catalog
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Note: For difficulty, * is easiest and **** is very difficult.
Visual and Performing Arts
A10578: Improv Games
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Brian Chen,
Jakob Weisblat
Let's play improv games together! From freeze to taxi to zip-zap-zop, it'll be lots of fun. No experience required.
A10757: Design, Narrative, and The Future Studio
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Steven Faerm
Designers must adopt radically different strategies if they are to succeed in the knowledge-based economy and evolving industries. Rather than narrowly focusing on the “what” of design, designers must increasingly focus on the “how” of design. This approach to design involves developing emotionally compelling narrative and unique design processes that, in turn, innovate product and heighten consumers’ interests.
This presentation explores the future of design and the designer. We’ll discuss our contemporary mass-obsession with design, socio-economics, consumer behavior, marketing, sustainability, design education, and tomorrow’s design studio to contextualize how and why the designer’s role is shifting. The presentation concludes by showcasing undergraduate and professional fashion design projects that creatively illustrate key concepts.
Presented by Steven Faerm, Associate Professor, Parsons School of Design.
This presentation explores the future of design and the designer. We’ll discuss our contemporary mass-obsession with design, socio-economics, consumer behavior, marketing, sustainability, design education, and tomorrow’s design studio to contextualize how and why the designer’s role is shifting. The presentation concludes by showcasing undergraduate and professional fashion design projects that creatively illustrate key concepts.
Presented by Steven Faerm, Associate Professor, Parsons School of Design.
A11014: Harmonica 101 Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Jonathan Hurowitz
Have you always wanted to play the harmonica like the blues and rock pros? Then we'll teach you! You'll get your own harmonica that you can keep!
Prerequisites
Play another instrument or have some knowledge of music theory (chords and scales)
Prerequisites
Play another instrument or have some knowledge of music theory (chords and scales)
A10865: [LEADS] Swing into social dance
Difficulty: **
In this course, we'll look at the basics of swing dancing. Swing is a partner dance with 2 roles: leads and follows. Sign up for this class if you want to lead; find the other listing if you want to follow.
A10891: The Art of Cardmaking
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Divya Ramamoorthy
Do you have a birthday or holiday coming up that you need a card for? Have you ever walked through the greeting cards section of a store and wondered how they are made?
This class will teach you how to make beautiful handmade cards. We'll cover rubber stamping, paper layering, and embossing techniques - and everything you need to know to make cards on your own! This class is for everyone, from avid cardmakers to first time crafters.
Each student will get to take home their handmade cards!
This class will teach you how to make beautiful handmade cards. We'll cover rubber stamping, paper layering, and embossing techniques - and everything you need to know to make cards on your own! This class is for everyone, from avid cardmakers to first time crafters.
Each student will get to take home their handmade cards!
A10842: Introduction to Parody Song Writing
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Lee Friedman
Parodies of songs have long been in existence, as long as songs themselves. In this class we’re going to learn about what makes a good song parody, and create one (or more, depending on time) together as a class.
A10864: [FOLLOWS] Swing into social dance
Difficulty: **
In this course, we'll look at the basics of swing dancing. Swing is a partner dance with 2 roles: leads and follows. Sign up for this class if you want to follow; find the other listing if you want to lead.
A10687: How to Solve a Rubik’s Cube Full!
Difficulty: **
Learn how to solve a 3x3x3 Rubik’s cube. Impress your friends and become the life of any party with this newfound ability. No experience necessary.
A11161: Advanced Knitting Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Corinn Herrick
Do you know how to knit and purl but want to take things to the next level? In this class we'll briefly talk about some more advanced topics in knitting, for instance:
* How to pick the right yarn for your project.
* Cabling
* Colorwork
* Shakerknitting
* Texture patterns
* Knitting twisted
* Openwork/lace knitting
* Finishing your work (weaving in loose ends and blocking)
* Seams
* Handling dropped stitches
* Increases and decreases
Exact topics will be determined based on student interest. Bring your own project if you'd like because most of the class will be hands-on practicing the topics we learn.
Prerequisites
Must be able to knit and purl comfortably. Bonus if you already know some of the topics on the topics list. A survey will be sent to the class before Splash and we'll choose topics that students aren't already familiar with but are ready to learn.
* How to pick the right yarn for your project.
* Cabling
* Colorwork
* Shakerknitting
* Texture patterns
* Knitting twisted
* Openwork/lace knitting
* Finishing your work (weaving in loose ends and blocking)
* Seams
* Handling dropped stitches
* Increases and decreases
Exact topics will be determined based on student interest. Bring your own project if you'd like because most of the class will be hands-on practicing the topics we learn.
Prerequisites
Must be able to knit and purl comfortably. Bonus if you already know some of the topics on the topics list. A survey will be sent to the class before Splash and we'll choose topics that students aren't already familiar with but are ready to learn.
A10672: Intro to Photography Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Akshara Thejaswi
Do DSLR cameras (aka "real" cameras) scare you? Did you buy a super fancy professional camera, only to use it on Auto? Want to turn your Instagram into #instagoals?
Come learn the basics of photography! We'll cover the basics of camera settings (ISO, aperture, shutter speed), methods of framing (the rule of thirds, leading lines, etc.), and photo editing skills.
Prerequisites
None! If you have a DSLR or other camera, bring it!
Come learn the basics of photography! We'll cover the basics of camera settings (ISO, aperture, shutter speed), methods of framing (the rule of thirds, leading lines, etc.), and photo editing skills.
Prerequisites
None! If you have a DSLR or other camera, bring it!
A10893: It Don't Mean A Thing If It Aint Got That Swing: Swing Dance 101 Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Lee Friedman,
Mehitabel Glenhaber
Want to look like cool people from old movies? Swing is an awesome social dance from the 1930s, and you too can learn how to dance it! Come learn the basic steps, as well as some exciting turns, passes, and other flashy moves. We'll also teach you about dance floor etiquette, and everything else you need to go social dancing on your own once you get hooked on swing!
Also, you should probably shoes you can dance in (sneakers are the best), and clothes you can move in. Or, y'know, just show up in your best vintage 1930s outfit. Your choice!
Also, you should probably shoes you can dance in (sneakers are the best), and clothes you can move in. Or, y'know, just show up in your best vintage 1930s outfit. Your choice!
A11042: Intro to Songwriting Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Julie Vaughn
Always wanted to write a song for your dog, friend, or significant other? Wondered what makes a good pop song stick in your head? Then this course is for you!
A10610: Painting: Freedom of Expression & Creative Thinking
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Piper Nichole Henriques
You will be surprised what you can learn from creating art with your hands. You don't have to be a trained painter or an "artist" -- you just have to have the desire to try something new and artistic. This class gives you a chance to create an artwork -- painting, sketch, or mixed-media collage. This class is about giving you exposure to the arts and understanding that anyone can be creative -- and ways to use creativity in your every day life and how creative thinking can help you in your future career.
A10745: Salsa Dancing
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Francesca Majluf
Come learn how to dance one of the most fun partner dances ever! There may or may not be dips involved.
A10572: Advanced Chain Mail
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Miranda Gavrin
Already know the basics of weaving chain mail? Want to do some cooler projects? Come to this class to learn new techniques!
Prerequisites
Must already have experience manipulating chain mail rings. Ideally, should remember how to do 4-in-1.
Prerequisites
Must already have experience manipulating chain mail rings. Ideally, should remember how to do 4-in-1.
A10892: The Shim Sham Dance Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Lee Friedman
Sometimes a tap dance, sometimes a jazz/swing dance, this simple line dance is a super fun, super chill dance that anyone can learn! Created in the 1920s, this dance is done in studios, clubs, and flash-mobs all around the world. No dancing experience necessary, just bring water and comfortable shoes!
A10993: How to become a Newspaper Cartoonist Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Claire Traweek
Have you ever wondered where the cartoons in the newspapers came from? Have you ever wanted to draw some yourself? Come learn about the cartooning greats, current state of cartooning, and how to get involved! We'll cover all the steps of writing, drawing, and syndication (getting your cartoons published), and practice drawing comic strips! No drawing ability is required (in fact, many renowned cartoonists were notorious for their lack of prior drawing expertise).
A10980: Creating a green screen video
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Jim Flannery
Have you ever wondered how YouTubers make green screen videos? Now is your chance!
In this course, your class will learn how a green screen works, discover some do's and do-not's, brainstorm creative ways to use green screens, and finish by making a group video.
In this course, your class will learn how a green screen works, discover some do's and do-not's, brainstorm creative ways to use green screens, and finish by making a group video.
A10831: Geometric Art- using Matlab!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Sarah Bricault,
Adam Spanbauer
You can create an amazing variety of geometric art creations using a small set of functions. Matlab is a programming language that excels at data manipulation. What happens when these two come together? You can create geometric art images and videos with ease! Come to this class to learn the basics, and take home an image or a video of your favorite creation!
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of programming- for loops, while loops, if statements- is essential. Basic knowledge of sine, cosine, and tangent functions is useful.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of programming- for loops, while loops, if statements- is essential. Basic knowledge of sine, cosine, and tangent functions is useful.
A11110: Origami Basics
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Shahul Alam
The ancient Japanese art of paper-folding is not for the weak of heart. If you have the courage to put up with the occasional paper cut and the willpower to create something out of nothing, then come learn the foundations of origami.
Prerequisites
Steady hands and a creative nous.
Prerequisites
Steady hands and a creative nous.
A10573: Learn to Knit! Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Isabel Kaspriskie
Have you ever wondered how two sticks and a ball of yarn can turn into anything from socks to mittens to an adult-sized sweater? Uncover the beautiful simplicity of knits and purls -- you'll be making your own creations in no time!
A10674: The Ancient Mystery of the Boots and Cats Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
John Bond
A rundown of some good starting tips for anyone interested in the world of beatboxing. All experience levels welcome, but this will be focusing more on the fundamentals of the craft. So, if you want to know how to make weird noises in a rhythmic fashion to impress your friends at parties, come on down!!
A10584: Theater Lighting Workshop Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Ben Rosen-Filardo,
Jakob Weisblat
Come learn a little bit about lighting design for the theater. We'll hang a few lighting instruments from the ceiling, play with controlling them a bit, and maybe even light a short scene or song.
Prerequisites
None
Prerequisites
None
A10787: How to Play Piano by Ear Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Anthony Liu
Do you play piano? Do you want to play your favorite pop/EDM/r&b songs without having to find and purchase sheet music? If you already have a basic set of piano playing skills, then playing piano by ear is easier than you may think. In this class, we'll go over a step-by-step process to playing songs by ear, covering topics such as finding the key of a song, identifying chords, playing rhythmic patterns, and improvising. Note: you do NOT need to know how to read sheet music to take this class (that's kind of the point) :)
Prerequisites
* should be able to play basic melodies and chord progressions * ~1-2 years of experience playing; you should be able to play with both hands comfortably * you don't need any formal training!!! * you definitely do NOT need to know anything about sheet music
Prerequisites
* should be able to play basic melodies and chord progressions * ~1-2 years of experience playing; you should be able to play with both hands comfortably * you don't need any formal training!!! * you definitely do NOT need to know anything about sheet music
A11155: Geometric Origami Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Tiffany Tao
Curious about geometric origami? It uses multiple modules to be folded together into a bigger more complicated origami. Come join us as we explore the different things you can do with paper!
A10802: Beginner Swing Dance!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Julia Fiksinski,
Davis Tran
Learn some basic swing dance with Davis and Julia!
A10808: Doodling for Designers
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Joyce Wang
Do you doodle in class because there's nothing else to do? Are you an active doodler and own thousands of scraps of paper filled with doodles? A lot of people think that doodling is a waste of time, but in fact, doodling is a great way to explore the principles of design! It helps us figure out what makes some things look good and other things look not as good.
In this class, we will learn about basic design principles and how they affect the way we see things as art. From product identity to infographics, and yes, even to doodling in the margins of your notes, the principles of design are everywhere and available for you to use to your advantage. Whether you're thinking of designing websites or just want better margin-doodles, we will talk about just what makes something look good and why.
I won't be teaching you the "right way" to doodle, I welcome all students to doodle alongside me as I talk about different aspects of design. It's not every day that a teacher asks that you doodle MORE in class!
In this class, we will learn about basic design principles and how they affect the way we see things as art. From product identity to infographics, and yes, even to doodling in the margins of your notes, the principles of design are everywhere and available for you to use to your advantage. Whether you're thinking of designing websites or just want better margin-doodles, we will talk about just what makes something look good and why.
I won't be teaching you the "right way" to doodle, I welcome all students to doodle alongside me as I talk about different aspects of design. It's not every day that a teacher asks that you doodle MORE in class!
A11091: Performers' Practice Circle
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Abigail Walzer
Sing. Dance. Act. Recite poetry. Tell a story. The sky's the limit, really, as long as it's a performing art. We're all going to get together and practice by taking turns performing for the group, in a friendly setting. There is no audience-- everyone is required to take a turn doing something. Critiques, however, are optional. This is a good chance to try performing in a low-key environment, or perfect that thing you're working really hard on before you perform it for real!
Prerequisites
Come with at least one thing to perform prepared! Ideally not longer than five minutes, but in past years we've had plenty of time to get to everyone, so I'm flexible on the time thing. (In past years I've had time to get to everyone multiple times, so while you're only required to go once, you may have the opportunity to go more than once if you want to.) All skill levels and all performing arts are welcome.
Prerequisites
Come with at least one thing to perform prepared! Ideally not longer than five minutes, but in past years we've had plenty of time to get to everyone, so I'm flexible on the time thing. (In past years I've had time to get to everyone multiple times, so while you're only required to go once, you may have the opportunity to go more than once if you want to.) All skill levels and all performing arts are welcome.
A11059: Charting Out Your Life
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
A L
No, we won’t be plotting trajectories towards life goals. But we will consider simple and effective data visualization approaches that could help you with that. Come build graphs and diagrams that reflect analytically, or at least systematically on your interests, habits, activities, feelings and more.
A10735: Watch Our Town
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Mary Jane Porzenheim
Watch the students in my "Script Reading: Thorton Wilder's Our Town" class read Our Town! Now you may be thinking, "why would I want to watch a bunch of amateurs read some silly play?" I can only say that Our Town is a fantastic, moving, thought-provoking play. Even if you don't sign up for this class, I hope you experience it at some point in your life- you will be richer for doing so. If you'd like to perform, sign up for the script-reading version!
Prerequisites
A good attention span, enjoyment of plays. Wear something comfy!
Prerequisites
A good attention span, enjoyment of plays. Wear something comfy!
A10734: Script Reading: Thorton Wilder's Our Town
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Mary Jane Porzenheim
Come read a part in Thorton Wilder's seminal minimalist play about life and death and love in Grover's Corners, New Hampshire. This is a show that means a lot to me, personally- I often think of a few of the ending scenes. The class will be limited to a fairly small number, so you should all have good parts. There will be an audience! If you would like to hear the show but maybe not perform, sign up for my class "Watch Our Town," which will watch this class read the show.
Prerequisites
Some acting experience preferred, (particularly if you'd like to read for the stage manager) though none required. It would be great if you'd read the show beforehand!
Prerequisites
Some acting experience preferred, (particularly if you'd like to read for the stage manager) though none required. It would be great if you'd read the show beforehand!
A10605: How to Draw People Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Carolyn Lu
A fast-paced tour of anatomy and tricks for drawing people! From the face to the feet we'll go over all you need to know to draw convincing people in any style. If we have time, we'll also do some figure drawing so you can put what you've learned to practice!
A10571: Chain Mail Weaving Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Miranda Gavrin
This class will teach the fundamentals of making your own chain mail. Learn the basic weave you can use to make anything from keychains and bracelets to a full suit of armor!
Prerequisites
None
Prerequisites
None
A10985: Portrait Drawing Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Maeve Hedstrom
This class is for every skill level, from beginner to pro. You will learn how to draw a portrait, practicing by drawing a self portrait in a mirror. You will learn about factors of portraits including composition, proportion, and shading. There is an optional (volunteer) critique at the end of class. This classroom is a fun, non-judgemental learning environment, for building up portrait drawing skills, building confidence, and having fun! If you were in this class last year, and would like more practice drawing, please sign up again!
Prerequisites
None
Prerequisites
None
A11026: Resist Gravity: Learn to Juggle! Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Miriam Pofcher
Learn to juggle! Make your own juggling balls!
A11185: Math in Music Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
John Mori
What makes music work? Why are certain songs so catchy? Explore the mathematics behind basic harmony and its application in pop music.
Prerequisites
None
Prerequisites
None
A10934: Intro to Beading: Making 3D Things
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Tara Liu
Learn to make 3D structures using only beads and a single string! I will teach you how to make a dodecahedron out of beads, and also introduce some ways to generalize what you've learned so that you can make anything you could imagine.
Leave the class with a cute keychain and a newfound power to make many, many polyhedra.
Prerequisites
Patience and the willingness to fiddle around with small objects for an extended period of time
Leave the class with a cute keychain and a newfound power to make many, many polyhedra.
Prerequisites
Patience and the willingness to fiddle around with small objects for an extended period of time
A10601: Handwhistling Fundamentals Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Robert Henning,
Catherine Zeng
An introductory class in how to handwhistle. Come learn how to whistle with cupped hands and make music. Handwhistling: the cheapest, most portable instrument that can have as many notes as a saxophone or trumpet.
A11021: Clothes for Imaginary People: Crash-course in Costume Design Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
E Rosser
Imaginary people need clothes, too! Whether they're on stage, on the screen, or from your favorite tabletop campaign, you can tell loads about a character from the costume they wear. Learn how to convey feelings through line and color, try your hand at outfitting a character, and visit a working costume shop!
A10597: Room for Improv-ment
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Molly Swanton
Have you ever wanted to try theater, but didn't have the time to commit to large scale productions? Luckily for you, this class is a chance to act your pants off without any hassle, no prior experience necessary! All you need to bring is yourself, an open mind, and a willingness to work with others. (I do ask that all pants physically remain on everyone's person, though).
A10981: Learn to speak in public without peeing your pants!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Jim Flannery
Are you terrified of public speaking but want to overcome the challenge? This workshop is just for you!
This class breaks your fears down into little bits and squashes them like bugs. I won't reveal the hidden secrets in the description but I can share with you that the majority of the class will involve telling jokes and laughing at jokes. You are guaranteed to leave having improved skills and a smile.
No joke-writing skills required to participate.
This class breaks your fears down into little bits and squashes them like bugs. I won't reveal the hidden secrets in the description but I can share with you that the majority of the class will involve telling jokes and laughing at jokes. You are guaranteed to leave having improved skills and a smile.
No joke-writing skills required to participate.
A10620: Knitting Workshop
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Ari Saksonov
A fun crash course in some cool things you can do with a ball of yarn and some sticks! Topics covered include reading a pattern, cable techniques, and theoretical sock construction. PLUS the importance of gauge and blocking AND some basic intro-level lace! Tea and cookies will be served!
Prerequisites
Students must know a basic cast-on and bind off, knit and purl stitch, and at least one type of decrease.
Prerequisites
Students must know a basic cast-on and bind off, knit and purl stitch, and at least one type of decrease.
A10836: Video Editing- an Introduction Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Sarah Bricault,
Adam Spanbauer
Have you ever wanted to create your own custom video but just aren't sure how? How do you overlay videos? Add custom backgrounds? Make lightning fly from your fingertips on film? Or just make a custom holiday message for your family? Come to this introductory class and learn the basics! I'll have all the material for you to create holiday videos, or you can come with your own project idea.
Prerequisites
None; a USB drive is recommended but not necessary. Please note that you will be asked to make a video recording of yourself for use in your project. Feel free to bring existing videos, photos, or other media-- but keep any video files under 1.5 minutes long!
Prerequisites
None; a USB drive is recommended but not necessary. Please note that you will be asked to make a video recording of yourself for use in your project. Feel free to bring existing videos, photos, or other media-- but keep any video files under 1.5 minutes long!
A10769: Stravinsky and the Birth of Twentieth-Century Music: "Firebird", "Petrushka" and "The Rite of Spring"
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Marshall Estrin
From 1909 to 1913, Igor Stravinsky wrote three ballets that would define modern music. In this course we will examine how Stravinsky's "The Firebird", "Petrushka" and "The Rite of Spring" incorporated a century of Russian music, turned it inside out and used the past to create the future.
Languages and Literatures
B10955: The History of English
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Juliet Stanton
This class will provide a brief overview of the history of the English language, from ca. 450AD to the present day. We will focus primarily on ways in which Modern English differs from its ancestors in terms of sound, sentence structure, and vocabulary, and how other languages have affected its development.
B11108: The Yellow Wallpaper
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Haley Cope
The Yellow Wallpaper is a short story by a women's rights activist named Gilman. It is a first person narrative of a woman who is diagnosed with hysteria. It explores questions of treatment, patient's rights, women's rights, and mental health.
We will be discussing the major themes of the work, and how the writing style illustrates the challenges of the narrator. Please come prepared to discuss the work.
Prerequisites
You should read the story prior to class
We will be discussing the major themes of the work, and how the writing style illustrates the challenges of the narrator. Please come prepared to discuss the work.
Prerequisites
You should read the story prior to class
B10813: Learn How to Speak in Gibberish!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Kathy Camenzind
Ever wanted to have a secret language that nobody could understand? Are you bored of Pig Latin and want omethingsay arderhay? Come learn how to speak in Gidigibbidigeridigish!
B10653: Conversational Korean
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Sungil Kim,
Hyun Ryong Lee
According to research, Korean is one of the easiest language to learn to speak, but very difficult to get mastered in reading and writing. In less than one hour, this class is served to teach very essential conversational Korean: from pronunciation to useful vocabularies.
This course will have fun interactive exercises with your peers to practice for learned expressions. At the end of the course, I will answer questions about Korean culture and language.
This course will have fun interactive exercises with your peers to practice for learned expressions. At the end of the course, I will answer questions about Korean culture and language.
B10764: Introduction to Ancient Greek Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Leah McKinney
Did the Greek phrases in Percy Jackson & the Olympians ever capture your attention? Do you love learning Greek mythology? Interested in learning Ancient Greek? In this class, we'll be going over the basics of Ancient (Attic Greek), including the alphabet and some basic noun (first and second declension) and verb (present tense) forms, and work through a short, rather entertaining translation.
B10823: Introduction to Latin
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Emma Batson
Crash course introduction to the Latin language and Roman culture
B10642: How to make your own language Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Helen Read
Learn how to construct your own personal language, from phonetics to grammar! A basic intro to IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) will be included, as well as how to get started, and good features to include, as well as ways to avoid a copy of English or a "kitchen sink" conlang.
B10713: Intro to Russian
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Irina Kantor
Basic introduction to Russian language, including the alphabet and most general conversational phrases.
Prerequisites
Enthusiasm, lots of it!
Prerequisites
Enthusiasm, lots of it!
B11122: The Elian Script Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Ray Hua Wu
Learn a new, artistically freeform and visually pleasing script in which to write English words! The Elian Script makes English writing look like abstract art, whether you use this fact to make writing beautiful or to camouflage the fact that you're writing words.
B10810: Compositional Semantics - How Sentences Come Together
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Henry Shackleton
Compositional Semantics studies how the meaning of sentences come together from the meanings of individual words. In this class, we'll lay down some of the basic framework and notation used for this study, discuss some of the philosophical implications, and take a stab at figuring out how language works.
B10623: Vowel Phonology: Sounds of the World's Englishes
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Roan LaPlante
In this course we will go over the theory, anatomy, and orthography (International Phonetic Alphabet) of different vowel sounds.
Because English has one of the most complex vowel phonologies in the world, we will primarily compare dialects of English, but we will also discuss vowel systems in the other languages of the world.
This is a very interactive course, with an emphasis on speech production.
Prerequisites
It is suggested for students to first take the companion course on consonant sounds immediately preceding this course, but not required.
Because English has one of the most complex vowel phonologies in the world, we will primarily compare dialects of English, but we will also discuss vowel systems in the other languages of the world.
This is a very interactive course, with an emphasis on speech production.
Prerequisites
It is suggested for students to first take the companion course on consonant sounds immediately preceding this course, but not required.
B10678: An Introduction to Latin
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Peter Klapes
This course will cover the basics of the Latin language--noun declensions, verb conjugations, vocabulary, etc.
B10561: Introduction to Hungarian Through Song
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Jessica Oehrlein
We'll cover basic Hungarian* by singing (mostly children's) songs! You'll learn very important vocabulary words like yellow, raspberry, icicle, and animal.
*I do not guarantee that you'll be able to hold any kind of reasonable conversation.
Prerequisites
Willingness to sing very silly songs
*I do not guarantee that you'll be able to hold any kind of reasonable conversation.
Prerequisites
Willingness to sing very silly songs
B10622: Consonant Phonology: Strange Sounds of the World's Languages
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Roan LaPlante
In this course we will go over the theory, anatomy, and orthography (International Phonetic Alphabet) of different consonant sounds, including sounds in English and lots of amazingly fun sounds that are not at all like sounds in English.
This is a very interactive course, with an emphasis on speech production.
This is a very interactive course, with an emphasis on speech production.
B10644: Learn the International Phonetic Alphabet!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Tuesday Mueller-Harder
Or, [lɝn ði ɪntərnæʃnəl fənɛdɪk ælfəbɛt]!
Ever seen a word's pronunciation on Wikipedia and not understood how to read it? Ever wanted to be able to precisely and accurately explain how to say a certain word? Come learn the IPA! You'll understand the basics of how to transcribe American English pronunciation, and if we have time, we'll begin to cover sounds that appear in other languages.
Prerequisites
Must not be afraid of unfamiliar words.
Ever seen a word's pronunciation on Wikipedia and not understood how to read it? Ever wanted to be able to precisely and accurately explain how to say a certain word? Come learn the IPA! You'll understand the basics of how to transcribe American English pronunciation, and if we have time, we'll begin to cover sounds that appear in other languages.
Prerequisites
Must not be afraid of unfamiliar words.
B10882: Let's Read Dr. Seuss!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Alexandra Martirosian
Pick a favorite Dr. Seuss story, and let's go! We'll look at some of the themes present in Dr. Seuss stories and explore them on a level beyond elementary school.
B11061: You Are What You Speak: An Introduction to Linguistic Relativity Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Katie O'Nell
Have you ever wondered if the language(s) you speak shapes the way you conceptualize the world? Well you're not alone! It's a contentious area in linguistic and cognitive research, so I don't have any definitive answers for you, but if you want to learn more about the related literature and current theories, this is the class for you! (Plus there will be donuts...)
Prerequisites
A love of language and the human mind :)
Prerequisites
A love of language and the human mind :)
B11041: Hebrew 101 Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Irina Kantor
Learn a new alphabet, and figure out how to write a whole bunch of international words (and of course, your name and the names of your friends) with this straightforward introduction to Hebrew! Get a basic understanding of syntax in under 2 hours!
Prerequisites
Open mind; good analytical skills recommended
Prerequisites
Open mind; good analytical skills recommended
B10568: "Superman/woman" and Science Fiction/Fantasy
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Josh Shaine
Science Fiction and Fantasy have many characters who stick out compared to others because they have more magic, different powers, unique abilities.
We will look at how these characters are treated by the worlds in which they are set and reflect on what, if anything, this says about the society in which we live.
We will look at how these characters are treated by the worlds in which they are set and reflect on what, if anything, this says about the society in which we live.
B10751: Introduction to Russian Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Marcella Lusardi
Take a journey east to learn the mysterious language of the czars, the Soviets, and the modern-day natives of the largest country in the world—Russia! We'll cover the alphabet and some vocabulary and phrases.
B11120: Storytelling in Interactive Media (Video Games)
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Xiang Wen Kuan
From books and theatre, to audio and film, the art of storytelling has evolved together with our technologies and new forms of media. For our generation, our new form of media is Video Games.
Go beyond gameplay and learn how Video Games are able to tell stories in a way that no other medium can!
Prerequisites
Beware of spoilers
Go beyond gameplay and learn how Video Games are able to tell stories in a way that no other medium can!
Prerequisites
Beware of spoilers
B11103: The Book of Genesis
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Haley Cope
The Book of Genesis is a heavy work, full of rich symbolism, a wide cast of characters, and interesting disconnect abound.
We'll be taking a treatment from a literary perspective. While I hold religion and faith to be an important and meaningful thing, we will be looking purely at the text and not the beliefs/religions.
This class will be discussion-based. Come prepared to interact and engage with the text and each other.
Prerequisites
None, some familiarity with Biblical themes would be helpful
We'll be taking a treatment from a literary perspective. While I hold religion and faith to be an important and meaningful thing, we will be looking purely at the text and not the beliefs/religions.
This class will be discussion-based. Come prepared to interact and engage with the text and each other.
Prerequisites
None, some familiarity with Biblical themes would be helpful
B10693: Introduction to Lojban
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Robert Kao
newparagraph lojban does not use uppercase letters except for special purposes and uses words instead of symbols to indicate punctuation period
newparagraph do you want to learn a language that is actually worth learning questionmark then learn lojban exclamationpoint do not worry dash actual lojban text is much easier to read and less ugly than this parody style period
newparagraph lojban is a constructed language that has many awesome features openparenthesis syntactic unambiguity comma cultural neutrality comma complete regularity comma basis on logic comma high freedom of expression comma et cetera closeparenthesis period therefore comma it is easy to find good answers to the question beginquote why lojban questionmark endquote also comma lojban speakers actually do exist period
newparagraph this course covers the basics of lojban comma including phonology comma morphology comma basic idea of the grammar comma and the most common grammatical constructs period you will also have the opportunity to practice speaking the language period it is hoped that you will continue studying this language after taking the class period
newparagraph do you want to learn a language that is actually worth learning questionmark then learn lojban exclamationpoint do not worry dash actual lojban text is much easier to read and less ugly than this parody style period
newparagraph lojban is a constructed language that has many awesome features openparenthesis syntactic unambiguity comma cultural neutrality comma complete regularity comma basis on logic comma high freedom of expression comma et cetera closeparenthesis period therefore comma it is easy to find good answers to the question beginquote why lojban questionmark endquote also comma lojban speakers actually do exist period
newparagraph this course covers the basics of lojban comma including phonology comma morphology comma basic idea of the grammar comma and the most common grammatical constructs period you will also have the opportunity to practice speaking the language period it is hoped that you will continue studying this language after taking the class period
B10718: Poetry! Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Peter Klapes,
Sarah Wharton
In this course, we'll analyze a handful of poems. We'll discuss the philosophical, rhetorical, and literary implications of the various poems. Feel free to bring poems that you would like the class to have a look at.
B10738: Potential Literatures
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Kavi Duvvoori
Novels without 'e's! Stories on mobius strips! 100,000,000,000,000 sonnets in one! This will be a brief introductory workshop on the possibility of using constraint, mathematics, and formal experimentation as sources of inspiration, meaning, and creative freedom through the techniques developed by the (mostly) French writers of the OuLiPo. No writing experience necessary; enjoyment of puns encouraged!
B11092: Introduction to Japanese Full!
Difficulty: **
こんばんは！Are you interested in Japanese Language and/or Culture? Whether your interest comes through video games, anime, martial arts, or just a general confusion on those foreign scribbles that somehow make sounds, we'll introduce you to the three writing systems of Japanese (hiragana, katakana, and kanji), some basic conversational items, and some *real life* words. We will also tell you about our experiences in Japan and guide you in the right direction so you can continue to teach yourself the language! またね！
B11060: Punctuation Pedantry
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Jessica Hyde
Unleash your inner stickler and annoy your friends with your excessive attention to the rules of punctuation in the English language. Master the 'technically' correct run-on sentence. Learn to recognize and retreat in horror from errors on shop signs. (And what's up with that Oxford comma, anyway?)
B10660: Intro to Russian
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Alexandra Martirosian
Privet! Interested in discovering a new language? Or do you just want to practice your skills? Come to rev up your Russki! In this class, we'll learn the alphabet, practice basic phrases and language structure, and maybe have time for more.
[Deprecated] Computers and Programming
C11007: Proofs and games
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Ben Sherman
The four color theorem states that any map can be colored with just 4 colors such that no two regions which touch are given the same color. If you don't believe it, give me a map, any map, and I'll 4-color it for you!
This is an example of how proofs correspond to winning strategies for a game: you won't be able to find a map that I can't color. This *interactive* interpretation of proof gives a concrete, testable understanding of truth. We'll explore the connection between proofs and games, and construct some proofs in the programming language Coq, which converts proofs to winning players in those corresponding games. Finally, we'll look at the game of Chomp, where it's clear the first player can always win, but it's actually quite difficult to figure out how!
This is an example of how proofs correspond to winning strategies for a game: you won't be able to find a map that I can't color. This *interactive* interpretation of proof gives a concrete, testable understanding of truth. We'll explore the connection between proofs and games, and construct some proofs in the programming language Coq, which converts proofs to winning players in those corresponding games. Finally, we'll look at the game of Chomp, where it's clear the first player can always win, but it's actually quite difficult to figure out how!
C11070: Promiscuous Mode-Network Protocol Analysis Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Harvey Yee
Do you want to be in Promiscuous (Monitor) mode? You may if you are a network engineer. Join us in learning what is involved in Network Protocol analysis, and along the way learn about network architecture and protocols. Depending on what is available in the classroom, a demonstration of a wired or wireless network session will be provided. A free copy of Linux LiveCD will be provided so that you can continue your learning of network protocol analysis after this class.
Prerequisites
None other than having curiosity and a sense for adventure
Prerequisites
None other than having curiosity and a sense for adventure
C10669: Introduction to Unity3D Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Lucas Kasser
In this class we will cover the fundamentals of the game development engine Unity3D. This powerful and ubiquitous software can enable developers to easily build games without worrying about low-level concepts like physics engines, colliders, AI navigation, and rendering. Furthermore, the vast array of plugins, the ability to easily export a game to a variety of platforms, and the fact that Unity is free for small companies makes this a great choice for starting game development. Note, however, that this is an introduction to Unity, not an introduction to programming. Please adhere to the course prereqs
Prerequisites
Proficiency with an object-oriented language (Unity uses C#, but proficiency with Java, Scala, or something similar will be fine)
Prerequisites
Proficiency with an object-oriented language (Unity uses C#, but proficiency with Java, Scala, or something similar will be fine)
C10873: Building a Dream Machine: A Workshop on Computer Vision and Deep Learning
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Han Altae-Tran,
Brian Do
Driving automatically, beating the best Go player in the world, and helping to detect and treat cancer: in recent years, computers have begun to match and even surpass human visual capabilities. Equipped with the exciting ability to see and process images, computers naturally acquire the ability to dream as well.
In this interactive workshop, we will discuss cutting-edge methods that programmers use to teach computers how to understand images and video. We will then build our own neural networks using open-source Google tools and explore their properties in detail to help you understand exactly how they work. Surprisingly, we'll need very little math to get to this point! Then, we'll finish up the class by learning how to use these tools to let a computer dream.
Note: computers will be provided for this workshop.
Prerequisites
Familiarity with the idea of derivatives will be helpful, but very little math will be required.
In this interactive workshop, we will discuss cutting-edge methods that programmers use to teach computers how to understand images and video. We will then build our own neural networks using open-source Google tools and explore their properties in detail to help you understand exactly how they work. Surprisingly, we'll need very little math to get to this point! Then, we'll finish up the class by learning how to use these tools to let a computer dream.
Note: computers will be provided for this workshop.
Prerequisites
Familiarity with the idea of derivatives will be helpful, but very little math will be required.
C10943: What Is A Computer?
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
John Gregg
You may know how to program, but what is a computer such that it needs programming? Everyone knows that computers "think" in 1's and 0's, but why, and what does this even mean? Poets welcome!
C10863: Let's Git Started - A Brief Introduction to Version Control
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Zachary Zagorski
Do you program anything? Have you ever tried to do any programming projects with a team and had trouble coordinating? Do you think you're an expert on version control software?
If you answered 'yes' to any of those, you should take this course! We'll talk about what git is (and isn't), how you can use it to manage your code for both personal and large group projects, and some of the fancy-schmancy things you can do with it.
Oh, and you'll be able to say things like "Sure, just interactively rebase the cherry-picked commits onto your master branch before you push" and understand what they mean!
If you answered 'yes' to any of those, you should take this course! We'll talk about what git is (and isn't), how you can use it to manage your code for both personal and large group projects, and some of the fancy-schmancy things you can do with it.
Oh, and you'll be able to say things like "Sure, just interactively rebase the cherry-picked commits onto your master branch before you push" and understand what they mean!
C10972: Pathfinding with the A* Algorithm
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Cory Lynch
Tired of your video game AI running into walls all the time? Then come and find out how to navigate around obstacles with pathfinding algorithms!
Learn how to use A*, an efficient algorithm for finding the fastest traversable path between two points. Beyond game AI, you can use it to solve mazes, calculate the fastest route on a map, and more.
I will teach A* on a conceptual level, and then explain the code for a JavaScript implementation of the algorithm if time permits. At the end of the class, you'll be able to run the code on your phone or laptop and experiment with the algorithm.
Prerequisites
Programming background would be helpful.
Learn how to use A*, an efficient algorithm for finding the fastest traversable path between two points. Beyond game AI, you can use it to solve mazes, calculate the fastest route on a map, and more.
I will teach A* on a conceptual level, and then explain the code for a JavaScript implementation of the algorithm if time permits. At the end of the class, you'll be able to run the code on your phone or laptop and experiment with the algorithm.
Prerequisites
Programming background would be helpful.
C11003: Cyberespionage
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Benjamin Tidor
What happens when governments get into the business of computer hacking? Back in the good old days, viruses were written by criminals out to steal your money. Nowadays, we can do more interesting things, like sabotaging a nuclear enrichment facility, for example, or spying on an entire country's private email messages. In this class, you'll hear about recent break-ins on the international stage while learning a bit about the everyday systems that keep us safe and secure on the Internet.
C10894: Intro to 3-D modeling/ Blender 101 Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
William Pinney
What do animated movies, video games, and 3D printing have in common? Computer modeling! In this class we'll learn the basics of 3D modeling via Blender, a free-open-source modeling program. You'll even have the chance to work on your own independent Blender project! Whether you want to animate or build, or just learn a cool new skill, this is the class for you!
C11094: Your Computer is Smarter Than You
How can a computer assign a caption to a picture (e.g. http://tinyurl.com/jzus4h7)? How could a computer tell you what disease someone has based on the symptoms (like WebMD)? We'll give you a broad overview of lots of machine learning algorithms popular today.
C10861: Who is Bobby Tables? Exploring Security with XKCD
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Zachary Zagorski
What makes a "good" password? How did Heartbleed work? And who is Bobby Tables?
We'll discuss some topics at the intersection of computer security and Randall Munroe's XKCD, including SQL injection attacks (and how to prevent them), creating good passwords (and techniques for guessing bad ones), and the Heartbleed bug, plus additional topics as time allows.
We'll discuss some topics at the intersection of computer security and Randall Munroe's XKCD, including SQL injection attacks (and how to prevent them), creating good passwords (and techniques for guessing bad ones), and the Heartbleed bug, plus additional topics as time allows.
C11154: The Halting Problem, and other problems computers can NEVER solve
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Benjamin Cosman
Some problems aren't just difficult for computers, they're impossible! Starting only with simple assumptions about what computer programs can do, we'll show that you can't reliably detect when a program has an infinite loop. Using that we'll prove Rice's Theorem, a shockingly powerful statement about the impossibility of many problems we might like to solve.
C10941: Programming For A Living: What They Don't Teach You In School
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
John Gregg
I've been doing this for a long time, and there is a lot more to doing it happily and well than clever coding.
C10612: Introduction to Web Design Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Piper Nichole Henriques
The goal of this class is to introduce you to web design for desktop and mobile. It will also touch on mobile app designs. You will learn the way digital can also be very beautiful and artistic. It is web design made easy and also shares about trends in graphic design and responsive design.
C11025: Functions, and Nothing Else
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
David Bau
A speedy intro to untyped lambda calculus; or, a human-readable programming language in only two symbols.
Learn how to reconstruct traditional programming constructs (numbers, arithmetic, conditionals, loops, and arrays) using nothing but anonymous function definitions and calls.
Prerequisites
Some experience with programming is recommended, but not required.
Learn how to reconstruct traditional programming constructs (numbers, arithmetic, conditionals, loops, and arrays) using nothing but anonymous function definitions and calls.
Prerequisites
Some experience with programming is recommended, but not required.
C10887: Introduction to Python Programming Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Eileen Hu,
Shannon Peng
Want to learn to code, but don't know where to start? We've got you covered!
We'll start with variables, if-statements, and loops, and then work up to building a guessing game.
We're assuming that you don't have prior programming experience.
We'll start with variables, if-statements, and loops, and then work up to building a guessing game.
We're assuming that you don't have prior programming experience.
C10629: Computer Programming with Julia
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Arnav Sood
This class is an introduction to computer programming for those who have never seen it before. The tool we'll be using is the Julia language, a fast, elegant, and open-source language built by people at MIT.
We'll cover a wide range of topics, possibly sampled from: how to programmatically interact with the internet, how programming languages organize information, how to interact with the operating system, how to build your own objects, some ways to do fast math, and a few others.
We'll cover a wide range of topics, possibly sampled from: how to programmatically interact with the internet, how programming languages organize information, how to interact with the operating system, how to build your own objects, some ways to do fast math, and a few others.
C10580: Be a l33t h4xx0r Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Jakob Weisblat
We'll be doing some basic penetration testing of computer systems and looking at some common forms of security vulnerabilities.
Prerequisites
basic programming knowledge, some amount of familiarity with C would be good
Prerequisites
basic programming knowledge, some amount of familiarity with C would be good
C10801: How to build a computer
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Lotta Blumberg,
Dylan Hendrickson
Learn about the inner workings of your computer! We'll look at bits and logic gates, and see how to perform computations using simple building blocks.
C11181: Compilers Demystified
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Ziv Scully
Chances are that if you've programmed something before that you used things like "variables", "functions", or "loops". But your computer's processor works in an entirely different way; it doesn't know what any of those things are. Compilers are the programs that translate nice-looking human-readable variabley-loopy code into processor-executable code. That translation seems at first glance like an unapproachably difficult task. In this class, we'll give an overview of how compilers work and see that they aren't so mysterious after all.
Prerequisites
If you've ever written a program, you're ready for this course.
Prerequisites
If you've ever written a program, you're ready for this course.
C11178: The Internet
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Favyen Bastani
Learn about IP, BGP, TCP, UDP, and other technologies that form the foundation of the Internet. Time permitting, we'll discuss attacks like IP spoofing and packet flooding, discuss peering between ISPs and peering disputes that sometimes break connectivity, and other interesting issues.
C10609: Creative Digital Advertising
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Piper Nichole Henriques
Get insight to the ever-changing world of digital advertising! You will be introduced to the creative shift in advertising with new medias: video advertising, social media advertising, native content, advertising that follows your habits and interest and most fun of all, training on how to design digital ads.
We will cover core concepts from finding the beautiful compelling image, to catchy words and creative campaign ideas. There will be instruction and a chance for you to work together with other students to come up with creative digital advertising ideas for an engaging, interesting and educational experience. This new, interactive form of advertising has changed the industry.
We will cover core concepts from finding the beautiful compelling image, to catchy words and creative campaign ideas. There will be instruction and a chance for you to work together with other students to come up with creative digital advertising ideas for an engaging, interesting and educational experience. This new, interactive form of advertising has changed the industry.
C11113: Python Bee!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Brian Chen,
Andrew He
Do you love programming in Python really really quickly? Are you good a telepathy? Well test your skills in both in the Splash Python Bee! You'll form teams of 3 and type out Python challenges one character at a time, while learning some cool Python constructs. Good luck, and see you there!
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of Python: loops, variables, lists, sets, dicts, functions, etc.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of Python: loops, variables, lists, sets, dicts, functions, etc.
C10880: Computer Vision (⌐■_■)
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Martin Schneider
Quick! Tell me - how do you see? How are you reading this text? How do you recognize people, see colors, identify objects... ?
Computer vision studies how to make programs that see like humans. We'll look into human vision, light, image representations, and fundamental computer vision techniques. Then, we'll do some programming and get hands on experience with a computer vision library.
Computer vision studies how to make programs that see like humans. We'll look into human vision, light, image representations, and fundamental computer vision techniques. Then, we'll do some programming and get hands on experience with a computer vision library.
C11001: Can Computers Solve Captchas? An Introduction to Generative Modelling
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Colin Aitken
Some problems are easy for people but hard for computers! We'll focus on the example of Captchas, where some short text is shown in weird fonts and all twisted up. One of the promising techniques people use to teach computers to solve these problems is called generative modelling. We'll introduce some basic notions from probability and use them to learn how we can teach computers to think!
C11116: How Do Computers Add?
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Marcus Boorstin
How do computers add? What happens behind the scenes when your program runs the line "int z = x + y;"? This may seem simple for you, but it's NOT for your computer. We'll discuss the nitty-gritty of how hardware adders work, starting with transistors and working our way up through logic gates to the complex hardware algorithms modern computers use.
C11172: Random Thoughts
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Benjamin Chan
This is an exploratory course on randomness and its implications on human thought. We will have open ended discussions about some very interesting unsolved questions: How do random systems converge into something meaningful? How does the human brain interpret a chaotic universe? Take this course if you have an open mind, and are hoping to share your ideas; this is uncharted territory.
C11179: Distributed Storage Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Favyen Bastani
We'll examine the inner workings of several large-scale storage systems. Distributed filesystems allow applications on multiple machines to interact simultaneously on a shared storage device. Object storage stores immutable files, often replicating data across datacenters in different geographic regions. Block storage stores disks for virtual machines, so that data won't be lost on cloud infrastructure providers like AWS EC2 when disks fail.
C11071: Wireshark Workshop
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Harvey Yee
To provide in deeper understanding of network protocols, we will be analyzing some interesting case studies of typical network issues in detail . In this course, we will hone our knowledge and skills in understanding and decoding network traffic by looking at several network traces step by step.
Come prepared to get a deep dive into network protocol analysis by looking a detail network traces and discuss the importance of where traces should be taken and what filters to use to be used to quickly expose the issues at hand. A dvd of the traces discussed will be provided at the end of this class.
Come prepared to get a deep dive into network protocol analysis by looking a detail network traces and discuss the importance of where traces should be taken and what filters to use to be used to quickly expose the issues at hand. A dvd of the traces discussed will be provided at the end of this class.
C10885: Designing the Game of Life: Implementing Cellular Automata in Python
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Srinivas Kaza
Ever heard of Conway's Game of Life? No? Well, come find out what the world's most popular zero-player game is all about, and even implement it yourself! You'll have the opportunity to write Python code to play the Game of Life, and discover other (even more interesting) automata that can model diverse physical behavior from snowflakes to sea shells. We'll also discuss multiple ways of implementing the game, and exploring various patterns which can arise.
Prerequisites
Good understanding of Python; some experience in computer science
Prerequisites
Good understanding of Python; some experience in computer science
C11114: What's the minimum?
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Andrew He
[ 97, 69, 65, 36, 92, 3, 55 ]
What's the minimum value? What about the minimum from the middle three? What if add 12 to the last half? We'll explore various algorithms for computing and updating the minimums of subarrays, called the "range min" problem, from sparse tables to range trees.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of programming and algorithms, including solid understanding of arrays and binary trees.
What's the minimum value? What about the minimum from the middle three? What if add 12 to the last half? We'll explore various algorithms for computing and updating the minimums of subarrays, called the "range min" problem, from sparse tables to range trees.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of programming and algorithms, including solid understanding of arrays and binary trees.
C11177: Scaling Web Applications Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Favyen Bastani
Have you ever wondered how Google, Facebook, Twitter, and other huge Internet services accommodate millions of users concurrently? We'll look at techniques for load balancing, caching, fault tolerance, and more!
C11006: The Internet, the Law, and You Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Eric Mannes
What Supreme Court case made Facebook, Yelp, and free online porn all possible? What is privacy, and do you have any online? And how can a prime number be illegal?
The internet has been shaped by centuries of law. Take this class and find out how they affect you every day.
The internet has been shaped by centuries of law. Take this class and find out how they affect you every day.
C10709: Enumerative Combinatorics with Haskell
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Brian Chen
Haskell is an elegant functional programming language used in academia and industry alike. Enumerative combinatorics is the study of counting, or "how many?": from "how many ways can you arrange the numbers 1 to 10 in a row?" to "how many pattern locks can you enter into an Android phone?" Learn how to program and count cool things with the coolest programming language ever!
In this course, we'll dive into Haskell with a focus on the features that make it mathematically appealing and useful for listing and counting combinatorial objects, from permutations, partitions, and Fibonacci numbers to completely ad-hoc structures made up for fun. Who knows, we might even get to cover a little category theory.
Prerequisites
Familiarity with programming (in any language), and preferably with recursion in particular. Basic knowledge of — and passion for! — counting/combinatorics.
In this course, we'll dive into Haskell with a focus on the features that make it mathematically appealing and useful for listing and counting combinatorial objects, from permutations, partitions, and Fibonacci numbers to completely ad-hoc structures made up for fun. Who knows, we might even get to cover a little category theory.
Prerequisites
Familiarity with programming (in any language), and preferably with recursion in particular. Basic knowledge of — and passion for! — counting/combinatorics.
C10971: Using Python to Analyze Baseball Data
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Spencer Bard
This course will give a very brief introduction to Python. It will also give an introduction to Big Data in Major League Baseball. After some explanatory material, the class will be walked through a demonstration showing how to use Python to create a graphical representation of some Major League Baseball Data.
Prerequisites
An general understanding of programming specifically with Python will make the course easier to follow.
Prerequisites
An general understanding of programming specifically with Python will make the course easier to follow.
C10800: Making Things Happen On Your Screen
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Ian Clester
You, yes, you, can make interesting things happen on your screen! Specifically, by telling your computer to do it for you. Which, as it happens, is what this course is about: drawing things and responding to input via code. No prior programming experience required! Will culminate in writing a simple game, time permitting. Creativity encouraged.
C10759: How do operating systems work? Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Marcus Boorstin
Why do we need operating systems? What do they do? How do they do it? We'll discuss some of these ideas, and then look at some actual code.
Prerequisites
You'll probably get more out of this class if you know a bit of C.
Prerequisites
You'll probably get more out of this class if you know a bit of C.
C10895: Writing a 3D Renderer from Scratch: Redesigning Quake for 2016
Difficulty: ****
Teachers:
Srinivas Kaza
Ever played a 3D videogame and thought -- "Hey, I wonder exactly how every aspect of this game is implemented at a low level?" Well, this is the course for you. We're going to cover every step in a (common) real-time 3D rendering pipeline in quick succession; everything from texture mapping to shaders to rasterization to anti-aliasing in one whirlwind 110 minute class. No knowledge of a lower-level graphics API such as OpenGL or DirectX is required.
Prerequisites
Basic understanding of vectors and matrices Has watched at least three Pixar movies
Prerequisites
Basic understanding of vectors and matrices Has watched at least three Pixar movies
C10969: Free Software and Ethical Programming
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Shi Ke Xue
What is free software? Is it a program you can run without paying any money? Is it open source?
Free software means "free as in freedom", not "free as in free food". Find out how software can infringe on your freedoms and important ethical issues in computer science.
Free software means "free as in freedom", not "free as in free food". Find out how software can infringe on your freedoms and important ethical issues in computer science.
C11145: Understanding the Internet
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Miriam Gershenson
How does information from websites find its way to you? I'll go over some of the technologies that make the internet possible.
C10791: Intro to Linux Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Anne LoVerso
What's Linux? Learn how it works, why it's cool, and a basic lesson on command line tools.
C10747: How to be Artificially Intelligent
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Alex LaGrassa
Introduction to artificial intelligence algorithms. Learn how a computer can understand rule systems and generate new fortune cookie sayings! This class can change the way you think about the way you think.
Prerequisites
Knowing logic would be helpful
Prerequisites
Knowing logic would be helpful
C10683: Whirlwind Introduction To Deep Learning
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Jing Lin
Ever wonder how self driving cars work? Curious about what the future of automated diagnosis entails? Do you find programmatically generated art to be interesting?
If you are interested in AI and want to learn more about the future, come by! Even if you don't know what AI is, you should come by!
Prerequisites
Linear Algebra Calculus
If you are interested in AI and want to learn more about the future, come by! Even if you don't know what AI is, you should come by!
Prerequisites
Linear Algebra Calculus
C11144: Big Data Basics: Hadoop and MapReduce
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Regan Dvoskin
Ever wonder how data is stored when there are petabytes of it? How do companies like Yahoo! and Facebook process data that large efficiently?
This course will go over the basics of Big Data and Apache Hadoop, including the Hadoop Distributed File System and MapReduce. We will discuss what big data is, how Hadoop and MapReduce work, and some other ways of processing big data.
Prerequisites
A basic knowledge of how computers work and some coding background would be helpful. We won't be writing much code, but we will be looking at some Python. If you already some knowledge of distributed systems and how they work, this class will likely be a bit slow for you.
This course will go over the basics of Big Data and Apache Hadoop, including the Hadoop Distributed File System and MapReduce. We will discuss what big data is, how Hadoop and MapReduce work, and some other ways of processing big data.
Prerequisites
A basic knowledge of how computers work and some coding background would be helpful. We won't be writing much code, but we will be looking at some Python. If you already some knowledge of distributed systems and how they work, this class will likely be a bit slow for you.
C10684: A Crash Course in Logic and Computability
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Adam Catto
We'll go over the fundamentals of propositional and predicate logic, formal languages, Turing Machines, and hopefully cellular automata, time permitting.
Prerequisites
Proficiency in high school algebra is assumed. Should know basic concepts of functions and sets.
Prerequisites
Proficiency in high school algebra is assumed. Should know basic concepts of functions and sets.
C10803: To The Moon!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Marcus Boorstin,
Valerie Sarge
Ever wondered how the Apollo missions got to the moon? Does "weaving 2 cubic feat of memory" strike fear into your heart? How about "Program Error 1202"? We'll discuss some of the hardware and software (and how the two interacted) of the Apollo Guidance Computer, and then play with a simulation!
Prerequisites
You should have done at least a little programming before or have a vague familiarity with "programming concepts" like variables and if/else statements.
Prerequisites
You should have done at least a little programming before or have a vague familiarity with "programming concepts" like variables and if/else statements.
C10574: Algorithms of the Dummies, by the Dummies, for the Dummies
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Akshay Padmanabha,
Raja Selvakumar
Ever do excess work when it can be done more efficiently? What/who/when/where/how is efficiency? This class will teach you the tricks, shortcuts, and everything you need to know about algorithms: who they are, why they be, and what they want, etc etc. So much knowledge that we can't even: only odd!
C11085: Bitcoin & the blockchain: A bit by bit introduction
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Jessy Lin,
Anthony Liu
Bitcoin is a digital currency that uses some pretty nifty math to guarantee its security. Come learn about how it works, what it's used for, and how the underlying technology can be used for problems totally unrelated to money.
Prerequisites
Familiarity with probability recommended!
Prerequisites
Familiarity with probability recommended!
C10635: How Computers Work
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Margalit Glasgow
Ever wondered how your computer does simple things like adding numbers, or more complicated things like running fancy programs? Come learn about how computers work from the ground up.
We'll talk about some of the low level hardware involved (like transistors) and work up to logic gates, full adders, and more!
We'll talk about some of the low level hardware involved (like transistors) and work up to logic gates, full adders, and more!
C10991: Search Algorithms: The Quest from Start to Goal Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Sophie Mori
We won't quite figure out how Google Maps gives you optimal (and usually accurate) directions so quickly, but we will cover basic graph search algorithms and some more interesting ones that involve heuristics.
Prerequisites
Programming knowledge not necessary, but come prepared to mentally process the logic behind the search methods!
Prerequisites
Programming knowledge not necessary, but come prepared to mentally process the logic behind the search methods!
C11132: Movin' Some Bits: An Introduction to Data Serialization and Protocol Design
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Ty-Lucas Kelley
Ever wondered what actually happens when you visit Facebook's website? Or what's going on behind the scenes when you're playing a game of League of Legends with a person on the other side of the country?
This course will provide a brief introduction to $$\textbf{data serialization}$$, the conversion of complex pieces of information into a sequence of bits that a computer program can process and send (usually over the internet) to another program to parse. Some are human-readable, such as HTTP, others are binary formats designed solely for speed, and many strike a balance between the two.
We'll take a look at some of the more common protocols out there, learn how they work, and talk about why certain design decisions were made. Afterwards, we will try to design our own simple protocol for a specific use case.
Prerequisites
$$\textbf{Note}$$: Even if you aren't familiar with some of the terminology and material below, fear not! I'll be sending an email to all students who register that will get everyone up to speed. (Also, the course will not be very technical, so don't worry if you aren't comfortable with things like math or programming) 1. A high-level understanding of the web and how it works; things like HTTP, TCP, the client-server relationship. 2. Ability to convert numbers between their binary, hexadecimal, and decimal representations 3. Understanding of some computer science and software engineering concepts and tools; databases, caching, data types (integers, strings, boolean values, etc)
This course will provide a brief introduction to $$\textbf{data serialization}$$, the conversion of complex pieces of information into a sequence of bits that a computer program can process and send (usually over the internet) to another program to parse. Some are human-readable, such as HTTP, others are binary formats designed solely for speed, and many strike a balance between the two.
We'll take a look at some of the more common protocols out there, learn how they work, and talk about why certain design decisions were made. Afterwards, we will try to design our own simple protocol for a specific use case.
Prerequisites
$$\textbf{Note}$$: Even if you aren't familiar with some of the terminology and material below, fear not! I'll be sending an email to all students who register that will get everyone up to speed. (Also, the course will not be very technical, so don't worry if you aren't comfortable with things like math or programming) 1. A high-level understanding of the web and how it works; things like HTTP, TCP, the client-server relationship. 2. Ability to convert numbers between their binary, hexadecimal, and decimal representations 3. Understanding of some computer science and software engineering concepts and tools; databases, caching, data types (integers, strings, boolean values, etc)
C10719: How to Get Dates with Cryptography
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Sam Dukhovni
Alice has a crush on Bob, but she doesn't know how he feels about her, and she's scared of embarrassing herself. What should she do?
In this class, we'll talk about RSA cryptography, and how we can use it to save Alice's love life! We'll also see how we can solve complicated communication problems without handing our personal lives to Google, Facebook, and the NSA.
Prerequisites
Familiarity with modular arithmetic will be helpful, but not required.
In this class, we'll talk about RSA cryptography, and how we can use it to save Alice's love life! We'll also see how we can solve complicated communication problems without handing our personal lives to Google, Facebook, and the NSA.
Prerequisites
Familiarity with modular arithmetic will be helpful, but not required.
C10876: How to get to MIT
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Kyle Swanson
Have you ever wondered what it takes to get into MIT? 20 AP classes? A perfect SAT score? An international mathematics olympiad gold medal? Well, none of that matters if you don't know how to get to MIT, so in this class we're going to talk about search algorithms. If you ever wondered how Google maps finds the shortest route from your house to MIT, this is the class for you.
This class will provide an introduction to some of the most common search algorithms, including (but not limited to) breadth first search, depth first search, and A* search. We will discuss how the algorithms work, both conceptually and in code, and how to express a wide variety of problems - from board games to DNA sequencing - as graph search problems.
Prerequisites
Basic programming experience suggested but not required.
This class will provide an introduction to some of the most common search algorithms, including (but not limited to) breadth first search, depth first search, and A* search. We will discuss how the algorithms work, both conceptually and in code, and how to express a wide variety of problems - from board games to DNA sequencing - as graph search problems.
Prerequisites
Basic programming experience suggested but not required.
C11162: Machine Learning Workshop Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Corinn Herrick
Hear what all the buzz is about! We'll go over some basic machine learning techniques and then you'll apply them to build predictive models from data.
A note on prerequisites: It is very important to have the prereqs for this class because you will spend a lot of the class working individually on a project. You should be able comfortable reading and modifying other people's code. It will be hard to participate otherwise!
Prerequisites
You should be strong in python programming, algebra, and geometry at minimum.
A note on prerequisites: It is very important to have the prereqs for this class because you will spend a lot of the class working individually on a project. You should be able comfortable reading and modifying other people's code. It will be hard to participate otherwise!
Prerequisites
You should be strong in python programming, algebra, and geometry at minimum.
C11067: Intro to Sorting
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Evan Tey
Have you ever tried to order a deck of cards? Was it too hard for you? Learn the best (and worst) sorting practices here and how we can analyze them! We'll learn about really basic sorting algorithms (like selection sort) and slowly speed up!
C10877: Learn to Make iPhone Apps
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Ben Cootner
In this course I will be teaching you how to make apps for iOS devices. First we will start with the basics of Apple's new language Swift. We will then learn how to use Storyboards in Xcode and finally finish the class by making an actual app.
Prerequisites
Basic programing knowledge (for, while, if) are extremely useful, but we will review them briefly.
Prerequisites
Basic programing knowledge (for, while, if) are extremely useful, but we will review them briefly.
C11171: 8 Bits Walk Across a Bridge
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Benjamin Chan
This is a class on bits, on how we transform everyday messages, images, and web pages into 1s and 0s. We explore how these streams of 1s and 0s are then communicated to other machines, and then decoded to be useful.
C10997: Computer Hacking 101 Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Edward Park,
David Zheng
A short and sweet overview of computer hacking, including common security vulnerabilities, famous exploits, and a live demo of how to find and take advantage of website vulnerabilities. By the end, students will have a solid understanding of the tricks that hackers use to undermine the security of a website.
C11078: Interactive Algorithms: Be the Bit!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Allen Park
do the thing
be the bit
learn the stuff
Be the data in algorithms and see how they work by acting it out yourself!
be the bit
learn the stuff
Be the data in algorithms and see how they work by acting it out yourself!
[Deprecated] Engineering
E10652: Intro to Integrated Circuits Design: How tiny chips are made?
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Sungil Kim
Chips are everywhere, from computer memory and processor to implantable bioelectronics. This course will briefly introduce the field of integrated circuits (IC) and systems, and how circuit designers design those chips.
The class is organized as following:
(1) What is the integrated circuits?
(2) How and why circuit designers design those chips?
(3) What do you need to known to be a circuit designer?
(4) How can we improve the performance and realize unimagined applications? : overview of current research in the field of digital IC design
The class is organized as following:
(1) What is the integrated circuits?
(2) How and why circuit designers design those chips?
(3) What do you need to known to be a circuit designer?
(4) How can we improve the performance and realize unimagined applications? : overview of current research in the field of digital IC design
E10649: Photovoltaics
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Keith Phuthi
Solar power holds lots of potential as a source of energy for the present and future. This class will help you understand the basics of how photovoltaic cells and other technologies work.
Prerequisites
Basic physics/chemistry
Prerequisites
Basic physics/chemistry
E10702: Build a Bridge! Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Mary Hwang
Ever wonder how bridges and buildings stand up? Come learn about the basics of civil engineering in a fun way! We'll be building bridges and testing them to see how much they can carry in a fun design competition!
E10977: Autonomous Navigation Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Yun Chang
Basic autonomous navigation ideas. For example, localization, mapping, path planning, obstacle detection...
Prerequisites
None
Prerequisites
None
E11105: Why the T is so slow, and how to speed it up
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Joshua Fabian
Ever wonder why the [insert color] Line is always delayed at rush hour, or why buses appear to come in bunches? Why does this line go here, why does that one go there, and is there anything that can be done to reduce inefficiencies?
Come make sense of these questions by learning the basics of queuing theory, as well as how they apply to everyday operations on the T - dealing with situations such as disabled trains and bus bunching. We will look at current operations on the MBTA and transit in general from a financial, engineering, and historic perspective. Finally, this course will explore innovative solutions to operational challenges, using the Green Line as a particular case study.
Students are of course encouraged to bring their own transit-related questions for discussion.
Prerequisites
Best to have previously ridden the MBTA around Boston, or some other public subway or bus system in the world.
Come make sense of these questions by learning the basics of queuing theory, as well as how they apply to everyday operations on the T - dealing with situations such as disabled trains and bus bunching. We will look at current operations on the MBTA and transit in general from a financial, engineering, and historic perspective. Finally, this course will explore innovative solutions to operational challenges, using the Green Line as a particular case study.
Students are of course encouraged to bring their own transit-related questions for discussion.
Prerequisites
Best to have previously ridden the MBTA around Boston, or some other public subway or bus system in the world.
E10590: Intro to Materials Informatics
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Edward Kim
Materials Informatics is a relatively new field. The central theme is using data-driven methods (vs first-principles equations / computations) to predict or understand properties of materials.
In this class, we will do the following:
(1) Give a very brief conceptual intro to what materials science is as a field
(2) Talk about some thematic differences between 'informatics' and 'first principles' computation
(3) Students will have a chance to make some cool plots (using Python) of real materials science data, which they can save and show off to their friends later!
Prerequisites
Very basic understanding of Python would be helpful (e.g. knowing how to write and call a function). But no prior experience is necessary. If you've taken some high school physics and chemistry, it will help you appreciate some things more, but I will keep the discussions conceptual and avoid detailed mathematics.
In this class, we will do the following:
(1) Give a very brief conceptual intro to what materials science is as a field
(2) Talk about some thematic differences between 'informatics' and 'first principles' computation
(3) Students will have a chance to make some cool plots (using Python) of real materials science data, which they can save and show off to their friends later!
Prerequisites
Very basic understanding of Python would be helpful (e.g. knowing how to write and call a function). But no prior experience is necessary. If you've taken some high school physics and chemistry, it will help you appreciate some things more, but I will keep the discussions conceptual and avoid detailed mathematics.
E11011: The Atomic Secrets of Metals: Basics of Modern Crystallography
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Felipe de Quesada
Have you ever wondered why steel is heavier than aluminum? And have you ever thought why tin crumbles at very low temperatures during the winter?
If you want to know the answer these and many more questions, then come and learn all about the magnificent world of metals! In this class, we will explore together their importance throughout history and we will venture into the atomic realm to understand what makes metals the materials they are.
Be prepared to expect some exciting surprises…
Prerequisites
This introductory class doesn’t require you to know any “fancy” college math to follow the lecture. However, I would strongly encourage you to have some basic knowledge of geometry and algebra, as well as the ability to visualize geometric shapes. Don’t forget your excitement!
If you want to know the answer these and many more questions, then come and learn all about the magnificent world of metals! In this class, we will explore together their importance throughout history and we will venture into the atomic realm to understand what makes metals the materials they are.
Be prepared to expect some exciting surprises…
Prerequisites
This introductory class doesn’t require you to know any “fancy” college math to follow the lecture. However, I would strongly encourage you to have some basic knowledge of geometry and algebra, as well as the ability to visualize geometric shapes. Don’t forget your excitement!
E10995: How Nano is Huge
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Lidia Kuo
You might have heard the word "nano" thrown around quite often nowadays, from the iPod Nano to Jimmy Neutron's doomsday nanobots. But what is "nano" and how can something so small (a billion times smaller than a meter!) make a huge impact? Come learn about how nanotechnology is revolutionizing the future of science, engineering, and technology.
E10845: Rockets! Full!
Difficulty: *
Feeling weighed down? Blast off with the MIT Rocket Team! Come learn how rockets work, how to build one, and what it takes to reach orbit.
E10671: Operation: Egg Drop
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Kaitlyn O'Donnell
How hard is it to protect an egg while dropping it off a roof? Come work in teams to make an egg protection system out of everyday materials and drop it off the roof.
Bring your best egg puns to name your protection system with. Get eggcited!
Bring your best egg puns to name your protection system with. Get eggcited!
E10765: DFA Assistive Technology Workshop
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
DFA Service
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to have a disability? Do you enjoy being creative and engineering innovative solutions to real problems? Do you like being hands-on, building things, and brainstorming? Learn about assistive technology and ideate innovative solutions with MIT’s Design for America! Learn more about us at http://designforamerica.mit.edu/.
E10968: Crazy about Lasers Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Katia Shtyrkova
Intro to the physics and design of lasers and laser systems; overview of various types of lasers, and discuss common and exotic laser applications, such and Airborne Laser and Free Electron Laser.
The first half of the class will be spent on basic laser physics, and understanding what makes lasers different from LEDs and other light sources. The second half of the class will be spent on learning about cool laser applications.
The first half of the class will be spent on basic laser physics, and understanding what makes lasers different from LEDs and other light sources. The second half of the class will be spent on learning about cool laser applications.
E11089: Questions about Living in Space and Future Space Settlements
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Bruce Mackenzie
Bring your questions about how we might live in space, on Mars, on
asteroids, on moons of planets, or on Luna (what Earthlings consider
‘the Moon’, forgetting that there are lots of moons). I will try to
answer them, and maybe throw some questions back at you. Preference
for questions about how to live in space, construct spinning space
settlements for artificial gravity, grow food, find air and water,
stay warn or cool, etc. There will be little math or equations, just
general information.
asteroids, on moons of planets, or on Luna (what Earthlings consider
‘the Moon’, forgetting that there are lots of moons). I will try to
answer them, and maybe throw some questions back at you. Preference
for questions about how to live in space, construct spinning space
settlements for artificial gravity, grow food, find air and water,
stay warn or cool, etc. There will be little math or equations, just
general information.
E10790: Astronaut Challenge
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Sabrina Khan
Spacecraft is filled with all kinds of interacting systems, especially for those that carry humans. When one system fails, it can have dangerous, cascading effects.
Learn about astronauts and spacecraft systems in this class, then pretend to be an astronaut, gather a crew and apply your skills to solve an emergency in your rocket. You'll get some basic supplies and a few hints from "Houston" (aka, me). Prizes are awarded at the end!
Prerequisites
None
Learn about astronauts and spacecraft systems in this class, then pretend to be an astronaut, gather a crew and apply your skills to solve an emergency in your rocket. You'll get some basic supplies and a few hints from "Houston" (aka, me). Prizes are awarded at the end!
Prerequisites
None
E11121: How Not to Talk Over Each Other Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Allan Sadun
How is it that my phone, and my laptop, and all of your phones, can talk to the same WiFi router without getting in each other's way? How do people coordinate their speech so that they can talk to each other without interrupting? How can I reliably send you a message, if part of the message might get lost in transit? In this class, we'll lay out these problems more mathematically, and explore and analyze various strategies - called "MAC algorithms" and "transport protocols" - that can be used to solve them. We'll play some communication games to illustrate, and hopefully you'll go home with some new insights about the way you and your friends talk to each other.
Prerequisites
The more probability background you have, the better. I'll try to keep it so that you only need to know the basics, but we'll see.
Prerequisites
The more probability background you have, the better. I'll try to keep it so that you only need to know the basics, but we'll see.
E10760: Soil and Dirt Engineering
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Jacob Miske
Many people know about mineral identification and all the dichotomous charts and scales involved. I seek to teach about the identification of particles we all trod upon while relating the information to actual knowledge construction engineers need to know when constructing a bridge, home, or tower.
E11083: Living on Mars Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Bruce Mackenzie
How would you build a house on Mars? I’ll show lots of pictures of
possible Mars structures. We will review the conditions on Mars which
affect how you would live, work, grow food, and build houses.
Differences from Earth include: low temperature, very low pressure,
carbon-dioxide atmosphere, almost 25 hour days, long seasons, dust,
and radiation. One advantage is lots of cheap land. The Mars soil and
air have every element we need to live and build structures, but not
in convenient building forms such as wooden 2x4’s. We might have to
make fiberglass, brick, or aluminum structures. They must be
cylindrical to hold the internal air pressure, with air-locks for
doors. Oh, incidentally, how to pay for the rocket to get you there is
not included. I will also suggest ways you can get involved and help
the settlement of space.
possible Mars structures. We will review the conditions on Mars which
affect how you would live, work, grow food, and build houses.
Differences from Earth include: low temperature, very low pressure,
carbon-dioxide atmosphere, almost 25 hour days, long seasons, dust,
and radiation. One advantage is lots of cheap land. The Mars soil and
air have every element we need to live and build structures, but not
in convenient building forms such as wooden 2x4’s. We might have to
make fiberglass, brick, or aluminum structures. They must be
cylindrical to hold the internal air pressure, with air-locks for
doors. Oh, incidentally, how to pay for the rocket to get you there is
not included. I will also suggest ways you can get involved and help
the settlement of space.
E11183: Topographic Maps
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Sophie Mori
The U.S. Geological Survey produced several series of maps of the U.S. We will be looking at how to interpret the 7.5-minute, 1:24000 maps, of which there are nearly 57000. This class is heavily based on the Science Olympiad event Road Scholar.
Prerequisites
A love of maps!
Prerequisites
A love of maps!
E10804: I Heart Circuits Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Thanh Nguyen,
Farita Tasnim
Have you ever wanted to learn how to harvest the power of moving electrons to create working circuits? Join this class to delve into the magical, mystical field of electrical engineering, made simple and easy for you to understand! We'll be teaching you how to make your own heartbeat monitor (ECG), so you can heart circuits just as much as we heart circuits!
E10633: Environmentally Benign Design and Manufacturing
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Vrajesh Modi
After this class, you will be able to: (1) justify why environmentally benign design and manufacturing matters; (2) evaluate and compare the environmental impact of various products and technologies; and (3) recognize and challenge questionable environmental analysis. Format will consist of a blend of lecture on theory and discussion on current issues.
Prerequisites
Chemistry and/or Physics background encouraged but not required.
Prerequisites
Chemistry and/or Physics background encouraged but not required.
E10637: Battleboats Full!
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Crystal Owens
Why are cars shaped like they are? How does a jetski work? Is a hovercraft possible? Come learn the basics of hydrodynamics and jet propulsion, and then build your knowledge in a hands-on activity to design, build, and race a small Lego boat.
Prerequisites
A basic class in physics.
Prerequisites
A basic class in physics.
E11086: 3D Print Your House on Mars Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Bruce Mackenzie
Can we take a 3D Printer and Laser Cutter to Mars, and make most of
the equipment needed to live there? Perhaps we can make whole habitats
(aka houses) and greenhouses out of thin air on Mars (which is good,
because thin air is the only kind Mars has). The Mars Foundation is
working toward permanent settlement of Mars, using custom
manufacturing to lower the cost. We also have a 3D printer at a Mars
habitat in Hawaii, and could use your help demonstrating what can be
made there. Come find out how expand beyond this planet
the equipment needed to live there? Perhaps we can make whole habitats
(aka houses) and greenhouses out of thin air on Mars (which is good,
because thin air is the only kind Mars has). The Mars Foundation is
working toward permanent settlement of Mars, using custom
manufacturing to lower the cost. We also have a 3D printer at a Mars
habitat in Hawaii, and could use your help demonstrating what can be
made there. Come find out how expand beyond this planet
E10705: WHY DO AIRPLANES FLY? Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
NURIA LIZARBE
In 2015, 3.5 billion passengers and 50 million tons of freight were transported by air. It is hard to believe that the first flight, in history, took off only about a hundred years ago. We´ve made huge progress since then! Would you like to find out why airplanes fly? What are the basic principles of aeronautics? Or how are airplanes built? If you are curious and want to learn more feel free to join!
E10851: How to Build a Telescope Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Alexander Patton
Telescopes have been our window into the cosmos since the time of Galileo. Today, many amateur astronomers still take great pride in building their own telescopes from scratch. Come learn all about these magnificent instruments: how they work, how they are built and used, and how with a few simple tools, a piece of glass, and your bare hands, you can grind optics that rival the precision of the Hubble itself! During the second half of the class, we'll be building and decorating small telescopes for you to take home.
E10889: Powerful Polymers
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
German Parada
What do rubber bands, bulletproof vests, jello and milk bottles have in common? They are made out of polymers!
Come and learn about some common and very useful polymer materials that you may use or see at home or at school. Also, we will be discussing how the chemical structure of these materials affects their properties and performance.
Prerequisites
general chemistry
Come and learn about some common and very useful polymer materials that you may use or see at home or at school. Also, we will be discussing how the chemical structure of these materials affects their properties and performance.
Prerequisites
general chemistry
E11063: Mechanical Engineering = Big Chunks of Metal
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Elliot Owen
Big chunks of metal are very important, sometimes they break, it makes people sad.
Learn how and why they break and how to avoid it, basically a semester of mechanics and materials in 1 hour.
Prerequisites
Know what forces/torques/free-body-diagrams are.
Learn how and why they break and how to avoid it, basically a semester of mechanics and materials in 1 hour.
Prerequisites
Know what forces/torques/free-body-diagrams are.
E10816: Exploring Aerospace!
Difficulty: *
Come learn about exciting topics that relate to aeronautics and astronautics. We'll talk about current research, fascinating phenomena, and fundamental principles relating to aerospace engineering. Hosted by MIT's Women in Aerospace Engineering group.
E10938: What Is 3D Printing And The Maker Movement? (With lasers & CNC Milling, Oh My!)
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
William Little
3D printing has grown in popularity over a very short period of time and is one of the most popular pieces of equipment in the maker movement! But wait, what is the maker movement? what is open source? what is all of this about? and apparently lasers and something called "CNC Milling" are involved too? what is all of this?
In this class, I will be talking about all of the above! We'll dive into 3D printing with a live printing demonstration and move into CNC milling and laser cutting. We'll then look at the bigger picture with home manufacturing, independence, and the maker movement! Get ready to smell the smell of progress as we melt some plastic and get creative.
In this class, I will be talking about all of the above! We'll dive into 3D printing with a live printing demonstration and move into CNC milling and laser cutting. We'll then look at the bigger picture with home manufacturing, independence, and the maker movement! Get ready to smell the smell of progress as we melt some plastic and get creative.
E11084: What is Chemical Engineering?
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Raja Selvakumar
For everything from the rubber in your shoes to the mechanism of how you breathe, chemical engineering is everywhere. But what is it? What do chemical engineers do in the real world? Come find out!
Humanities
H10812: Philosophy of Color Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Henry Shackleton
What is color? Does color exist? What do I mean when I say "the grass is green"? Is color subjective? We'll discuss some of the common theories surrounding this, and the problems they face.
H10857: Eros: A Workshop on Love Poetry and Expression Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Han Altae-Tran
Ever wanted to write a love poem, but worried it'd be too corny? At last, a workshop on love poetry! Here, we'll cover strategies and techniques for writing elegant, emotionally charged love poems.
Specifically, we'll cover the use of assonance, dissonance, and sound evolution to create powerful, emotional landscapes.
And, most excitingly, you'll get the opportunity to work on your own poems!
Prerequisites
A beating heart, and a desire to write.
Specifically, we'll cover the use of assonance, dissonance, and sound evolution to create powerful, emotional landscapes.
And, most excitingly, you'll get the opportunity to work on your own poems!
Prerequisites
A beating heart, and a desire to write.
H11097: Women and Gender Studies 101 Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Haley Cope
What does it mean to study women and gender? How does race, class, and other factors influence people's lives? What is the place of philosophy and theory in the field? What about data?
We'll discuss all this and more!
We'll discuss all this and more!
H10872: I Object!: A Mini Mock Trial Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Elizabeth Parizh,
Nina Plotnikov
"Objection, your Honor!"
"On what grounds?"
"On the grounds of you're stupid!"
We don't want you to end up like this silly lawyer. In this class, you will learn the basics of doing mock trial, from planning and writing the case to actually performing it. Then you'll know what to do next time you end up in court.
"On what grounds?"
"On the grounds of you're stupid!"
We don't want you to end up like this silly lawyer. In this class, you will learn the basics of doing mock trial, from planning and writing the case to actually performing it. Then you'll know what to do next time you end up in court.
H10841: How to Argue About Anything Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Caitlin Fischer,
Angelina Li
Want to be able to form a coherent, substantial argument about anything? Want to practice your impromptu debate skills? We’ll talk about how to structure an argument and come up with solid points in a really short timeframe, then put those skills into practice with some debates!
H11080: Modern Art
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Erica Liu
Not sure what the difference is between Monet and Manet? Or Pollock and Picasso? Fail to see why soup cans and a sideways urinal feature so prominently in your history books? Take this class on modern art so you can feel really cultured and either impress or drive away all of your friends with your newly learned interesting facts about modern art.
H10960: How to say more than what you literally mean
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Milo Phillips-Brown
Imagine that you are hiring a new CEO for your company. You get a letter of recommendation for one of the candidates, Smith. It says only 'Smith has excellent handwriting'. The *literal meaning* of these words only concerns Smith's handwriting. But the letter writing has said much more to you: she has told you that Smith is a bad candidate!
How did that happen? How did the letter writer tell you so much more than what her words literally meant? The answer to this question has been the subject of (what I think is) the most exciting area of research in linguistics and philosophy in the last 50 years.
In this class, you'll learn to distinguish what our words literally mean from what we say, and how to use your words to say just what you want to say!
Prerequisites
None!
How did that happen? How did the letter writer tell you so much more than what her words literally meant? The answer to this question has been the subject of (what I think is) the most exciting area of research in linguistics and philosophy in the last 50 years.
In this class, you'll learn to distinguish what our words literally mean from what we say, and how to use your words to say just what you want to say!
Prerequisites
None!
H10611: Comics Theory 101
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Mehitabel Glenhaber
Ever wanted to talk about comics like you talk about books in lit class? Interested in what makes comics tick? In this class, we'll go through some of the basics of comic theory. We'll try to define what a comic really is, talk about speech bubbles, panel borders, and the other fundamental building blocks, and how these parts are combined to make the comic books that we read and love (or hate) We'll discuss how the comics genre is similar to and different from other genres, the unique skills and weaknesses of the comics medium, and what comics storytelling looks like. Finally, we'll take a look at what makes comics work (or not work) and analyze some pages on our own!
Prerequisites
None! This is a rather theoretical class though, so come ready to talk about comics in a very abstract way.
Prerequisites
None! This is a rather theoretical class though, so come ready to talk about comics in a very abstract way.
H10668: Intro to Epistemology Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Lucas Kasser
Have you ever wondered whether or not you actually know stuff? Do you want to win (or at least not lose) every argument that you have? Does the word "Epistemology" sound fun to say? In this class we will be discussing what (if anything) we can actually know. The class is intended for those without an extensive philosophy background
H11058: Once Upon A Time, The End Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
A L
A tear formed in my eye as I watched him pick out the peas from his carrots. He learned it from her.
That's it. A complete work of fiction in two sentences. Inventive writers are now crafting really short stories that can be surprising, intriguing and delightful. The fascinating genre of flash/sudden/micro fiction is all around us. In the form of cell phone stories, TV/radio commercials, web videos and other manifestations, highly compact stories can be humorous, thought-provoking, informative and much more. Come sample some microfiction and write your own in this workshop! Bring writing materials!
That's it. A complete work of fiction in two sentences. Inventive writers are now crafting really short stories that can be surprising, intriguing and delightful. The fascinating genre of flash/sudden/micro fiction is all around us. In the form of cell phone stories, TV/radio commercials, web videos and other manifestations, highly compact stories can be humorous, thought-provoking, informative and much more. Come sample some microfiction and write your own in this workshop! Bring writing materials!
H10576: Film Theory 101
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Sarah Wharton
Just like we analyze books we read, we can look at films with a critical eye. We'll be watching the delightful 45-minute silent film Sherlock Jr. (1924) and discussing it afterward. Come learn about the history of film and analysis techniques of this awesome visual art form!
H10811: Technology and Society
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Anne LoVerso
Sometimes we like to immediately jump to technology as the solution to all the world's problems. Hackathons like "hack world hunger" or "hack education" spend 48 hours suggesting tech solutions for enormous, worldwide problems.
When is technology appropriate and when should we be concerned? This will be a discussion-centered class about the impact of technology on society using a couple case studies and examples. There's no right answers here, but it's something worth thinking about
When is technology appropriate and when should we be concerned? This will be a discussion-centered class about the impact of technology on society using a couple case studies and examples. There's no right answers here, but it's something worth thinking about
H10662: Let's Go East! A Journey in the Ottoman Empire through Coffee and Music
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Shubhan Nagendra
Do you like coffee? Do you like music? Yes? Let's look at both of them. We will do this by tracing their journey within the Ottoman Empire, and discussing how they came to influence our lives today. We will do this through a couple of ways: Food, music, and art.
Turkish delight will be served in class.
Prerequisites
An interest in food and music.
Turkish delight will be served in class.
Prerequisites
An interest in food and music.
H10927: Worldbuilding: Crafting Narrative Experiences Full!
Difficulty: **
Why do the worlds of The Matrix or Mad Max feel real when the world of Harry Potter feels flaky compared to the characters and plot? Why does playing Bioshock feel cohesive when playing Bioshock Infinite feels disconnected?
Come learn about what makes a fictional world good or bad, and come up with your own weird worlds!
Come learn about what makes a fictional world good or bad, and come up with your own weird worlds!
H10613: The Copernican Revolution Through Primary Sources
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Mehitabel Glenhaber
Historical documents: they make the world go 'round! Or rather, this one explains how and why the world goes 'round! Come take a look at the Copernican Revolution, the science behind it, and reactions to it, by reading Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems. In this pretty excellently snarky document, written in 1632, Galileo outlines his heliocentric model, and additionally writes about a lot of physics which impressively predicts Newtonian mechanics. It's also the book that got him locked up under house arrest for life by the medieval church. In this class. we'll read this document and talk about the arguments for and against heliocentrism, look into why heliocentrism may have been an upsetting idea in the 1600s, and pick apart some of Galileo's super sneaky rhetorical tricks!
Prerequisites
None!
Prerequisites
None!
H10924: Dramatic reading: Arcadia
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
David Rolnick
Join us for a group reading of "Arcadia" by Tom Stoppard. May involve time, tortoises, the mathematics of entropy, and carnal embrace (offstage). Parts will swap regularly, come prepared to improvise.
"We shed as we pick up, like travellers who must carry everything in their arms, and what we let fall will be picked up by those behind. The procession is very long and life is very short."
Et in Arcadia ego.
Prerequisites
It will be very helpful to have read the play beforehand. Acting experience encouraged but not required.
"We shed as we pick up, like travellers who must carry everything in their arms, and what we let fall will be picked up by those behind. The procession is very long and life is very short."
Et in Arcadia ego.
Prerequisites
It will be very helpful to have read the play beforehand. Acting experience encouraged but not required.
H10854: Armchair Philosophy Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Elise Bickford
Let's talk about philosophy! Topics include but are not limited to free will, consciousness, morality, personal identity, and Nietzsche's moustache.
H10990: Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Sophie Mori
Come learn about the sounds of the English language and how they work together to create the wonderful language this class will be taught in!
H10975: Excavating a Shipwreck
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Annika Heinold
This class will explore excavation techniques used in the excavation of intertidal shipwrecks. I will be using the wreck of the Ada K Damon as my example, which I have spent the last two summers excavating.
Techniques we will be covering include trilateration, mapping, scale photography, drone usage (no real drones though :( ), baseline usage, keeping a field notebook, and background research.
The class will be hands-on as possible! As we cannot actually go out to a site for 2 hours I will be providing shipwreck models for us to map.
There hasn't been an archaeology class at Splash in years! So take this course while you can. Food may also be provided!
Prerequisites
An interest in archaeology or anthropology or An interest in ships and maritime history A basic knowledge of grid coordinates and scaling things
Techniques we will be covering include trilateration, mapping, scale photography, drone usage (no real drones though :( ), baseline usage, keeping a field notebook, and background research.
The class will be hands-on as possible! As we cannot actually go out to a site for 2 hours I will be providing shipwreck models for us to map.
There hasn't been an archaeology class at Splash in years! So take this course while you can. Food may also be provided!
Prerequisites
An interest in archaeology or anthropology or An interest in ships and maritime history A basic knowledge of grid coordinates and scaling things
H10663: What is Happiness?
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Shubhan Nagendra
Have you thought about happiness? Have you thought about happiness in terms of success? Have you thought what success might mean?
We will look at happiness through different forms -- art, music, and short readings. We will approach the topic through Eastern as well as Western philosophy.
Prerequisites
General interest, and some short readings prior to class.
We will look at happiness through different forms -- art, music, and short readings. We will approach the topic through Eastern as well as Western philosophy.
Prerequisites
General interest, and some short readings prior to class.
H10748: Why do you Need to Save the World
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Francesca Majluf
Love the planet you live in? Come learn why the Earth of the future may not be the Earth you know today.
H11187: Being Asian in America
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Caroline Mak
It's hard to carry the hopes and dreams as a first gen, second gen Asian American. Let's talk about our struggles and unique experiences dealing with privilege, (lack and appreciation of), class, career, gender, and sexuality
*anyone is welcome, gobs and gobs of familiar childhood Asian snacks will be there
*anyone is welcome, gobs and gobs of familiar childhood Asian snacks will be there
H10881: Aristotle's (totally legitimate) Theory of Unicorn Hooves and Other Stories from Ancient Science
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Eleanor Graham
Come learn about the strange theories of Aristotle (and maybe a few other people if we have time), from the spectacularly cool to the spectacularly wrong! Actually, they're usually both at once, but that's part of the fun. Potential topics include but are not limited to: what "the Ancients believed there were four elements" really means, why you shouldn't publish your lecture notes, how something called the theory of forms unifies all parts of Aristotle's science (and why that's really cool), ridiculous research failures, and, yes, unicorns.
Prerequisites
A healthy suspension of disbelief will be very useful!
Prerequisites
A healthy suspension of disbelief will be very useful!
H10699: Hungarian for Dummies
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Melinda Szabo
Are you interested in being able to speak a language that is unlike any other (maybe Finnish, but not really)? Come to Hungarian for dummies and learn about one of the most complicated grammars and how to pronounce strange new phonemes from a Hungarian-speaking MIT student. Besides the basics of language, we are also going to play games and learn about Hungarian culture.
H10798: The Philosophy of Rick and Morty Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Vineel Adusumilli,
Matt Bahner
Come travel through the universe and explore the mind-blowing trippiness of Rick and Morty. It's a beautiful tool to help answer the questions of existence through the wonderful world of science.
Prerequisites
Watch the show
Prerequisites
Watch the show
H10837: Behavioral Economics: Why it is okay to misbehave Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Kosi Aroh
In this course we will examine what economic theory says about human behavior and how that deviates for actual life experiences. Behavioral economics will then be intorduced as a way better understand how we think. This class will be interactive with both lecture type segments as well as scenario participation. Ex. "You have just won $30. Now choose between: (a) A 50% chance to gain $9 and 50% chance to lose $9. (b) No further gain or loss."
H11062: Free your Mind from the Free Market: Consumer Psychology 101 Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Katie O'Nell
Do you ever feel like companies are trying to manipulate you to buy things? Well you're right. Come learn the tips and tricks of corporate marketers and fight the power!
Prerequisites
Healthy skepticism
Prerequisites
Healthy skepticism
H10727: Animal Studies: a lightning introduction
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Elise Michaels
Want to learn more about how we study non-human animals? Or why? Or which ones? Want to learn about pets, zoo animals, and our wild neighbors?
Welcome to a very brief introduction to Animal Studies, also known as anthrozoology.
Welcome to a very brief introduction to Animal Studies, also known as anthrozoology.
H11109: The Five Faces of Oppression Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Haley Cope
The Five Faces of Oppression (Young) is a classical work which aims to address the different ways in which minority groups are oppressed by majority groups. We will be discussing and defining the different faces, as well as questioning our own world for examples of them.
Reading the work beforehand is not required, but may be helpful.
Reading the work beforehand is not required, but may be helpful.
H10921: "Internationality" : life through the eyes of internationals
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Quentin Wellens,
Christine You
Get to know how internationals perceive the world and the US in a different way..
H10795: Education: Is this the best we can do? Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Anne LoVerso,
William Wu
EDUCATION. Let's talk. What sucks about schools? What could be better? How do students learn? Are charter schools good or bad? What's up with lectures vs project based learning? How can we make schools more just? What is happening as a result of the "education reform movement". How can we improve schools? What has your experience been like? How would you improve your school?
H10658: Notable Notaphily
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Ryuga Hatano
Ever wondered what goes into those pieces of paper that we call banknotes? Come learn more about the art, the history, and the technology behind the money used in countless transactions across the world.
Prerequisites
Bring a piece of paper currency
Prerequisites
Bring a piece of paper currency
H10982: How to model states of mind
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Cosmo Grant
I have three red hats and two white hats. I put a hat on Alice, on Bob, and on Cat. I ask each in turn if she knows the color of her own hat. Alice says she doesn't know. Bob says he doesn't know. Cat says she doesn't know. What color is Cat's hat?
This course will be an introduction to epistemic logic, a powerful and general framework for representing people's states of mind, e.g. their beliefs, their beliefs about the others' beliefs, their beliefs about the others' beliefs about the others' beliefs, and so on, all the way up.
The framework will solve all our puzzles. But, more than that, we will point towards some applications of the framework in computer science, game theory and philosophy.
This course will be an introduction to epistemic logic, a powerful and general framework for representing people's states of mind, e.g. their beliefs, their beliefs about the others' beliefs, their beliefs about the others' beliefs about the others' beliefs, and so on, all the way up.
The framework will solve all our puzzles. But, more than that, we will point towards some applications of the framework in computer science, game theory and philosophy.
H10621: Introduction to Socionics
Difficulty: ***
Teachers:
Roan LaPlante
In this class we will review Socionics, a personality typology and branch of Jungian analytical psychology developed by a Lithuanian woman named Ausra Augustinavicitue in the 1970s. Socionics is moderately well popularized in Eastern Europe and almost unheard of in Western Europe or America.
Socionics is an abstract philosophical model and language for describing people and their social interactions, which attempts to answer the question, "How are different people different?" More concisely, it is a system of personality types. In this class, we will simultaneously review the conceptual foundations of this typology, and in doing so, we will address the problem of knowledge and numerous issues in practice. Specifically we will point out the problems and vagueness of the topic of personality types in itself, how it relates to science (socionics is *not* science) and ask what understanding personality types is actually useful for.
Prerequisites
A desire for self-knowledge and a willingness to think critically. Familiarity with MBTI is potentially helpful but also potentially detrimental. Some background in psychology is helpful but not needed.
Socionics is an abstract philosophical model and language for describing people and their social interactions, which attempts to answer the question, "How are different people different?" More concisely, it is a system of personality types. In this class, we will simultaneously review the conceptual foundations of this typology, and in doing so, we will address the problem of knowledge and numerous issues in practice. Specifically we will point out the problems and vagueness of the topic of personality types in itself, how it relates to science (socionics is *not* science) and ask what understanding personality types is actually useful for.
Prerequisites
A desire for self-knowledge and a willingness to think critically. Familiarity with MBTI is potentially helpful but also potentially detrimental. Some background in psychology is helpful but not needed.
H10788: Lobbying and Advocacy to Change the World
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Brock Adler
Is there a cause you are passionate about? Would changing laws or regulations, or having new government funding for your area of interest be useful? By joining together and advocating and/or lobbying with others, you can work towards accomplishing your personal, community, and societal goals. This session will give you (and your collaborators) a great start at being able to plan and carry out campaigns to create or change laws that you feel will improve things. You will learn about strategies and tactics applicable to a variety of different kinds of causes. I will use as an example an effort I have been working on for a few years, to add environmental education language to the Every Student Succeeds Act (the education bill that replaced No Child Left Behind), but the lessons presented will be applicable to a wide variety of other issues and levels of government. We will spend much of the time helping you think about how to advance your causes or projects.
Prerequisites
Have a basic understanding about how laws are passed http://kids.clerk.house.gov/high-school/lesson.html?intID=17; do some thinking about what cause you are passionate about; and find out who your Congressional Representatives are at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov, and look on their websites to find which committees they sit on.
Prerequisites
Have a basic understanding about how laws are passed http://kids.clerk.house.gov/high-school/lesson.html?intID=17; do some thinking about what cause you are passionate about; and find out who your Congressional Representatives are at www.house.gov and www.senate.gov, and look on their websites to find which committees they sit on.
H11087: How to Fail AP US History Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Alap Sahoo
Did you know that four of the first eight American presidents were gingers? Did you know that Mark Twain described America's Gilded Age as "the apex of human civilization"? Did you know that Theodore Roosevelt got shot during a speech and still finished it? Did you know which of those facts were true and which were complete lies? Then join us for How to Fail AP US History 101, where we will teach mostly true US history facts that will either help you or utterly fail you come next May. Come by and see if you can decipher the fact from the fiction!
H10698: Robots! Space! Time! Stories!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Bianca Homberg
Interested in science fiction, futuristic engineering, artificial intelligence or interplanetary empires? Ever wondered what would happen if people lived forever? What would happen if the world split in two every time you had to make a choice, and both options happened? What would happen if there was a center of time where time stood still?
Come read a few of the short stories of Isaac Asimov, one of the most prolific science fiction writers of all time. We'll spend an hour devouring tales of robots, space, and time!
Come read a few of the short stories of Isaac Asimov, one of the most prolific science fiction writers of all time. We'll spend an hour devouring tales of robots, space, and time!
H11158: Unsolvable Problems
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Chelsea Voss
What can philosophers learn from computer scientists?
Even though computer science is an applied discipline, its theoretical foundations are rich and fascinating.
For example, many problems are *impossible* to solve by writing a computer program. Why are these problems unsolvable? I'll prove it to you -- and along the way we'll learn some unexpected facts about infinity.
In order to talk about computer science formally, we'll learn about Turing machines. We'll decide on what it means for something to be powerful enough to be called a "computer", and we'll investigate whether systems such as Minecraft or the Game of Life make the cut.
Finally, we'll discuss some philosophical puzzles and paradoxes relating to the study of minds and machines and artificial intelligence.
Come learn about uncomputability, about Turing machines, and about code that loops forever. We will explore the limit of the mathematically possible.
Even though computer science is an applied discipline, its theoretical foundations are rich and fascinating.
For example, many problems are *impossible* to solve by writing a computer program. Why are these problems unsolvable? I'll prove it to you -- and along the way we'll learn some unexpected facts about infinity.
In order to talk about computer science formally, we'll learn about Turing machines. We'll decide on what it means for something to be powerful enough to be called a "computer", and we'll investigate whether systems such as Minecraft or the Game of Life make the cut.
Finally, we'll discuss some philosophical puzzles and paradoxes relating to the study of minds and machines and artificial intelligence.
Come learn about uncomputability, about Turing machines, and about code that loops forever. We will explore the limit of the mathematically possible.
H10701: How to Study Abroad without Dying
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Kelsey Becker
Ever wonder what it's like to live abroad? Find out from someone who lived in a tent in Greece for two months. Learn the do's and don'ts of studying abroad including what to pack, what to expect, and how not to die.
H10679: Does God exist? Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Peter Klapes
In this discussion-based course, we will explore the different arguments regarding the existence of God.
H10711: Science and Models
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Tyler Pleasant
What is a model and science? At what points do scientific and model thinking converge and diverge? Does science truly provide explanations of the world? This class will cover these questions while focusing on describing, comparing, and analyzing the respective strengths and weaknesses of science and models. This course will introduce some philosophy of science ideas such as Scientific Underdeterminism, the meaning of scientific explanation, and how science changes. Through exposure to these topics, you will be able to see the role models have in science and be able to evaluate both science and the current system in society for scientific research.
H10783: Designing Utopia
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Vineel Adusumilli
Seminar-style discussion about designing a perfect society from scratch.
H10670: Does Race Affect Your Life?
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Michelle Chalmers,
Izumi Ludgate
Splash students will participate in an interactive class while watching videos, engage in activities and dialogue about economic inequality in the country and take a look at the affect and effect of race.
H10681: Fantasy World-Building Full!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Ben Johnson
Have you ever wanted to create your own world just like Middle Earth? Or maybe that's a bit too one sided for you and you prefer Azeroth. Or maybe that's just got too many things going on and you'd prefer Alagaesia. I think we all know the best one is one we make ourself, so come do that with me! We will be exploring what a fantasy world consists of and requires, and creating the basis for one in class.
H10814: RADIO: From On-Air to On-Line
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
David Mercado
Radio is the original electronic "social medium;" connecting diverse groups of people through common language and shared cultural experiences. Join several dj's and producers from WMBR Radio as we describe radio's role in American life and demonstrate the practical how-to's of communicating over the air and in the digital world.
Prerequisites
Student must listen to at least one over the air radio show or podcast of their choosing during the week before the class. And be prepared to describe the contents to the class.
Prerequisites
Student must listen to at least one over the air radio show or podcast of their choosing during the week before the class. And be prepared to describe the contents to the class.
H11004: From Brahma to Ragnarok: A Study of Mythologies Around the World
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Jahnavi Kalpathy
Are you secretly building an underwater sustainable living pod so you can survive after Ragnarok floods the world? Do you pray to the sun before every big test or project? Are you trying to avoid a curse that will come into effect on your sixteenth birthday by dedicating yourself eternally to the Goddess of the Hunt?
If so, you can probably help me teach this class! But if you're fascinated by mythologies - how they develop, how they effect culture and social norms, how they are merging with different aspects of pop culture today - come to this class to learn more!
This class will be both lecture and discussion based. I'll touch on as many different mythologies as I can, including all the smaller myths that are not often discussed like Slavic gods of revenge and African tribal folk stories. This class will focus much more on the stories and character in myth rather than on the religious implications. We will also discuss the way traditional myths have entered contemporary pop culture (Neil Gaiman's books, the Percy Jackson series, animated movies).
If so, you can probably help me teach this class! But if you're fascinated by mythologies - how they develop, how they effect culture and social norms, how they are merging with different aspects of pop culture today - come to this class to learn more!
This class will be both lecture and discussion based. I'll touch on as many different mythologies as I can, including all the smaller myths that are not often discussed like Slavic gods of revenge and African tribal folk stories. This class will focus much more on the stories and character in myth rather than on the religious implications. We will also discuss the way traditional myths have entered contemporary pop culture (Neil Gaiman's books, the Percy Jackson series, animated movies).
H10962: A Very Brief History of Western Philosophy
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Fan Liu
What is truth, and how has our understanding of truth developed over time? What has it meant to "live the examined life?" In this class we will explore important time periods and figures in Western philosophy: Socrates, Descartes, Sartre, just to name a few. We will examine and analyze the questions they have pondered throughout the ages, and how their search for a greater understanding of the universe has evolved to the questions we ask today.
This course is intended for people with all backgrounds in philosophy and wish to explore philosophy in a historical context.
This course is intended for people with all backgrounds in philosophy and wish to explore philosophy in a historical context.
H10625: How to Torture Your Characters 101 Full!
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
Lydia Brown
You: Love writing fiction. Flash fiction. Short fiction. Novellas. Novels. Text-based roleplay. Comics. Graphic Novels. Fanfic. Possibly edgy or experimental. Some experience and past interest in creative writing of some kind.
Us: A civil rights lawyer and a law student. Activists. Gluttons for good food. Easily distracted by kittens and dogs. Long time text-based roleplayers. One of us a novelist.
What We'll Do: In this class, we'll talk about motivation, cultural context, political intrigue, relationship angst (and not just THOSE kinds of relationships), trauma, and identity. You will learn how to develop realistic, compelling characters full of depth. (At least in theory. This IS Splash after all.)
And then you will learn how to torture your characters -- that is, how to create and sustain personal and interpersonal conflict in your fiction, and how to make the story quintessentially readable and enjoyable, and ideally, relatable.
Prerequisites
Open to discussion of potentially dark topics. Content notes provided at beginning of class or by email in advance to student. Some experience (even totally informal!) with writing fiction strongly encouraged; this is not a completely 101 class despite the title. Also, the desire to be a evil creator lording over your small internal laboratory -- we mean, fictional creation.
Us: A civil rights lawyer and a law student. Activists. Gluttons for good food. Easily distracted by kittens and dogs. Long time text-based roleplayers. One of us a novelist.
What We'll Do: In this class, we'll talk about motivation, cultural context, political intrigue, relationship angst (and not just THOSE kinds of relationships), trauma, and identity. You will learn how to develop realistic, compelling characters full of depth. (At least in theory. This IS Splash after all.)
And then you will learn how to torture your characters -- that is, how to create and sustain personal and interpersonal conflict in your fiction, and how to make the story quintessentially readable and enjoyable, and ideally, relatable.
Prerequisites
Open to discussion of potentially dark topics. Content notes provided at beginning of class or by email in advance to student. Some experience (even totally informal!) with writing fiction strongly encouraged; this is not a completely 101 class despite the title. Also, the desire to be a evil creator lording over your small internal laboratory -- we mean, fictional creation.
H10942: Philosophy of Mind and Consciousness
Difficulty: **
Teachers:
John Gregg
What is a mind, and why is it so special? Is it special? How could it possibly work? Won't brain science, psychology and/or cognitive science answer any questions anyway? What do we need philosophy for? Do I have to wear a toga? No to that last one, but for the rest, sign up for this class. A brief history, and a primer on the current debates in this contentious field.
H10772: Ethics and Justice
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Mary Jane Porzenheim,
Rikhav Shah
Should you kill one person to save two? Is it ever justified to lie? Theories of ethics and justice can help us answer these questions.
We will give a brief rundown of the ethics of Mill and Kant, and also contrast the two most prominent theories of justice: those of Rawls and Nozick.
We will give a brief rundown of the ethics of Mill and Kant, and also contrast the two most prominent theories of justice: those of Rawls and Nozick.
H11164: Writing workshop!
Difficulty: *
Teachers:
Sarah Bricault
Whether it's your college admissions essay, a dark poem, or the beginning of your first novel- you've written a thing! But what would make it better? What parts work? What parts don't? This is a small, informal workshop course where students are expected to bring a writing sample to share with others.
Your piece can be a writing sample of any quality, any genre, any form- so long as it's under 2 pages! However, we do ask you to avoid graphic scenes and explicit sexual content. Other than that, we simply encourage everyone to come ready to give and receive feedback!
Prerequisites
Please bring three physical copies of a writing piece of up to 2 single-spaced pages that you would like to workshop.
Your piece can be a writing sample of any quality, any genre, any form- so long as it's under 2 pages! However, we do ask you to avoid graphic scenes and explicit sexual content. Other than that, we simply encourage everyone to come ready to give and receive feedback!
Prerequisites
Please bring three physical copies of a writing piece of up to 2 single-spaced pages that you would like to workshop.
Lunch
L11173: Lunch Period
Difficulty: None
Teachers:
Enjoy a break for lunch with your friends! Please register for at least one lunch period on each day of the program.
L11174: Lunch Period
Difficulty: None
Teachers:
Enjoy a break for lunch with your friends! Please register for at least one lunch period on each day of the program.