Music theory, to the young musician, is often a taboo term, and this fear isn't wholly unfounded. However, in order to function as a competent musician in a group setting, you need some theoretical knowledge. This class will teach you everything you need to know to be a competent "working musician," only focusing on the theoretical concepts that real professional musicians use every day.


Prerequisites
A basic familiarity with any instrument would be strongly encouraged.

Why do we love to listen to music so much? Learn the scientific answers to this question, as well as many more! We will discover what happens in our brains when we listen to music, how psychologists engage with music to help keep our brains healthy, and ways that you can use music to care for your own mental health.

As long as there has been leaders, there has been propaganda. From Egypt to Rome to France, rulers have used art in its many forms to depict and control their public image. How does the portraiture of a ruler show goals of their government and the values of their society? This class will offer a brief overview and analysis of examples of political art ranging from the Roman Empire to modern day.

Have you ever been curious about origami? Thought it was too hard but always wanted to try? Join us in a beginner origami class where we'll fold some basic models. No prior experience is necessary; paper will be provided.

What is Pop Music? How does Pop Music change over time, and where do some of the biggest names in Pop Music get their influences? In this class, we will explore how Pop Music captures past eras and past sounds to reinvent the genre. From Taylor Swift's 1989 to Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia, we will explore how these modern artists use the past to innovate Pop Music

From Shakespearian sonnets to pop songs, meter appears all kinds of verse. Learn about poetic meter, how to identify it, and how to use it in your own writing! We will learn how to recognize and name different types of metric feet, and then will practice including them in our own writing! No prior experience necessary!

A brief, lecture-style overview of the Norman Conquest of England, from its causes to its immediate consequences; from the initial invasion by William the Conqueror in 1066 and the Battle of Hastings to the securement of the Kingdom of England. A historical insight to how the English came to be.

A lecture giving an overview of the Viking interactions with the Anglo-Saxons, including topics like the Kingdom of Jorvik and the Danelaw, the Great Army, the North Sea Empire, and the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Learn about great vikings such as Guthrum, Cnut, and Harald Hardrada.

A brief overview of what important philosophers throughout history believe to be the significance of our existence and what it means to live a good life. Topics may include a brief theoretical overview of Aristotelianism, Stoicism, Utilitarianism, Existentialism, Nihilism and different religious perspectives.

A lecture on The Anarchy, the succession war following the death of Henry I in 1135. Learn about how the Empress Matilda, Geoffrey, Stephen and the Queen Matilda fought for their sides' claims to the throne and how the Angevins/Plantagenets ultimately took the English crown, which they would hold throughout the majority of the rest of the middle ages.

Using an intersectional approach, this course will go through the history of different feminist movements, leading up to where we are today in feminist thought. In discussing various feminist movements, we can come up with ways that today's movements can do more to create a more equitable society. We will aim to answer the question, "What does it mean to be a feminist?"

How does a 16 year old girl break into the music industry? How does she remain relevant for over a decade? This is a feat pulled off by few, and most recently by Taylor Swift. This course will take a deep look into the longevity of Swift's career. In this class, we will explore the ways in which she has solidified herself as a pillar of the music industry. We will focus on aspects like records broken, awards won, and streaming numbers. This lesson will explore ways in which Swift has cultivated her fanbase, as well as ways Swift has proven her talent time and time again.

Have you ever learned something really cool, and then had trouble explaining it to someone? Have you ever taken a class and just not understood it no matter how hard you tried? I'm a graduate student who has taught Splash classes for over six years (some of which I've even heard were pretty good!), and I've experienced good and bad classes as both a teacher and a student. I've taught students about analytical biochemistry by making a class about international espionage, improvised a lesson about the history of Boston as a substitute teacher for a class about Ronald Reagan, and once wound up having a Splash class go far better than normal when I was assigned to a room with none of the equipment I had planned to have. In this class, we're going to discuss what I think made these classes good and what made other lesson plans go bad. I also would love to hear about any experiences you all might have had. Then, we'll see how we can use what we've learned to make better presentations, explain your ideas to anyone, and maybe even change the world.

This will be a discussion-based class, although I'll be showing some examples from past classes to get the conversation started.


Prerequisites
All you need is an open mind, and I'd appreciate a willingness to share your ideas (although that's not required).

In 1921, the US Secretary of State, Charles Evans Hughes pushed for an assembly of nine nations whose decisions would forever alter the developments of the Pacific Front in World War II. This assembly called for the reduction of naval forces and strict requirements on the building dreadnaughts. However, these unenforced and artificial limits paved the way for intriguing imbalances in the early pacific war.

Symbolic logic has applications in a variety of subjects, including mathematics, biology, and philosophy. We will cover how to express logical statements using the basic symbols. Then we will learn how to create truth tables to evaluate if the expressions are true or false.

This class will go over the basic ideas of computer science. It will serve as an introduction to what Computer Science for people who are interested but don't know where to start or what it even is. It is recommended (but not required) to bring an electronic device with access to internet. Hopefully we can get everyone in class to program their first couple lines of code!

This course will cover patterns of inheritance in humans. We’ll learn the basic structure of chromosomes and genes and discuss various techniques of genetic analysis, such as Punnett squares. The class will give you the chance to understand the causes and think about potential treatments of incurable genetic diseases.

It's starting to get cold, animals are hiding, leaves are falling, but with the online science community, you can still have an adventure. Zooniverse's Snapshot Grumeti will give us pictures of animals, and our job is to identify them! Observation skills will be taught as students focus on working to identify animals, by colors, shapes and other features, like tails or horns. Students will also learn about all types of African animals and their conservation, including some you've never been heard of. What's a Topi or an Eland? An aardwolf or Caracal? Come and find out.

We currently live in a global water crisis where 1 out of 10 people lack access to clean running water. Learn about how the bottled water industry contributes to this crisis in the U.S. and abroad. Come taste test different brands of bottled water to see how they compare to tap water or match their prices.

This course will look at citizen science and how it can be used to create change in many different subject areas. We will define citizen science, look at an example of a citizen science project named Snapchat Serengeti, and then discuss how citizen science is used to make meaningful change. We will also discuss the impact that we all can have on science, other subject areas and, important issues using citizen science to make important contributions for the greater good.


Prerequisites
N/A

In this lesson, students will learn about pollution in our environment and how citizen science can be used to limit through presentation and games.


Prerequisites
None

Have you ever thought about playing computer games as a way to participate in science? For this lesson, you will explore a new field which you will play game while learning and participate in science!

What the heck is going on in the brain? Imagine a world with machines 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, buzzing around inside billions of tiny transportation hubs, sending signals back and forth on an electric pipeline. This is our brain, the body's command center. We will do fun high-school-level calculations to explore this world on the protein, neuron, and network levels.

What, exactly, is up with these crossword things, and why are they so much fun? We'll touch on their history and then get right into the action! For those interested in solving puzzles, I'll share some handy tips and tricks to get you started. For those who want to create their own puzzles, I'll teach you the basics of grid construction, word selection, theming, and clue-writing. Then, I'll get out of the way, and give you a chance to put your thinking cap on and start constructing for yourselves.

We will explore what it means to set community guidelines in order to build a "brave space" or a "safe space." We will also explore the the theme of mutual aid and why it means solidarity, not charity.