Spring Session Catalog 2018
Complete List of Courses Open Courses 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
Art: How to Look and What to See Building an Earthen Oven Analyzing Data in Digital Images Bullion, Bills, and Bitcoin Climate Change and Skiing in New England Introduction to Electronics and Motors Music Café - Advanced Digital Music Production The Practice and Politics of Urban Bicycling The Happiest Place on Earth Professor Trelawney's Divination Class: Intuitive Ways of Knowing Writing Historical Fiction: Antebellum Boston Bridge and Hearts A Taste of German(y) See Art, Experience Place NAMOWRICA - CA's 2-Day Writing Sprint Dumplings and Deep Questions Hands-On Publishing: A Poetry/Printing Workshop African Language and Dance Map | Quest | Me: Visualizing Identity and Community Creating Chinatown: Food and Space in Immigrant Boston Do It Yourself 101 Fabulous Desserts! Kneading and Reading Bread Embodying a Text Jane Austen: Promoter of the Patriarchy or Radical Feminist?
Preregistered Courses Spring Session College Trip Theater Company Workshop Buxtehude Collaboration Music Café - Advanced Digital Music Production
Spring Session Open Courses These courses are open to any students who are not preregistered for the College Trip or one of the Performing Arts courses listed at the end of this catalog.
1 • Art: How to Look and What to See
A crash course in how to understand and enjoy a wide range of visual arts through simple hands-on exercises and two extended museum trips. Students create a digital gallery of selected works to share with the school at the end of the miniterm.
2 • Building an Earthen Oven
Join a team to construct CA’s first earthen wood-fired oven out of basic ingredients: clay, sand, cement, and then use this oven to bake pizzas and flatbreads … and eat them. The oven will be portable and accessible to the CA community afterwards. Possible field trip to Sorrento’s to learn how a production wood-fired oven is managed. TL;DR: Play with mud, make pizzas, eat pizzas.
3 • Analyzing Data in Digital Images Learn the fundamentals of color, spatial, temporal, and behavioral data in digital images (including digital movies) so you may use your camera (including the one on your cell phone) to study your work in creative ways. Study your serve in tennis or volleyball, your long jump in track, your jump shot in basketball, the colors used in paintings during different centuries, how fast objects accelerate; identify plant health; measure air quality; study how scars on skin are healing, etc. Over the two-and-a-half days, you will learn the basics, create your own experiment(s), and share your discoveries and techniques with the group.
4 • Bullion, Bills, and Bitcoin
In this class, we will examine the role of money in society: past, present, and future. Students will study the ways in which different historical and contemporary societies exchanged goods and services. We will study the role of gold, paper money, digital money, and other media of exchange. The class will mostly be in a classroom, with a variety of hands-on activities, reading time, and videos. We may take a field trip into Boston on Thursday if suitable arrangements can be made. No background in economics is necessary.
5 • Climate Change and Skiing in New England
How is climate change impacting the New England ski industry? Learn about the ski industry response, the mechanics of snowmaking, and the relationship between the industry and the climate as time goes on. We will visit the Blue Hills Meteorological Observatory for a custom tour of the meteorology station and the role of data collection used to analyze past and future climate in the Boston area. We will read and discuss the NRDC/UNH report on the impact of climate change on NE ski areas to inform our trip to Mt. Wachusett for a tour and presentation of their snowmaking systems. We will then ski and/or ride! Note: All participants must be able to ski/board at least Intermediate (blue) slopes.
6 • Introduction to Electronics and Motors This is a crash course in electronics for beginners. We’ll begin by exploring the fundamentals of electrical charge, current, and magnetism, and learn how to build a basic motor and AC generator. We’ll then move on to building circuits containing resistors, capacitors, diodes, and relays. Next we’ll add transistors and the 555 timer integrated circuit, and learn how speakers make sound. The course will conclude with a brief introduction to logic gates and their use in computers. By taking this hands-on course, students should get a basic feel for how some of the electronic devices in our lives work.
7 • Music Cafe - Advanced Digital Music Production
We will be providing live sound reinforcement for the Music Cafe performances, 5:00–10:00 p.m. on 3/7 and 3/8. Students will be involved with the entire equipment setup and rehearsal process leading up to the performance. Only the students enrolled in Advanced Digital Music are required to attend the 2 evening concerts, but it is suggested that all attend.
8 • The Practice and Politics of Urban Bicycling In 2006, Boston once again earned a place on Bicycling Magazine’s list of “Worst Biking Cities” in the U.S. The city has been working hard since then to shed this ignominious title, but it’s no easy road! Bicycling infrastructure has improved, however, and cycling has been on the rise throughout the Boston metro area. In this course, we will look at what it takes to transform a city into a cycling mecca. Why might we want to? What are the design challenges? What are the political hurdles? On day 1, videos, readings, and hands-on street-design activities will provide us with some answers to those questions. On day 2 we will take a full-day bicycle tour through Cambridge and Boston to experience how street design impacts the cycling experience. We will learn how to bike safely in an urban environment, and we will document the best and worst of what we see. You must be comfortable riding a bike and physically fit and adventurous enough to spend most of one day on a bicycle—the ride will be around 17 miles long and the weather may be unpleasant!
9 • The Happiest Place on Earth What does it mean for a community to be “happy”? Every year, the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network surveys citizens of member nations to test their sense of social and economic well-being, two factors that influence “happiness.” But how can a survey test a feeling? And what is that data used for anyway? In this Spring Session, we will define personal and community happiness and examine data from the World Happiness Survey to understand what social, economic, and political factors most powerfully affect the well-being of nations. We’ll discuss why Scandinavian countries consistently perform well on these surveys, why Bhutan’s Constitution refers to “Gross National Happiness” as a key pillar of its governing principles, and debate why American happiness has fallen in recent years. Finally, we will examine the difference between qualitative and quantitative data, and how to judge reliability of each in order to design a survey testing “happiness” here at CA.
10 • Professor Trelawney's Divination Class: Intuitive Ways of Knowing Intuition, divination, body-centered wisdom. We spend a lot of time in our formal education exploring logic-based ways of knowing the world, but in doing so, we often neglect to explore intuition-based practices that have been erased through patriarchal and colonial modes of suppression. This course will provide space for students to research and learn about divination, mystics, and sacred practices that help strengthen a connection to intuitive/body-centered ways of knowing. The class will begin by analyzing Professor Trelawney's role in the Harry Potter series (you do not have to have read this series to participate); introduce students to different cultural and skill-based intuitive practices; and finally move into personal exploration, aiming to conclude with a Harry Potter–themed celebration on the last day!
11 • Writing Historical Fiction: Antebellum Boston
For this class, we will learn about the African American community in antebellum Boston through a trip to Boston’s historic Beacon Hill and activities that expand our historical imagination. Students will develop ideas and observations for writing historical fiction inspired by history and landmarks. Wandering through the cobbled streets of Boston, we will learn how to develop characters, plot, action, and setting into a piece of historical fiction, stopping at cafés to fuel ourselves with local treats. As we will see, far from being mere artifacts from a remote historical past, the sites and stories of antebellum Boston provide powerful frameworks for thinking about our own lives today. We will end the course by sharing our stories and creating a collectible volume.
12 • Bridge and Hearts
We will spend one day playing Hearts and, hopefully, moving from CA novice to quality player. We will follow that with two days of learning to play Bridge from scratch.
13 • A Taste of German(y) Calling all language lovers! Do you enjoy studying a foreign language at CA? Are you curious about countries and cultures other than your own? This course offers you an introduction to German, the most widely spoken language in Europe, and to the food of Germany. In the mornings, we will have ‘shock classes’ in German—that is, classes taught entirely in the target language. By the end of the course, you will have some basic communicative skills in German. In the afternoons, we will enjoy the highlights of German cuisine. On Day One, we’ll leave campus and chow down on sausage, schnitzel, and spätzle at a nearby German restaurant, Karl’s Sausage. On Day Two, we will stay on campus and explore the famed German baking tradition by baking from a classic German cookbook. Think apple strudel, Black Forest cherry torte, gingerbread hearts, plum cake, and more! This course is open to all students except those with prior knowledge of German.
14 • See Art, Experience Place
Come with Monica and Cynthia as we view art at different museums, galleries, and artist studios, and follow up by exploring the surrounding landscapes. Wednesday we’ll visit the Institute of Contemporary Art, seeing "Nick Nixon: Persistence of Vision," and "Art in the Age of the Internet," then walk the Seaport District. Thursday we’ll be at the DeCordova, viewing exhibits about TV, virtual worlds thru screens, and a photo show dealing with water. We’ll walk the sculpture park too! Friday will be a day around Concord experiencing art and the environment on the local level.
15 • NAMOWRICA - CA’s 2-Day Writing Sprint Constantly putting off that short story? Midway through a book of poems? Need to check that Thor/My Little Pony fanfic screenplay off your to-do list? This is a Spring Session opportunity for you! We'll talk through writing support systems, set personal goals, and enjoy the sound of a dozen or more keyboards typing at once. Heck, Justin will even bring his espresso machine along for frequent caffeine injections. There will also be snack breaks and quick walks to stretch our legs as the need arises. If you have any desire to be a working writer and/or the idea of wrestling with your own words for long hours sounds like a dream, this is your workshop! All forms of writers are most welcome!
16 • Dumplings and Deep Questions We spend most of our time in school discussing what we know … but what about the great unknown? In this session we'll contemplate some famous unanswered questions of the world, while sampling as many dumplings as we can find in three days! What rigid beliefs, like that the Earth is flat, could we tear into with fresh appetites, to reveal tasty truths inside? What is the nature of consciousness? What is dark energy? Can we (should we) stop the aging process? And what's the proper way to eat xiaolongbao, baozi, and suanla chaoshou? In this session we'll chew and slurp our way to the boundaries of science, philosophy, medicine, ethics, math, psychology, cosmology, and more. We'll watch videos about famous unanswered questions, do enough research to understand what they're asking, and bite through to the savory center of human knowledge. Bring your chopsticks!
17 • Hands-On Publishing: A Poetry/Printing Workshop
This offering combines a poetry/writing workshop, a bookmaking class, a logo design session, and a T-shirt production class. It’s all hands-on in the DIY spirit! Day One will be a writing workshop, focused on poetry, but open to other forms of writing. There will be prompts and writing games to spark your imagination. You will have fun and likely walk away with some writing you value. Day Two will be a bookmaking workshop focused on finding a way to present and publish your own writing in a limited run. You will have some options here, depending on the writing you choose to publish, and everyone will be able to produce a limited edition (20 copies) run of their own work. Visual art is an option as well. On our final day, we make a limited-edition T-shirt of our own design for our newly imagined and created Spring Session Imprint: Hands-On Publishing House. You will learn how to design, prepare, and hand-pull screen-printed T-shirts at low cost, minimum mess, and maximum fun.
18 • African Language and Dance
The first two days of this class will be divided in two sessions. The morning sessions will focus on learning greetings and introductions in Lingala, a language spoken in the Congos. The afternoon sessions will focus on African dance practice with the help of a dance master and drummers. Students will learn the technique, steps, and rhythm of a regional African dance. The dance workshop is a gentle workout. So, dress appropriately as you would dress in a gym. The last day will be an open dance studio to practice both Lingala and dance. No experience necessary.
19 • Map | Quest | Me: Visualizing Identity and Community “I wanted a map not to know where things are but to know where I am” –Eve Ewing In this course, we will explore how mapping and data visualization can help us learn more about ourselves and our community. Using charts, maps, timelines, and other tools, we will unpack our own identities and experiences to seek greater understanding of ourselves. Through a field trip and experiential projects, we will then consider how we might map identities in a community. Finally, we will turn our collective eye to our own school community to use our new tools to understand something about us.
20 • Creating Chinatown: Food and Space in Immigrant Boston This course will explore the creation and evolution of Boston’s “Chinatown”: we will visit the Boston Public Library’s Norman B. Leventhal Map Center to see the ways in which the process of mapping immigrant settlement patterns is, in and of itself, a process richly reflective of cultural ideas. And we’ll get to look at super cool historical maps! We will use our cameras to digitally map the cultural contours of Chinatown ourselves in images and ideas, and talk about the immigrants and cultures thriving in “Chinatown” today. Since food is arguably centrally informative of the immigrant experience, we will eat in and explore Boston’s Chinatown, and then learn about the different ways the immigrant experience has affected food cultures. In what ways have immigrants transformed the culinary repertoires of their new homes, and what are the ways in which their cuisines have been transformed by the experience of migration? How have these processes taken place when Chinese immigrants have settled in other countries, creating Chinatowns and “Chinese food” around the world?
21 • Do It Yourself 101 An introduction to the tools and skills needed to build, maintain, repair, and upgrade some stuff in your home and life. Minisessions and expertise provided by the CA Operations Staff. In our General Carpentry sessions we'll hang a painting or shelves, patch a hole in the wall, and build a small project. In the Painting session, we'll prep and paint a room. In the Lawn & Garden session we'll maintain and repair a lawn mower or snow thrower and maintain a healthy lawn and garden. In our Automotive session we'll change a tire, change the oil, and replace the windshield wipers. Finally, we will tour CA's Bradford House and Concord's Umbrella to gain an insights into the process of building and remodeling. We will also discuss the process of searching for, seeing, evaluating, and applying to rent an apartment by speaking with a licensed realtor. We may have the opportunity to discuss the process of searching for, evaluating, and buying a used car.
22 • Fabulous Desserts! Students will assist in preparing delicious desserts such as Mousse au chocolat (France), Baklava (Middle East), Alfajores (Argentina), Polvorones (Spain), Panna cotta (Italy), Bouchons (USA), Coconut Pudding (Cuba), Tres leches (Venezuela), and Trifle (England). At the end of the day we will taste/consume our culinary creations. Recipes, guidance, and instruction will be provided. This course will take place in a private home, so students who have food or pet allergies, please, do not apply.
23 • Kneading and Reading Bread
We’ll develop the skills to make — and eat — lots of delicious bread over two days, looking at favorite breads across cultures. At the same time we'll do some reading and writing about baking, eating, and culture. No experience necessary!
24 • Embodying a Text Have you ever wanted to step inside of a book? This workshop explores the connections between reading, creative writing, and movement. Using motion tracker sensors, projectors, video, music, and interactive technologies, we will choreograph poetry and passages from our favorite books. This is a highly experimental workshop. Get ready to read, write, dance, and record as we discover the intersection and boundaries between live and virtual stages.
25 • Jane Austen: Promoter of the Patriarchy or Radical Feminist? Do Jane Austen’s novels portray and promote traditional male-dominated society, or do they present a vision where women have begun to take active control of their world? Traditional interpretations of Austen’s works have historically concluded that she was a strong supporter of the status quo in terms of the role of women in society. But many current scholars make the case that Austen was a promoter of women’s rights and that her stories portray scenarios that would have been considered radically feminist in her day. We’ll start by briefly learning about the social and political history of the Regency period, and then watch the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice to look for evidence that will help us decide which interpretation is correct. Tea and scones will be liberally consumed as we work!
Spring Session Preregistered Courses These courses are open only to students who are preregistered for them. Preregistered students do not need to do a course registration form as they are automatically enrolled.
College Tour Thirty-two juniors will be taking an informative and fun-filled four-day, three-night trip to DC — and back!
Theater Company Workshop
Members of the 2018 Theater Company and crew work intensively on their project in anticipation for their final performance.
Buxtehude Collaboration
Members of CA Singers, Dance Company, and Chamber Music Ensembles work on the spring production.
Music Café - Advanced Digital Music Production We will be providing live sound reinforcement for the Music Café performances, 5:00–10:00 p.m. on 3/7 and 3/8. Students will be involved with the entire equipment setup, and rehearsal process leading up to the performance. Students in Advanced Digital Music Production as a credit-bearing course are required to attend the 2 evening concerts.