Countdown
Course Descriptions
All students (humanities and visual & performing arts) take one of the following classes which meet weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings.
| ID # | Course Title | Instructor(s) |
| I-01 | Free Reelin' Movies and music share a happy relationship. They grab hold of shapes and tones, shadows and rhythms, line and movement, seducing us into dreaming dreams together. We will study films which excel at visual and musical expression, using them as inspiration to create our own short videos. Students will learn the crafts of camera acting, cinematography, screenwriting, and editing as we embrace the motto: "e pluribus unum" (many hands, one beautiful thing). |
Rick Seyford & Dwayne Wasson |
| I-02 | Paper, Papel, Papier, Papir, Hirtie, Bumaga For hundreds of years, paper was quite valuable. It was used as currency in ancient China. As history progressed, we have become so accustomed to paper that we toss the stuff away daily. In fact, we wipe our noses on it, yet we also allow it to represent vast sums of money. Just what is so special and, at the same time, so ordinary about paper? Join us as we explore the wide and wonderful world of paper and journey beyond the traditions of newsprint and text to look at hand made paper, origami, postcards, place mats, graphic design, collage prints, calligraphy, and hand made books. This class is for the non-artist who wants to be liberated by playing in the sandbox of the brain, the eye, and the hand. |
Carolina Alvarado & Barry Gabay |
| I-03 | History Through the Lens of the Sitcom Close that history book and turn on the TV! History has been recorded through oral tradition, artifacts, print, film, and even television documentaries and news programs. But what about non-reality TV? What can fictional programs tell us about real history? Let's study the history of American culture through the lens of the situation comedy and find out. We will explore decades of sitcoms from All in the Family through Will & Grace. We will examine their political and social correctness as historical representations of their times, exploring this genre through readings, discussion, and writing - including writing a contemporary version of a classic sitcom. |
Patrick Gendusa & Tisha Ulmer |
| I-04 | Night Darkness. Vampires. Mystery. Throughout the history of human culture, people have both feared and embraced the night. Under cover of night, people dream, romance, stalk, sing, create, act, dance, steal, and watch the stars. Night has been immortalized in music, art, poetry, film, and mythology. This course explores human interaction with the night from the Egyptians using stars to track the passage of time to modern cities electrifying the dark. Through human art, activity, and nightmares we will examine all things of night. WhoÌ»ÿs afraid of the dark? |
Craig Klugman & Sarah Tomasewski |
| I-05 | The Modern Muckraker's Journey "Reporters are like men with the Muck-Rake...fixing [their] eyes on what is vile and debasing." Thus the term muckraker was coined by Teddy Roosevelt. Today there are artists, writers, dancers, musicians, historians, journalists, and filmmakers who have assumed the role of muckrakers. We will evaluate the role of the modern muckraker and what role we have as activists to reform our society. We will explore contemporary activist movements, develop our own reform agendas, and create artistic activist actions through dance, theater, visual art, and music. Topics for explorations may include food and food culture, corporate control, environment, world conflict, sweat shops, and globalization. Be aware that a diversity of views and opinions will be presented and varying perspectives are welcome. |
Leonard Anderson & Patrick Touart |
| I-06 | Personal Mapping: Plotting an Atlas of Identity Do you know who you are? Are you lost? How can you be found? This course will enable you to develop an interior and exterior mapping of yourself and your place in the world with regard to memory, perception, tradition, identity, culture, architectural space, home, family, and much more. We will creatively develop and construct individuals Ì»ÀmapsÌ»‡ consisting of journal entries and projects to be bound into an atlas describing the many places and ways in which we inhabit the world. Some of our activities will include creative writing, drawing, printmaking, blueprinting, and book-binding. Join us for earnest, enlightening, and creative self-exploration. No artistic experience is necessary. |
Suzanne Faris & Heather McMahon |
| I-07 | Ghosts in the Weed Garden Even the most well-adjusted people sometimes act in ways that are contrary to their natures. All are intimately involved in and responsible for the choices that shape their experience. But the person in the schizoid condition is frightened of the world, afraid that any impingement will be total, implosive, penetrative, fragmenting, and engulfing. Weeds invade the imaginary garden and ghosts walk in the real streets. Come join us as we descend into the vortex of non-being in order to explore being. Some of the concepts that will be explored and discussed are societyÌ»ÿs definition of and causes of madness, reconstructing identity from a fragmented narration, the talking cure as a form of narration, narcissistic parenting, post traumatic stress disorder, and double identity/split personality. |
Laura Higday & Jenn Terrell |
| I-08 | The Audience: Not Just Warming the Seat In this class we will examine the role of the live performance audience as a critical body. We will consider historical and contemporary theatrical space, costumes, sets, and music, and the social and political messages they convey. What is the appeal of spectacle from the Roman gladiators to The Lion King? How does what audiences bring to performances (bias, appreciation, cultural/political knowledge) effect their experience? How have standards of audience participation, etiquette, marketing, and patronage changed over time? So take your seats and enjoy the show! |
Lisa Edwards & Michelle Gulick |
| I-09 | Singing the Body Electric How do our bodies differ? What influences our perception of bodies? How do we define disability? How can we free the body for creative purposes?! We will seek to answer these questions through body maps, monologues, portraits, poems, and physical/interactive exercises. Drawing on film, literature, music, art, and personal experiences, we will look to understand the body as an expressive tool for the self. We will also explore potentials within each human's "being" through acting exercises, movement/dance, and creative writing. Wear comfortable and loose-fitting clothes. And please bring your body to class. . .then see what happens. |
Adrienne Klemme & Nathan Long |
| I-10 | Family Journeys: Finding a Future Each of us is born into a legacy of prejudices, customs, talents and expectations which affect our lives and choices. Beginning with family fact, we will journey through family fiction into our possible futures, traveling by means of the visual arts, movement, music, storytelling, drama, literature, and personal writing. What effect does your family background have on your self-identity? Can you find others in your family line who share with you a particular interest or talent or aspiration? What might you become, given the rich heritage of your family? We will discuss the known, delve into the unknown, discover and invent lost stories, and project ourselves into times ahead. |
John Bland & Jolie Long |
| I-11 | Journey Inside the American Mind Do you see me or my image? Does the media create the American mind? Do I become what I see? As individuals and a people we are defined by the images we project. We will focus on a critical analysis of the use and misuse of images in our culture. Through the study of music, art, and film we will explore how we form societal images, define culture, and think critically. |
Ed Motley & Alan Paterson |
| I-12 | The Whole Enchilada: The Culture, Politics, and Science
of Food Sushi, plantains, quiche, eel ice cream, kiwi, grappa, matte, latte, Butterfingers, ostrich burgers, fried okra, rhubarb, shepherd's pie, grits... oh my! Join us on a journey beyond pizza, french fries, and Coca-Cola to explore the wonderful world of FOOD! We will focus on the culture, politics, and science of food through films, literature, discussion, interaction with community members, field trips, reflection, journaling, and... eating, of course! Topics may include holiday foods, vegetarianism, poverty and world hunger, breastfeeding, the "slow food" movement, genetically modified foods, the role of food in building community, food production, federal nutrition guidelines, and organic farming. P.S. What the heck is foie gras? Or capers? Or cardamom? Or tripe? |
Katie Goins & Crystal Wright |
| I-13 | The House of Book The book and the library: built, then bound, banned, burned and bombed because of beliefs? Why was each designed to delight, only to be decried and destroyed? With books and libraries, we enter myriad worlds filled with the symbols, tools, materials, and records of life from beginning to end: Whoville, Wonderland, Narnia and Nineveh, Paradise Lost and East of Eden. The Generations -- (Lost, Forgotten, Silent, and Greatest), our Pride and our Prejudice, our Sense and Sensibility all live within. Through exploration of printed and non-printed texts, investigation of library design and intention, interviews, debates, and case studies, we will attempt to discover the transformative value of knowledge-based cultural, social and community centers. We'll challenge the traditional concept of book to include dramatic script and musical scores. Book your trip to your local library now! |
Cecily Heisser & David Sennett |
| I-14 | Journey to Immortality How do we know that Kilroy was here and why should we care? Are graffiti tags a public nuisance, public art, or something more significant? We all feel a need to tell our stories, to leave our mark so to speak. People share personal histories for many reasons: to pass on values, to entertain, to form connections. In this course we will explore how personal histories are shaped by culture and events. We will go on fieldtrips and conduct research to find and understand what people say about their lives and how they say it. We will then tell our own stories through visual art, movement, music and word. How do you want to be remembered? |
James Stoneking & Katy Strand |