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 | Tome Sweet Tome Have “Great Expectations” for Governor’s School? Like Harry Potter at Hogwart’s, we will journey through the Chamber of Secrets and unearth the treasure that lies among and within books. What if…you take a chance and enter into a world where the walls are made of books, with every dream at your fingertips. What if…we explore this world investigating what roles libraries and bookstores play in the life of a book and its readers? Through field trips, discussions, student presentations, debate, and the creation of your own book, we will attempt to discover just what comprises a “book.” Gotta Hobbit? Get it here. |
David Sennett & Michele Riley |
| I-02 | 5 Decades of Popular Music/Culture Did Elvis or the Beatles impact or reflect society? This course examines different types of popular music since the 1950s, placing them within cultural and political contexts. We will focus on the canon (the top 10) of each decade, from Little Richard to Dylan to Winehouse, exploring how this music either reflected or contributed to the political/cultural scene of respective decades. Our studies will include musical theatre on stage and film. Students will be active in defining “their” decade through discussion and presentation. |
Elizabeth Otani & Wishart Bell |
| I-03 | Ecstasy and Laundry This class is a collective exploration of daily Zen practice. We will have the opportunity to engage in different forms of meditation, discussion and other mindful activities drawn from mathematics, language, aesthetics, music, philosophy and countless other topics. We will read, write, discuss, and think. We’re not saying you’ll be floating in Nirvana come August, but you may find enlightenment as you are doing your laundry. |
Brian Riedel & Bryan Hooten |
| I-04 | Art & Law: Breaking the Rules, Being Cool, Acting a Fool For centuries, artists, musicians and authors have put themselves on the cutting edge of social protest and innovation, challenging the status quo. We will discuss and explore these battles among the arts, law, and social standards, and try our hand at creative expression of our own. Through research and extensive exposure to the art, artists, and arguments surrounding these controversies, we will develop a better understanding of the enduring conflict between artistic freedom and social stability. |
Bill Mandel & Johnston Foster |
| I-05 | Identity and the Other: Hate Crimes, Genocide and Humanity“Somewhere in America…every hour someone commits a hate crime; every day at least eight blacks, three whites, three gays, three Jews, and one Latino become hate crime victims; every week a cross is burned.” (Tolerance.org) Why have humans, as individuals and groups, been so afraid of, and often violent towards, peoples and groups that we perceive as different? If we are to move society beyond narrow nationalism, xenophobia, racism, homophobia, and genocide, what do we need to do and understand? The course will look at a number of case studies of hate crimes and genocide, for example: the Holocaust; the James Byrd case in Jasper, Texas; the Matthew Shepard case in Laramie, Wyoming; the 1990s crises in Rwanda and Bosnia; and the current crisis in Darfur. We will engage in role playing, debates, simulations, and discussions. | John Hawes & Patrick Gendusa |
| I-06 | If You Could Build a Bridge: Using Music, Media, and Art to Connect the Past and Present In this course we will examine the various perceptions of you, the individual, and your generation and how they are reflected in the media and popular culture. We will analyze social causes, self-image, political perspective, and how individuals interact and are portrayed in mass media. Using various forms of expression and multimedia, we will investigate perceptions of this generation and its impact on the world. Activities in this class will include, film interviews, persuasive musical compositions, as well as personal visual and written observations of society. As a culminating activity, we will create a persuasive, multimedia presentation using all the talents and skills that we have learned or have brought with us to the Governor’s School. |
Jeff MacGuinness & Michelle Gulick |
| I-07 | If You Could C What I Sea? When you see red, is it the same as what others see as red? When you stare down the train tracks, why do they seem to draw together in the distance? Is there a privileged perspective from which actual reality exists or are we all just making it up as we go along? Why do two people having the same experience remember different events? Perception is our ability to be affected by physical objects or phenomena without being in direct contact with them. Our self perception and our life choices are based on what we think we see. Perspective influences our beliefs about what is right and wrong, the flow of time and space, and even where stories begin and end. In this class, we will explore cognitive perception, artistic theory, and the construction of lived reality. Seeing is believing. Or is it? |
Carolina Alvarado & Craig Klugman |
| I-08 | If You Wanna Burn Your Bra Jefferson had his “Declaration,” Thoreau had his “Disobedience,” Dylan had his “Changin’ Times,” and Ice Cube had his “Police.” This type of protest, and the art thereof, has been a vital, evolutionary part of American culture since its defiant infancy. This course will analyze and evaluate the history, the pragmatics, and the culture of protest movements, both subtle and overt. It will also engage our socio-cultural cognizance through the kaleidoscopic lens of music, art, and literature. Be prepared to vote, write, chain yourself to buildings and trees, picket, and spread propaganda all in the interest of promulgating the cause and resisting “the man.” Liberal or conservative, we don’t care! Power to the people! |
Becky Ferrell & Christopher Dague |
| I-09 | Scoring “If I had a soundtrack...” This class has everything to do with how music works in the movies. Music is the invisible glue that gives motion pictures “emotional sense,” a necessary catalyst to the chemistry of films. We will study the basics of filmmaking as well as fundamentals of music writing and scoring. We will consider the evolution of movie music and more recent trends, such as music videos. Students will apply some basic techniques in brief shooting exercises. If you happen to play an instrument, please bring it, but no special skills or knowledge is required. |
Eric Ruple & Rick Seyford |
| I-10 | The Judgment of Paris: From Paris, France to Paris Hilton As societies have changed, so have their image-making. And as image-making has expanded to include advertising, television, film, and the internet, this has undoubtedly changed societies. So how do images reflect the values of a given society? And what role do the images people construct play in shaping the values of their cultures? We will explore images from Michelangelo to Walt Disney, from high culture to pop culture, to see how they mirror people’s values throughout history. |
Catharine Straub & David Howell |
| I-11 | Say What?!? Hear ye, hear ye! We’ve got: e-mail, IM, iTunes, and Blackberries, but whatever happened to letters, conversation, calling cards, and mix tapes? drink more ovaltine This course will examine the historic, cultural, and ientific-scay elements-ay of ommunication-cay through reflection, journaling, discussion, and artistic exploration [stop] topics may include music, language, visual art, vocal inflection, fashion, sound, food, slang, design, theater, film, & the body. What R U sayin? C U L8R :D! |
Adam Booth & Sarah Tomasewski |
| I-12 | Sing the Body Eclectic This is an experiential learning class. In it, we will rediscover aspects of our bodies through body maps, monologues, portraits, poems, and physical/interactive exercises. We will draw on film, literature, and personal experiences to understand the differences and uniqueness of other people’s bodies. We will also explore potentials within each human’s “being” through acting exercises, movement/dance, and creative writing. Discussion topics will include: 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? Wear comfortable and loose-fitting clothes. Please bring your body to class... and see what happens. |
Adrienne Meyer & Jenn Collison |
| I-13 | The Geography of Bliss What happens when life is out of balance? Can there be a road map to happiness? How can we obtain the best life? How can we retain our equilibrium? This course will set a direction to examine the mental, physical, and spiritual requirements to living well. Through the broad categories of mind, body, and soul, we will investigate ideas of self-perception, methods of physical wellness, and concepts of personal morality. We will look at life’s ifs... and thens... as they relate to our personal journeys. Class activities will include readings, discussions, films, music, guest speakers, introspective journaling, and personal mapping. Join us as we seek and explore what all of us wish to be. |
Ed Motley & Dwayne Wasson |
| I-14 | Translations, Mutations and Adaptations How is fiction translated into film? Discarded object into sculpture? Image into movement? This class will explore the ways in which ideas and objects may transform in relation to environment and through deliberate acts of art making. We will investigate the ways that we ourselves adapt to a multitude of environments: physical, social/behavioral, and artistic. By examining the work of artists in a variety of fields we will discuss what is created in cross genre adaptation. How is the same idea translated from one medium to another, from the body to the page, from print to visual image? We will examine the concepts and questions above through reading, writing, discussion, visual projects and dance, and have the opportunity to translate ideas and understanding into our own artistic projects. |
Amie Cunningham, Elizabeth Gooch & Madeleine Reber |