• Biotech - Students will learn proper laboratory techniques in biology and chemistry and their uses in the modern biotechnology lab setting. During short course, students will practice performing laboratory techniques and use instrumentation common to basic biotechnology such as micro pipet and gel electrophoresis, analyze gel results and conduct DNA restriction digest using bacterial plasmids. We will also dab in fun science experiments, focusing on Chemistry. 

• Film Analysis: The Dark Side of Disney- Essential Question: What do we see when we look back on the Disney movies we grew up with and analyze their message with a critical eye? Enduring Understanding: Ugly undertones can be found under the happiest of facades. Class Description: This class will explore the topics of sexism, racism, and classism by watching and reviewing Disney movies in order to dissect themes with a critical eye which was only developing in students as children. General Outline: First, students will become familiar with the above three terms before watching the first Disney movie: The Lion King. In this well-loved movie, all of the central villains are voiced by minorities (racism) and the place of each character in their respective places within the community (classism). After this first exploration led by the instructor, students will break into groups and brainstorm ideas for a third movie to watch and dissect (note: the instructor has many sure-fire choices for students to pick from). As students are preparing to explore a movie, the 1953 Peter Pan will be shown to in which half of the groups will address sexism and the other will address racism (instructor support is less here). On the final days, students will prepare their analysis of the movie of their choosing and screen it on the last day of intersession, walking their peers through what they found. To wrap things up (if time), we’ll watch a documentary on how Disney Land and how it compares to the American Dream. 

• Philosophy of Modern Animation - Essential Question: How are animated shows communicate serious philosophical issues? How do these shows reflect our modern anxieties? Enduring Understanding: The shows we watch are a reflection of our concerns and values; these concerns and values are not necessarily implicitly communicated but still present. Class Description: Students will watch several clips and episodes from contemporary cartoon shows, ranging from Adventure Time to more adult shows like The Simpsons. Students will take a critical approach to examining the issues raised in the shows and connect the themes to modern and classical philosophical understandings. General Outline: First, students will become familiar with the broad philosophical concepts which will be explored during the week. This exploration will be aided through several videos and discussion of said concepts. Afterwards, the first show will be explored: Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In this show, concepts of what it means to be human and where our humanity comes from is explored in a three episodic arc and will conclude with our discussion around the relevant points in the show. The next will be a look at a few clips from The Simpsons, which demonstrate ideas related to Sartre and how modern life alienates us from the self. This point will be explored and connected to the show The Venture Brothers and will lead into the next topic: failure as value. The last and final animated series shown will be clips from the show Bojack Horsemanand how this theme of “failure as value” has evolved over the last decade.

• Arts & Crafts- Arts and Crafts will be an interactive, tactile class that deals with aesthetics and creativity. Here, we will spend our time exploring and practicing various artistic skills and experimenting with different mediums. We will have one major project to work on each day. Some potential projects that we will work on are acrylic paintings, mask making, charcoal drawings, and friendship bracelets.

• Magic: the Gathering- Long before kids dreamed of making it big in e-sports, long before Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon card games came and went, and long, long before you were born, a game called Magic: the Gathering was created. Today the game is thriving. It is a quarter-of-a-billion dollar industry that dishes out millions of dollars in prizes every year to talented players in hundreds of thousands of tournaments around the globe. It has survived challenge after challenge of other games trying to take a piece of their pie, and it’s still standing to this day. Find out why. Exercise your logic, planning, strategy and instinct as you craft cunning plots to destroy your enemy. Recognize the impact of statistics and decision trees to improve your choices throughout your life.

• Dungeons and Dragons- You awaken with a throbbing pain in your head. Rubbing it with your gnomish hands, you look around to find you are surrounded by a score of wounded members of the King’s Guard. What happened here, and what will you do next? Dungeons and Dragons is a cooperative storytelling experience with over 40 years of tradition. Find out what it really means to play a sandbox roleplaying game. Design diabolical traps, write meaningful characters, and act out dramatic moments. Fans of acting, storytelling, cooperative strategy, and statistics are called to save the kingdom from certain doom with!

• History of Metal - From Wikipedia: Heavy Metal is a genre of rock music that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Heavy Metal is traditionally characterized by loud distorted guitars, emphatic rhythms, dense bass-and-drum sound, and vigorous vocals. Metal subgenres variously emphasize, alter, or omit one or more of these attributes. Well, I suppose that's a good start.  But what does all of that mean? In short, Heavy Metal is a form of rock music in which the direct influence of the blues is absent. Think of it as rock music inspired by rock music, or the second generation/evolution of rock music. Yet, that simplistic definition doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what defines Heavy Metal. Over the past forty years, the world has witnessed heavy metal's transformation from a genre of popular music into a global phenomenon and universally recognizable subculture. So, what is Heavy Metal? That's a loaded question. Simply put, Heavy Metal is an ever-evolving genre of popular music and culture beholden to a fanaticism reminiscent of religious devotion. That, and double-bass. Not a Metallurgy course! This crash-course comes at you in full force and will have you head banging, air guitaring, and devil horn raising in no time! Learn everything you ever wanted to know about Heavy Metal, and why you might already be a metalhead and not even know it. We'll look at metal cultures, explore the fringes of the most extreme forms of metal, and, of course, listen to some SCREAMING HEAVY METAL! This is guaranteed to be the most BRUTAL class ever offered! WARNING: This series most definitely goes to 11!  Earplugs optional.

• Stained Glass - In this fun and interactive hands-on introductory course, students will learn the basics of stained glass art. We will cover everything from planning, glass cutting techniques and shaping, to wrapping each piece with copper foil and finally fitting all the pieces together with solder. The pieces can be then mounted in a simple frame to hang from your window. Students are welcome to take their finished piece(s) home with them.

• Sewing Basics, Jewelry and Embroidery -

• Making single strand necklaces
• Making
• elastic bracelets
• Using pliers
• Stringing beads
• Using crimps and findings

• Cooking - You Can't Live off McDonald's Alone: Do you eat? Have an interest in the culinary arts? Do you enjoy the good company that comes with good eats? If you answered yes to any of these, then this class is for you! In four classes we will explore simple yet satisfying meals that you can make and enjoy. Meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be taught. Our last day will be party foods and beverages.... Something better than a bag of Cheetos and a Dr Pepper. As a bonus, we will be able to eat the food we create.

• Chess - Students will be exploring the logic, creativity, and culture of chess. No matter what skill level students are at, they will be quickly accessing puzzles, learning key opening moves, and luring their opponents into traps in the Game of Kings. Benefits of chess include: raising your IQ, improving your memory, increasing your creativity and problem solving skills, and improving your reading skills and your ability to concentrate. Also, it’s really fun!

• Drama - Say “Yes” if you have ever… Acted out a scene from a musical while alone in your room , Secretly suspected that you were born for Hollywood or Broadway , Dreamed of writing and directing your own play or movie , Wished that Christian Bale hadn’t used that super creepy Batman voice. If you said “Yes!” to any of these statements, then sign up for Intro to Drama and spend a week in the realm of the imagination. You’ll have the chance to work with others to write, perform in, direct and record your own skits. Focus topics will include improvisation, acting with emotion, tragedy and comedy, script-writing, and directing.