Splash Winter 2023
Course Catalog

Have you ever seen crocheted projects and wanted to make your own? Have you tried to crochet and just ended up with a tangled ball of yarn? (We’ve all been there) Join us for a hands-on workshop to learn the basic crochet knots and create a project of your own. We’ll be starting out with making a simple square and then kicking it up a notch to crochet an arugami rabbit. All skill levels are welcome and all the necessary supplies will be provided.

If you’re tired of hearing about how the chicken crossed the road or want to go beyond knock-knock jokes, explore the world of laughs in this stand-up comedy workshop! We’re gonna watch some funny videos, talk about what makes things funny, and then write and perform our own jokes! You don’t have to be the class clown to join, all fans of humor and storytelling are welcome here. Just an FYI, stand-up can get a little wild, so this class may get a little PG-13. As long as you like having a good time and want to learn a bit more about the world of stand-up, come join us!

Have you ever pulled up the website to buy a movie ticket and realized your local theater has like four formats you can see in a movie in? What's the difference between each and why are there so many formats? What's the difference between a movie projected digitally vs. a movie projected on film? What's the best format to see a movie in?

This class will answer those questions and look at the history and present-day current situations of the cinema. We'll look at how films were first developed, what led to the creation of the cinema, the changes the cinema has gone through since its creation, the status of cinemas today, the impact and relationship between streaming and cinema, and the rise of subscriptions.

After our discussion, I'll share prints of a 35mm movie that you will be able to take home with you!

Do you enjoy making music with others? Karaoke in the car? Drumming along with friends to a beat? Come join our recorder ensemble course! No musical/recorder experience required!! We will start with different notes on the recorder that you probably forgot from your third grade music class. We will then discuss different types of music notation and you will get the opportunity to play in your own ensemble and take your recorder home to perform for your family!

When you really think about it, all you need are eight counts. Ever wanted to be the one calling the shots in the dance studio? Well, this course is for you! We'll be covering how to choreograph, where to find inspiration, and how to showcase your ideas to others. Come learn the tips and tricks to choreography that even the pros use. Then we'll put those skills into practice by creating a little something of your own. Dance experience is helpful, but not required.

“I broke up with my ex girl, here's her number… SIKE THAT’S THE WRONG NUMBER” The world changed when street poet and philospoher Supa Hot Fire spat these words. But why was Supa Hot fire successful and what led to his ultimate demise? In this course we will navigate concepts of social capital, social externalities, dare I say philosophy, and of course, BARS. In this course we will explore one of the greatest thinkers of our time. Be ready to bring a positive attitude, an open mind, and maybe a few rhymes of your own.

Little Women is a timeless classic beloved by readers of all ages and time periods–what can you take away from it at this stage of your life and in our current socio-political climate? Drawing inspiration from feminist, gender and sexuality, and literary and film studies, we look forward to exploring themes of change and identity: if this is girlhood, does it ever end, and when does it end? Just like the blurry line between childhood and adulthood, feelings like belonging and loneliness, love and loss, sadness and joy are far from being opposites – they are messy, murky, and inseparable states of being. We will trace these feelings amidst the multitudes of love and loss in the lives of these little women in their navigation of kinship, romance, friendship, and ambition.


Prerequisites
The course will be based on Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel "Little Women" and the 2019 movie of the same name directed by Greta Gerwig. Even though you do not need to have both read the book and seen the movie, you are encouraged to familiarize yourself with the storyline (which is also available in shorter textual adaptations) in order to be able to contribute to the discussion. If you have difficulty accessing any of these sources, please feel free to email me at emmatruong2024@u.northwestern.edu and I would be happy to accommodate!

When we talk about the word "nothing," is it actually nothing? When most of us try to think of "nothing" in our heads, it's a huge struggle, and we inevitably fall upon "something." If philosophies like nihilism believe the meaning of life is nothing, does this mean that there actually is a meaning of life? If it is nearly impossible for us to think of truly "nothing," does this mean every nothing is a something? If so, how do we want to express something with no meaning? Is it possible to ever and is it ever possible for nothing to ever truly mean nothing? If nothing does mean something, does this change the meaning of "something" and "everything?"

These are the kind of questions we will be exploring in this class. We'll take a look at the philology of "nothing" and look at some examples in literature, film, and music, potentially from figures such as William Shakespeare, Toni Morrison, Ocean Vuong, Phoebe Bridgers, the Killers, Sleeping at Last, Lizzy McAlpine, the Daniels, and/or others. Afterward, we'll have a conversation on whether we believe "nothing" truly is just "nothing" or if there can be a meaning to it that alludes to something else. My end goal through the course is to introduce you to one method of analyzing things we read, watch, and listen to that you could potentially use in your analytic writing in the future.

Why do we write “John went to the store with Mary” but not “Mary John with store the to with”? Language has structure — and it’s not the grammar rules that you’ve been taught in school.

In this class, we’ll focus on basic syntax (the structure of language) through discussion and drawing syntactic trees for sentences in English, Spanish, and more. However, no second language required!

Want to be better at public speaking, but just don't know how? Look no further! In this course, we'll go over how to feel better about speaking in front of others -- and practice these skills!

Curious about where many of your favorite words come from? Want to know why so many European languages resemble one another? Just want to expand your vocabulary? Well, this course on classical Greek and Roman etymology is perfect for you. This engaging, interactive course will teach students about how Greek and Latin root words spread around the globe and gave meaning to many of the words we use today. Activities will include a quiz to test your knowledge and going through a handout with information on the most common Greek and Latin roots.

Are you a super fan of superheroes? Are you a history buff for American propaganda? Curious how the two may be connected? In this course, we’ll explore how American comic book characters serve as propaganda tools not just for young people but society at large. Get ready to explore themes of patriotism, wartime messaging, and nationalism in the context of superheroes you might already know.


Prerequisites
No prerequisites!

Have you ever heard of a Hangi? Pavlova? Sausage sizzle? What about a paua fritter? If you haven’t, take a culinary journey through New Zealand and learn how these different national dishes reflect its history and culture. In this class, we’ll be learning how food teaches us about indigenous history and culture in the South Pacific, and you’ll even get the chance to take home some of your own food we’ll make in this class. No requirements necessary- anyone can cook!


Prerequisites
No course prerequisites, but we will be cooking and so allergy requirements for dairy, kiwifruit, nuts or gluten may be needed.

“I walk a kilometer to school every day.” “There are 91 million miles between the earth and the sun.” “My pinky toe is about half an inch.” We learn about “length” by the time we’re toddlers. But did you know these notions—“a kilometer”, “91 million miles”, “half an inch”—aren’t consistently defined? They actually lead to the existence of objects which are both 1 meter long and 2 meters long at the same time… or objects which have both no length and infinite length!

In this class we’ll go over all the results which made me think “Nah, you playin” in my math classes. As someone who was bored to death by math in high school, my goal is to show you math is not just “Find the derivative of $$\cos(e^x) + \log(\tan(x))$$” (literally no one cares + make a computer do it) but it is instead beautiful, creative, and at times amazingly counter-intuitive. For those who love math, and especially those who don’t, all are welcome!

It's time to put your (fake) money where your mouth is! In this course, we will go over the basics of probability and statistics and how they apply to polling and prediction markets. There will be a demonstration of how prediction markets work and a challenge to make the most money possible given a certain budget and risk (with appropriate rewards!).


Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of probability

From transportation to healthcare and e-commerce to agriculture, artificial intelligence can be found everywhere. Interested in learning how it works?

In this class, we will dive into the topic of decision trees, the most common model in supervised machine learning. We will both discuss how they work and use them to make our own machine learning model!

This class is open to anyone – no experience required!

We will learn about the basics behind molecular orbitals and bonding in molecules. This course will go over the shapes of atomic orbitals and how they interact with each other, and end with you making your very first Molecular Orbital Diagram.


Prerequisites
At least one chemistry class. This will be a relatively difficult (1st year college/senior year HS class) but I will start from the basics of chemical bonding.

Do you know what really happens in the middle of the ocean? If unusual ocean phenomena, extreme weather events, and capturing energy from waves sounds like your cup of salt water, this is the class for you. We’ll talk about these and you’ll also get to take home your own mini wave tank at the end!

Time-permitting, I’ll also open the floor for questions about class content or other random marine topics (such as ocean-inspired art, marine biology, and how to pursue an ocean-related career).

A sense of curiosity is the only prerequisite!

Did you know that strawberries have ~ 5x as many protein-encoding genes as humans do? In this course, we'll be recreating the classic strawberry DNA extraction experiment, while giving an overview of modern genetics research. We'll also be giving a brief introduction to scientific literature, and how to use curiosity to investigate the (fruity) phenomena in life.


Prerequisites
Interest in the molecular mechanisms of the life that surrounds us :)

Are you working, planning to work soon, or just love having money? This 100 minute seminar will teach you the logistics of saving and spending a (fake) paycheck. The seminar will cover topics like budgeting, investing, Roth IRAs, 401k, and all the other secrets of the financial world! Class is welcome to all current and future moneymakers, regardless of experience level

Together, we'll be walking through a game of D&D while learning the terminology and gameplay aspects of the game! Questions are greatly encouraged!