NU Splash Biography

If you've been curious about what happens before a director shouts, "Quiet on set" or "action," actors get together to rehearse a scene for a movie or show, or editors work together to mix the sound and visuals for the content we love, we will talk about how screenplays are created and how you can start your own! We will go over creating an outline, using screenplay formatting, and share ideas of a screenplay you wish to write. No prior knowledge is required, and anyone is welcome to join! A computer is recommended so that you can type, but it is not required. We will make sure to have paper and pencil for you to use if you'd like.

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.

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!

From imperialism and colonialism that has occurred throughout human history; world wars; racial, gender, romantic, and socioeconomic systematic inequality and discrimination; and the harsh impacts of COVID-19, we have witnessed tragedies thorughout history which may have caused us to question what it means to be human. With so many tragedies occurring in the world, the question of whether we are inherently good, inherently acting in our self-interests, or whether we are born with a blank slate is a question that seems to become increasingly uncertain. In this class, we will spend the first half exploring the views of a few philosophers and psychologists from different time periods, such as the American humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers, English political philosopher Thomas Hobbes, French existentialist Simone de Beauvoir, and potentially many more. Then, we will have a discussion on our personal views on the philosophy of human nature. Do we agree with any of the views of people we learn about together? Is there anything they are saying that is problematic? Do we have views of our own, and if so, what are they? Most importantly, we will answer a timeless question posed by the lead singer of the American band The Killers: “Are we human, or are we dancer?”