Boston College Splash Fall 2017 Course Catalog · Neuroscience The purpose of this course is to look at recent neuroscience research from a different perspective than one ... Pursuit

Boston College Splash

Fall 2017 Course Catalog

�1

Course Title Course Description Class Length Minimum Grade Level Maximum Grade Level Difficulty of Course Material¿Quién es un héroe? (who is a hero?)

We will discuss what a hero is, what characteristics they have, and how heroes are represented in Spanish plays in contrast to modern films like Star Wars. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade

Should be understandable for everyone

"The Neural Degrees of Kevin Bacon" and Other Fun Studies in Psychology and Neuroscience

The purpose of this course is to look at recent neuroscience research from a different perspective than one might find in a normal psychology course. While we're not going to go too in-detail about the complex processes that allow the brain to work as it does, and the countless paths of study that contribute to the field of neuroscience, we're going to explore some of the more fun, unique findings in recent human and animal research. For example, as the title suggests, researcher Mark Thornton has explored how celebrities are represented in the brain, and how he can trace Kevin Bacon through brain activation. Other fun titles we could explore include: "How extraverted is [email protected]? Inferring personality from e-mail addresses" and "Pigeons can discriminate "good" and "bad" paintings by children". Through looking at these studies, we have the opportunity to learn more about this growing field and pique our interests, while also learning some fun facts about the human and animals brains. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade

Should not be too difficult for most students

All Started by a Mouse Come play a trivia game to learn about Disney films, characters and Walt Disney himself! 50 mins 7th Grade 12th GradeShould not be too difficult for most students

Analyzing Short Stories This course focuses on reading a couple of short stories and learning how to analyze the stories in order to understand the underlying theme. 1 hour 50 mins 10th Grade 12th Grade


Aristotle, Plato, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Aristotle and Plato tackle the tough question of how to live the good life. Join us on this intro to philosophy course and examine how to live life happily. 50 mins 8th Grade 12th Grade


BABEraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln? More like BABEraham Lincoln! Come out to learn about the Missouri Compromise, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Bleeding Kansas and how Lincoln's response to the political disaster of the 1850s led to his future presidency, the succession of the Confederate states, and the emancipation of slavery in the United States. 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


Behavioral Economics at Point of Payment in Buenos Aires, Hanoi, and Cape Town

I will go over political history of each country and how macro-level policy decisions impact micro-level commercial behavior, going over such concepts as inflation, currency theory, trust in political systems, etc. 50 mins 11th Grade 12th Grade


Besides orange chicken and the Great Wall, what else do you know about China?

Orange chicken, the large population, the Great Wall, Beijing, Jackie Chan, pandas...Besides these, what else do you know about China? If that's all you got and you are interested in exploring more about China, this class is for you! You will hear from two Chinese students at BC sharing about the big picture, new technologies, food, and other fascinating cultures and customs of China. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Bitcoin- Money In The Digital Era

Ever heard of Bitcoin? Yes? No? Well, it doesn't really matter. In this class, I will talk about some of the basics of Bitcoin currency, the investing opportunities with it, the real value of it, and many other topics related to the cryptocurrency. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Breathing UnderwaterThis course will explain the basic Physics and Physiology concepts that must be understood before one can safely breathe underwater. Students will get hands-on experience with the Buoyancy Control Device, which 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


Budgeting & Personal Finance

Would you like to take control of your financial future by understanding the basics of budgeting, credit scores, consumer behavior, and other personal finance concepts? Then this is the course for you! 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Business Law Business law 50 mins 8th Grade 11th GradeShould be understandable for everyone

Cha-Ching! Course designed to teach about investing and personal finance 50 mins 9th Grade 12th GradeShould not be too difficult for most students

China Today

The course is a brief introduction to how people in China lives today from a Chinese viewpoint. The lecture will be in a storytelling style, and is recommended for students interested in cultural diversity and international studies. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


College 101 Tips and tricks for College life, from classes to clubs, learn more about college from current seniors. 50 mins 10th Grade 12th GradeShould be understandable for everyone

Counterterrorism or Counterclockwise: The Implications of National Security Measures on Civil Liberties

Think about how many times per day we use our phones. To what extent are our text messages, Snapchats, or Instagram posts "private"?

In the wake of 9/11 and terrorist attacks, the US government passed policy measures enabling them to look at our personal information, claiming that examining this information could help prevent future attacks from happening. However, as Edward Snowden infamously pointed out, are such measures turning back the clock on our civil liberties and violating our individual right to privacy? In this class, we will examine our duty and the duty of the judicial system to prevent the government from overstepping its boundary into our personal lives. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Creative Writing

Are you interested in writing? Have you ever thought about becoming a screen writer, author, or journalist one day? Do you just want to write something other than an essay for once?

In this workshop we will talk about different forms of writing and work on developing character, plot, and settings in a variety of genres. You will have a chance to learn about and write in whatever genre interests you, getting feedback and strategies for improving your writing skills! Whether you've been working on a story for years or never picked up a pencil outside of class there is a place for you here! 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


CV? What's a CV?

Are you looking for a job, or wondering how in the world you might get one? The first step is usually crafting a CV, resume, or cover letter. This class will go over the basics of these documents, and give you tips on how to write professionally, ask for letters of recommendation, and conduct interviews with employees. We'll also workshop your ideas, so that you can walk away ready to start writing! 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


�1

Eagle Eye Information Session

Some members of the Student Admission Program Council will host an information session for any high school students interested in applying to Boston College. This will be quite similar to a typical information session you'd participate in if you register for an official Eagle Eye Campus Visit. The session will begin with a 15-minute overview of Boston College. We will then have a 30-minute question and answer session featuring a panel of 4 current BC students. Finally, we will end with 15 minutes on financial aid and the application process. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Economics of Dating

Ever wonder how many people you should date before settling down? What about whether you should dump your significant other when they ditch you? With this class you will learn how to mathematically prove to someone that you need to be together or break up. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Egg Drop!

Do you want to try a fun engineering experiment? Spend some time constructing a structure to protect a falling egg! This will be a simple and fun class where you'll use teamwork and creativity to solve a problem. At the end, we'll test our structures and drop the eggs! 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


Everything British We will talk about the royal family, British culture and universal British trends 50 mins 7th Grade 12th GradeShould be understandable for everyone

First Amendment Rights in 21st Century America

This course will focus on an analysis of the role and importance of the First Amendment in today's political, social, and technological environment, both as it relates to private individuals, and the press. Of particular interest to our class will be the 2001 Supreme Court case Bartnicki v. Vopper and the First Amendment protections of illegally acquired information. The media's handling of the Clinton campaign emails, as well of the role of WikiLeaks in today's political culture, will also be discussed. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


From Alchemy to Chemistry

This course will look at some of chemistry's foundational scientists and the groundbreaking experiments they performed in the midst of the 18th Century Enlightenment, marking the beginning of the scientific discipline as we understand it today. 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


Grammar Homophones

Have you struggled to understand the differences between words that sound exactly the same but have different spellings and meanings? That's totally okay! Many grown and successful adults still misuse the different words. But now is the perfect opportunity to brush up on, or even learn for the first time, the appropriate uses for the different varieties. Maybe you didn't understand or catch it all the first time it was covered for you in school, or maybe the material has never even been introduced to you. But you can catch up on this now, surrounded by students who are also learning these differences, in a supportive and engaging environment led by myself (an aspiring elementary ed teacher) here at Boston College. Opportunities such as this one can help in boosting confidence on a day-to-day level, beginning with these seemingly small concepts. I can't wait to meet you all! 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


Honest Abe?: An Exploration of Abraham Lincoln's Life

Join me for a deep-dive into Abraham Lincoln's life as we demystify this giant of American history! We'll look at Lincoln's early political life, presidency, and the lesser-known aspects of his ideology and perspective on slavery! 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


iChill: Stress Management

Did you know that only 10% of stress is due to the environment and that 90% of stress is in your mind and the way you perceive it? Learn about what stress is, how it affects your brain, how to be mindful and how to change the way you think! Learn from a Boston College Office of Health Promotion Trained and Certified Health Coach about great solutions to decompressing and reducing stress. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Intro to Public HealthIntroduction to the field of public health: will discuss methods of healthy behavior change, methods of prevention, and ways individual and community health are determined 50 mins 8th Grade 12th Grade


Introduction to Business and Business Ethics

This course is designed to give students thinking about studying business a quick background into each field of study, including Finance, Accounting, Marketing, among others. It is extremely useful to begin thinking about what branch of business one is interested in before coming to business school. It will also give a quick introduction to ethics, and discuss famous philosophers and their ideas about proper ethical conduct in business. 50 mins 10th Grade 12th Grade


Juggling 101 Stop by to learn to learn your basic 3-ball pattern, plus a bunch of tricks! 50 mins 7th Grade 12th GradeShould be understandable for everyone

Karateteach students in a safe environment the basics of Shotokan karate. Recommended that students bring work out clothes. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Kardashian 101: How Reality TV is Shaping Society

Whether you hate, love it, or simply have it on in the background, reality TV is prevalent in your life somehow! This class will dive deeper into why reality TV is so addictive, why society has made these people rich and famous, and why we still watch these shows, when there are so many other options. We'll also question how we know if it is even reality. If you are interested in learning how the Kardashian's have become an empire, and how society has allowed them to do so, take this class! 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


Lifestyle Design: How to Be Happy, Win Friends, and Get Whatever You Want in Life

Examining the stories of highly successful people through the lens of their habits. This course focuses on how these individuals use lifestyle design to push themselves out of their comfort zone in order to grow and achieve. This course aims to show how students can use practiced techniques such as meditation and automation to improve their everyday lives.

To do the impossible, you must first do the possible. This course shows students what is possible in their lives and how they can use intuition and habit to achieve the impossible. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Music to My Ears: Pop in the 20th and 21st Century

Ever wonder how we got from John Philips Sousa to Katy Perry? From the Beatles to Bowie? Take a musical journey through recent history- we'll do a crash course through the biggest names and songs of each decade up to 2017! 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Music: The more you know

Welcome to the world of Music. Time to learn all about how to make rhythms and to throw the beat down. An intro-intermediate crash course in Music Theory. 50 mins 7th Grade 11th Grade


Narcotráfico: Irregular Migration and the Drug Trade

Course Description: This course will include a showing of a short movie about a young Mexican boy making his first drug struggle to the U.S. across a dangerous stretch of desert. The course will then discuss the nature of irregular migration and the role played by the drug trade. 50 mins 11th Grade 12th Grade

Will move quickly and have many difficult parts

�2

Narcotráfico: Irregular Migration and the Drug Trade

This course will include a showing of a short movie about a young Mexican boy making his first drug struggle to the U.S. across a dangerous stretch of desert. The course will then discuss the nature of irregular migration and the role played by the drug trade. 50 mins 11th Grade 12th Grade


Nas: A Tragic Figure

This course will examine one of the greatest rappers of all time, Nas, in the lens of Aristotle's definition of a tragic figure. Aristotle defines a tragic figure as someone who's downfall is a result of his/her own actions. Does Nas peak at his earliest work, Illmatic? And does that render the rest of his career as a slow spiral downwards? Can anything he ever produces compare to what many call "the quintessential rap album." No previous listening of Nas' work is required, but it will certainly help. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Neurobiology

This course will serve to give an in depth understanding of the structure and function of the nervous system. From learning about the function of a singular neuron to the over all conceptual functions of brain regions, student will gain a deep understanding on the biological processes that underly human behavior. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


PoetryThis class would focus on reading and analyzing famous works of poetry in order to gain a greater understanding of and appreciation for poetry. 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


Poetry in Spanish We will be looking at a poem and analyzing the literary techniques! 50 mins 11th Grade 12th GradeShould not be too difficult for most students

Principles of AccountingLearn about core concepts in financial accounting, get introduced to the terminology used in the business world, and leave with an understanding of the three primary accounting documents. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Public Speaking Will provide an overview of ways to effectively present talks, presentations, or speeches 50 mins 7th Grade 12th GradeShould be understandable for everyone

Red, White, and Misunderstood: The American Millennial

“The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise.” Though credited to ancient philosopher Socrates, this quote mimics the current criticisms of Millennials seen in the American media. When we analyze modern history, each generation has been deemed "the worst ever" in their adolescence. This begs the question: are Millennials really any worse than the generations that have preceded them? No, but they are very different. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Refugee Protection and National Security

This class will discuss the link between refugee protection and national security. It will begin with a brief description of what it means to be a refugee under law and how instruments of international law are designed to protect refugee rights. The course will then discuss the screening processes that asylum-seekers go through prior to being officially considered a refugee. The third part of the class will focus on a proposed cycle that links national security, protracted refugee systems, and radicalization. The course will end with a discussion of what role the international community, and specifically the United States, should play in putting an end to this cycle. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Relaxing and Stress Learn life skills to decompress especially for high schoolers who are probably stressed from school, clubs, and college. Some of these practices include meditation, art (coloring), and other positive practices. 50 mins 10th Grade 12th Grade


Republicans in Power

In 2017, the Republican Party controls the White House, Congress, and most state governments. One would think it's easier to enact policies when the public and other branches are on your side. So then why have the Republicans struggled to reach a consensus in office on issues that they embraced so fervently on the campaign trail? This class seeks to explore this question by examining the Republican Party's history, how they exercise power, and how they can rally people to vote them into office. 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


Research in Language Acquisition

-General overview of undergraduate psychology research -Comparing various language acquisition theories -Discuss studies we do in the lab pertaining language acquisition 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Research in Language Acquisition

-General overview of undergraduate psychology research -Comparing various language acquisition theories -Discuss studies that we do in the lab pertaining to language acquisition 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Respiratory Emergencies and Airway Obstructions

Come learn about different respiratory emergencies and life-saving techniques with Boston College EMS. Learn from EMTs who operate on campus in order to be prepared if a respiratory emergency were to occur! 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Shark Tank: Entrepreneurship and Startups

This class will cover the basics of what entrepreneurship is, how it works and what skills you need to succeed as an entrepreneur. We will spend time talking about how you can create a business, design a website, as well as have a brainstorming session for creating new products. We will watch clips from shark tank and look at what it takes to present your product. 1 hour 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


Shattering Cuban Myths

After a semester in Cuba, I learned that many Americans are mistaken about Cuban/American history, and this course would be centered around dismantling common misconceptions about Cuba and its relation to the United States. Furthermore, its overarching theme is to teach students to look critically at history and never take any narrative for granted. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Should Robots Be Entitled to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?

As artificial intelligence becomes more and more attainable for our generation, a wide range of legal issues are starting to come into play. Who is responsible for potential crimes committed by artificial intelligence? Do robots deserve basic human rights within society? This class will present the current issues surrounding the legal rights of artificial intelligence and will involve a lively discussion about how society should resolve them. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Sign Language and Deafness 101

American Sign Language is a rich and interesting language. We will learn the ABCs, numbers and some basic signs. We will also explore some aspects of deaf culture. 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


So Whose Job Is This Anyways? (An Introduction to International Environmental Policy)

So... what is the Paris Agreement anyways? What does "international government" even mean? And how in the world are we going to deal with climate change??! If these are questions you've asked yourself, then this isthe course for you! This class will be split up between lecture and discussion, and will outline the basic tenants of international environmental policy, and give you a chance to voice your opinions on what we should do next. We will look at which environmental problems command international attention, discuss different approaches to responding to these problems, and critically review the existing government structures for deal with the environment at an international scale. 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


�3

Superheroes: Modern Mythology

Superheroes have seeped into modern zeitgeist. They are reflections of our modern values and fears. The class will show how our cultural values influenced superheroes, and how they influence us. 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


Sustainability Across Generations

Should we leave the earth a better place for our grandkids? Why? Based on my senior thesis, this class works through a model that calculates how much our generation should use now, and how much should be saved for future generations. This class introduces economic concepts such as allocation, utility, consumption, and discount rates. 50 mins 10th Grade 12th Grade


Sweet Dreams: Sleep and Dream Analysis

Our course will provide students with information regarding sleeping recommendations, techniques, and also an examination of dream patterns and analysis. 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


SWS (TBD) Personal investing 50 mins 7th Grade 12th GradeShould not be too difficult for most students

The Art of Tie-DyeAre you dying to know how to tie-dye? We can teach you all the different techniques and you will get the opportunity to try out your favorite! 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


The Evolution of Rock and Roll

Take a trip through the rich history of rock music, as we look at and listen to the many different genres that have evolved through the years. We'll look at iconic figures, musical features, and learn the origins of some of your favorite songs. 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


The Guilty Pleasure of Crime Shows

Crime shows are a staple of television. Criminal Minds, NCIS, Law and Order. Many fans can even narrate the introduction to Law and Order: SVU (definitely not me though...). Yet, crime shows are inherently creepy and scary and downright gory at times. So, why do so many people like them? How can we hate crime that we see on the news and simultaneously love crime that we see on a TV show? This class will discuss the guilty pleasure phenomenon of crime shows, and look at some of the most popular crime shows in particular. 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


The History and Influence of Political Satire

This course will track political satire and reactions to it from ancient Greece to the present. The types of satire discussed will be wide ranging. We will look at how through the arts and media satirists have critiqued systems of power in many forms including books, plays and sketch comedy, and cartoons. Students will discuss in class how they view modern satire and its influence on the current political climate. 1 hour 50 mins 10th Grade 12th Grade


The Kardashians: The Power of Social Media Learn all about the Kardashians and their rise to fame. 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


The Math Behind the Barcode

In "The Math Behind the Barcode", students will learn how every barcode they encounter, from food containers, to clothing, and even credit card numbers, are backed by modular arithmetic! Students who understand basic algebra will be able to learn this complex mathematics concept through telling time on a 12-hour clock. This class makes higher math accessible to everyone! By the end of this crash course on modular arithmetic, students will be able to use skills acquired in this class to check that all barcodes will indeed be mod 10 and also verify that their credit card numbers are valid with Luhn's Algorithm (also mod 10). This class will be very interactive and have students doing board work as well as using their own various credit cards in their wallets to verify they are mod 10. 50 mins 8th Grade 10th Grade


The Myers-Briggs in Pop Culture

Ever heard of Myers-Briggs Personality Types? Ever wanted to really understand what ENFP versus ISTJ means? Curious as to why you might like your favorite TV and movie icons? Come find out more about the world of personality types and its connection to pop culture icons. 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


The Psychology and Biology of Depression

Major Depression is a debilitating disorder that we, the general population, know far too little about. It is relatively common and unnervingly misunderstood. To understand depression, we will explore the biological and psychological components of depression—neurotransmitters and environmental factors that can cause depression and inhibit its recovery—and link these components. A general understanding of how and to what extent these sciences relate to depression is necessary for properly caring for friends and family who struggle with depression. 50 mins 10th Grade 12th Grade


The Rise of Post Malone We will discuss the history of Post Malone's Success 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


The Science of Happiness

A look at positive psychology and ways you can use science and psychology to improve your relationships, friendships, mood, and life! 1 hour 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


The Shakespearean Sonnet and Other Creative Writing learn to write poetry using Shakespearean Sonnet technique 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


The Social Impact of Ice Cream Looking at how Ben & Jerry's incorporates social justice in their business model. 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


There and Back Again: The Rise (and Fall?) of Fantasy Literature

Fantasy literature has become an extremely prevalent genre in modern society, but how did it get there? This course will look at the journey that led to Tolkien's revolutionary LotR, and what's happened to the genre since. What philosophy and meaning have people found in the fantastical, and can we still see that in modern works? Come discuss your favorite and least favorite parts of the genre, and why you read it! 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


Top Five American Failures Who Still Made America Great: Number One May Shock You

A history of prominent and well-known Americans who faced many failures in life but still succeeded in making America a better place 50 mins 9th Grade 12th Grade


Tupacology

Tupac is an extremely important influence to modern day rap music. His lyricism and poetry continue to provide emotional support and hope to people in stressful environments and life situations. We will talk about Tupac's life, analyze (clean) lyrics from some of his songs, and bring in our own life experiences to how they relate to his music. 50 mins 8th Grade 12th Grade


Understanding Arta brief dialogue over what art is and isn't, as well as its modern niche and implications in today's media-obsessed culture 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


Unraveling the Mystery of Dinosaurs

We will discuss the history of Dinosaurs, and recent scientific findings related to the mysterious extinct creatures. 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


�4

When life gives you lemons make money SWS teaching finance 101 50 mins 7th Grade 12th Grade


Yasukuni Shrine and its post-WWII implication

This course is based on my own research paper on Yasukuni Shrine in Japan. The Shrine plays a vita position in East Asian politics after enshrinement of Class A war criminals from WWII. This course would introduce the political and cultural dynamics stirred by Yasukuni and how nations cultivate realism in foreign policy. 50 mins 10th Grade 12th Grade


�5

Documents

Boston College Splash Fall 2017 Course Catalog · Neuroscience The purpose of this course is to look at recent neuroscience research from a different perspective than one ... Pursuit