Winterm 2014: On-Campus Course Catalog ... - Cannon School

Winterm 2014: On-Campus Course CatalogStudents will be asked to choose either one day course or a combination of one AM and onone PM course.Students are asked to complete their Winterm Registration forms by choosing four possiblecourses for each AM and PM slot.The school day will still run from 8:05 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and students will go to Advisory forattendance each day.Some courses have scheduled local trips which could add from $5-15 to course costs pertrip.DAY COURSESCourse Title: “Med School 101”Course Description: Students will gain first-hand experience as medical professionals.Mornings will involve an in-depth discussion and activities related to medical terminology,medical research, medical procedures, and pre-medical programs at Universities. Eachafternoon we will take a trip to a medical establishment, which may include: watching asurgery, visiting an oncologist, visiting a trauma room at a local hospital, touring anorthopedic facility, visiting the medical research campus in Kannapolis, visiting/speakingwith current pre-med/medical students.Approximate cost per student (if any): roughly $20 for text, $20 for personalized lab coat,and cost for busses and bus driver.Course Title: “Cannon Design Stars”Course Description: Students interested in learning the basics of Interior Design/Organizationwill choose a space to redesign (such as a room in their home, the school, an office space, etc.)and complete a plan that concludes with a presentation. Highlights include: Field trips todesign centers, class visits by Interior Design professionals. Students will create a roomredesign either by drawing or computer and present their design plan including paint and fabricsamples, pictures of lighting, furniture, etc. to the group OR depending on the time, we could1

do a "Design Star" challenge where students work either individually or in teams, choose a roomor rooms (such as a classroom, workroom, etc.) in the school for redesign and the winningdesign is executed by all, the students collaborating.Approximate cost per student (if any, please itemize): $20Course Title: “Community Service in Action”Course Description: We will spend the week visiting different service organizations in ourcommunity and participating in 4 direct service projects. On the last day of Wintermstudents will give presentations to their peers as a way to share and learn from ourexperiences together.Approximate cost per student: $30Course Title: “Carolina in My Mind: Southern Heritage and AmericanHistory in the Tar Heel State”Course Description: This full-day course is designed to be a lively exploration of Carolinahistory, especially its (troubled) history as part of the American south. It will involve 2-3 daylongfield trips to important historical landmarks near Charlotte. We will also spend sometime in class and in the Cannon library, where students will explore their own particularinterests in local history and have an opportunity to find and navigate digital historicalarchives— a fun and important skill that will serve them in future college-level researchendeavors. As a class, we will read and discuss excerpts from Tony Horwitz's hilarious andthoughtful book, Confederates in the Attic, which will help students think critically aboutabstract questions like how we define regional identity, how we write American history, andhow we as individuals are influenced by the places that we come from.Approximate cost per student: $302

Course Title:“Cracking open Charlotte”Course Description: In this full day course, students will learn about the historical andeconomic significance of Charlotte and surrounding area of Concord. We will take daily fieldtrips to different venues that have made Charlotte the city it is today. We will be going toCharlotte Motor Speedway, Museum of the New South, Wells Fargo History Museum, andGantt’s Center for African American Arts and Culture. In addition to understanding theimportance of each of these places to our city’s history, we will go to a variety of iconicrestaurants in the Charlotte and Concord area and interview owners / managers of therestaurant and discuss how Charlotte has changed while they have been operating theirbusiness. In addition to the fee for the field trip students need to budget about $8-10 forlunch every day except Friday.Approximate cost per student (if any):$30.00 per student and $8-10 per meal that studentswill bring on the days of lunch.AM CoursesCourse Title: “Essential Vinyl- Albums from 60’s & 70’sCourse Description: A course on the music from the 60s and 70s, covered through lecturesand listening sessions. Topics of the lectures and listening sessions include the sociopoliticalthemes, aesthetic qualities, and performance perspectives of the artists, songs, and albums.Class time will include close examination of the music, the lyrics, and the influence on race,gender, popular culture, and the politics of creative expression.Approximate cost per student (if any):$0Course Title: “The Universe – A Journey of the Planets”Course Description: Utilizing the documentary series from the "Science Channel" —The Universe; investigate our solar system through a seminar series.Approximate cost per student (if any): $30-$503

Course Title:“Exploring Sculpture”Course Description: Sculpture is the art of using materials to transform an idea into a realobject. Do you feel this desire to transform materials into sculptures that express yourideas? Join me for and exploration of meaningful use of space (as it relates to art) Studentswill be introduced to a variety of sculptural techniques and materials.Approximate cost per student (if any): $30-$50Course Title: “Born to Run”Course Description: Have you ever wanted to learn how to get stronger, run faster, or justimprove your overall health? Whether you have never touched a dumbbell or you are a threesport athlete, let Coach Trojan take you on a fun and informative ride in to the world ofathletic performance training. This class will offer instruction and practice in the propertechniques for developing muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility. Emphasis will alsobe on proper nutrition for general health and athletic fitness. Each class day will be a mix ofpreach and practice as we move to and from the classroom and the weight room,culminating with how to develop your own training plan to help you reach your athleticgoals.Approximate cost per student (if any, please itemize): $ 0Course Title:“Defense Wins Championships and Other Myths”Course Description: An examination of the conventional wisdom and the “truisms” ofsports. With the book Scorecasting by Tobias Moskowitz and John Wertheim as a jumpingoff point, we will explore some of the clichés and strategies that coaches and TV analystscontinually cite as being universal and try to determine if they actually are based in any factby examining statistics and historical trends in the games we love. Possible topics includehome-field advantage, momentum, punting on 4 th down, the true “value” of an MVP,traditional stats vs. modern metrics, BCS, RPI, Quarterback Ratings, real life vs. fantasySports, Statistical Bias in the media, etc.Approximate Cost per Student (if any): $10-154

Course Title: “School of Rock”Course Description: Form a band of US and/or faculty musicians. The repertoire would bepulled from classic rock&roll and Motown. Rhythm section players (guitar, bass, piano,drums), horns, and vocalists (backup and lead) are encouraged to enroll.Approximate Cost per Student (if any): $0Course Title:“Star Wars for Storytellers”Course Description: This course will emphasize Joseph Campbell’s work with commonthemes in mythology (especially the twelve steps of the Hero’s Journey), using the exampleof the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Students will learn what all great stories –from ancient epic sagas to novels, to their favorite movies – have in common, and whatingredients are necessary to create a great story. Examples of other films, screenplays, etc.will be used. Note: this course is not limited to aspiring writers only. Rather, it is meant foranyone who enjoys a good story.Approximate cost per student (if any, please itemize): $0Course Title:“Chinese Culture: Tea, Weiqi, and Ping Pong”Do you want to sip famous Chinese tea as you learn of its great importance in China'shistory? Would you like to learn how to properly prepare and drink your tea Chinese style aswe explore more Chinese traditional ways of life? Do you want to learn how to play Weiqiand meet the challenge of the quintessence of China that will open up and test yourintelligence? Do you want to learn how to play Chinese national ball game- Ping Pong in aweek (and see if you can beat the teacher)? Do you like Chinese food? Do you want toexplore some of the regional cuisines of China and learn more about Chinese food anddishes? Do you want to have some fun while cooking up some tasty Chinese food on yourown? Join Chinese Culture course and you will learn how to make dumplings, fried rice, andother Chinese dishes while at the same time learning to use basic Chinese words whenpreparing, cooking, and eating. You will also explore the culture and customs behind thefood while we have fun. And you will learn some fun things about setting the table, how toplace the person of highest authority, and how to say "thank you" without speaking a word!And you will experience the rich and varied life, culture and target language.Approximate cost per student (if any, please itemize): $05

Course Title: “A Crash Course in Public Speaking”Course Description: Students will learn the basics of public speaking, evaluating famousorators as well as practicing speaking individually.Approximate cost per student (if any, please itemize): $0Course Title: “Learn to Dive”Course Description: We will work directly with the Carolina Dive Academy Dive coach,along with myself, to teach the basic skills of springboard diving. Each participant will learna basic hurdle, a forward dive, back dive, front flip, inward dive, and one dive of their choice.We will meet at the Huntersville Family Fitness and Aquatic Center from 9-11am duringWinterm week. The last day of the course we will hold a diving meet where the divers willperform their dives in front of judges.Approximate cost per student (if any): $35Course Title:Introduction to Positive Psychology:Seeing the Good within All of UsCourse Description: Far too often society is shown repeatedly the depths of humanweakness, evil capabilities, and inability to meet the expectations of the world around them.Recently a group of psychologist, educators and people from other disciplines joinedtogether out of a desire to know more about positive human functioning. The result of theirendeavors was a new paradigm called Positive Psychology. This burgeoning disciplineemphasizes the utilization of scientific study to the understanding of optimal humanfunctioning and what makes life worth living. This class focuses on the core components ofpositive psychology including the meaning of happiness and well-being, positive emotionsand resiliency, developing and pursuing goals, and the strengths of character, and explorestheir application in the domains that are personally relevant to student’s lives such as school,work, family, other close relationships and community.Approximate cost per student (if any, please itemize): $30-$356

Course Title:“Dance Conditioning”Course Description: Students will explore and practice basic conditioning for professionaldancers. They will learn and participate in the common methods that dancers use tomaintain a healthy mind and body. The course will feature a sampling of various types ofconditioning classes, presentations from nutritionists, trainers, and coaches, and videos thatwill give them a glimpse into the life of a professional dancer. No Dance experiencerequired.Approximate cost per student (if any, please itemize): $10-20Course Title: #Roadtrip - @Cannon2FutureCourse Description: An interactive seminar modeled after the ideas presented in RoadtripNation. Roadtrip Nation is a Movement of people who are defining their own Roadsin life by resisting The Noise of conformity and gaining the confidence to do whatinspires them. The week will combine classroom exercises and discussions with road tripsto area professionals who have followed their dreams, explored a variety of career paths andhave made an impact in their career fields.Approximate cost per student (if any, please itemize): $35, plus cost for lunch each dayCourse Title:“Dreams Deferred: Poverty in America”Course Description: This course will examine the causes and consequences of poverty in theUnited States, with students working for three days at the Mooresville Soup Kitchen,preparing and serving meals to the homeless patrons.Approximate cost per student (if any, please itemize): $ 07

PM CoursesCourse Title:“Podcast Radio”Course Description: Students will develop a podcast radio station- from creating the formatfor the station (ex. music programming, talk shows on the arts and sports, Cannon Schoolnews and current events, etc.) to producing his/her show, and to posting the show on theschool website.Approximate cost per student: $0Course Title: “Literature and Race”Course Description: We will look at short stories, poetry, and short selections of non-fictionthat are focused on the subtle and not so subtle realities of relating to one another acrossracial lines.Approximate cost per student: $0Course Title: “Introductory Painting”Course Description: _This course is designed for the students who have not enrolled in avisual arts class but have an interest in learning to paint. Foundations of color theory anddifferent paint media will be introduced.Approximate cost per student: $25Course Title: “Woodworking & Powertools 101”Course Description: We will be designing a project for our campus (bench or tableor something else). Then we will cut and build the project and give it to theschool, having learned many of the skills and techniques.Approximate cost per student: $75-1008

Course Title: “An Introduction to Triathlon”Course Description: Students will be introduced to the sport of triathlon through a look intothe history of the sport, some of the most famous triathlons ever competed, trainingcalendars, and participation in all three disciplines.Approximate cost per student (if any): $10-15Course Title: “Social Commentary on Horror Film”Course Description: An examination of the ways horror films from the 1950s through thepresent day pass along important social commentary about the environment, the actions ofour young people, etc...Approximate cost per student (if any): $0Course Title: “The Media and Me”Course Description: This course explores concepts and issues in the study of media, attentive tobut not limited by the question of the "new" posed by new media technologies. Our survey ofkey critical approaches to media is anchored in specific case studies drawn from a diversearchive of media artifacts, industries, and technologies: from photography, cinema, networkedhypermedia, digital artwork, journalism etc. We examine different media technologies andthe forms of social life they enable, engage critical debates about media, culture and power,and consider problems of reading posed by specific media objects and processes, new and old."Media"--a term designating text and apparatus of textual transmission, content andconduit— surrounds us and we actively engage in different forms of "media" (self-drivenmedia, what we will call "ME-dia") poses a central problem of knowledge for the class andour outside lives. Our goal throughout is to develop the research tools, modes ofreading, and forms of critical practice that help us aptly to describe and thereby begin tounderstand the increasingly mediated world in which we live. We will attempt to answer thequestion, how can we be both consumers and questioners in this digital age?Approximate cost per student (if any): $09

Course Title: “Children’s Literature through the Ages”Take a look at Children's Literature in the past versus today. Learn about significantdevelopments and connections.Approximate cost per student (if any): $0Course Title: “Yoga, Meditation, and Mindfulness”Course Description: Students will explore the history and branches of yoga and participate ina variety of practices offered by surrounding studios. Students will also practice various typesof mediation.Approximate cost per student (if any): $75Course Title:“Digital Video Bootcamp”Course Description: Learn the basics of digital video from script to screen by making yourown 2-4 minute video. This workshop culminates with a screening of the finished videos.The Digital Video Bootcamp will provide participants with a skill set to continue theirfilmmaking endeavors.Approximate cost per student: roughly $12 per student for lunch on a Field TripCourse Title:“Acting Shakespeare”Course Description: Scared of Shakespeare? Fear not. Once you do the necessary work tofigure out exactly what your character is saying (and with the right techniques, that’s notnearly as hard as you might think,) his lines are the easiest to memorize and the most fun toact. When Shakespeare’s language is brought to life by actors who truly know what they’redoing, there’s nothing stuffy or boring about it. It’s fun, physical, beautiful, ugly, hilarious,profound, and always epic. This class is open to all. It will provide an opportunity forstudents acting in Much Ado About Nothing to deepen their character work, and forstudents who have never stepped on a stage to gain a solid understanding of fundamentaltechniques.Approximate cost per student (if any): $010

Course Title: “Lessons Learned From Star Trek”Course Description: We will use examples from various Star Trek TV shows and or moviesto examine and discuss topics including racism, patriotism, slavery, and the use/power oftechnology.Approximate cost per student: $0Course Title:“The History of Pro Sports in America”Course Description: Fans, or fanatics, of various sports can be found everywhere you go inour country at every level of play. The magnitude of the role of sports in the Americanculture is at an all-time high. When and where did this passion and enthusiasm begin? Havethe “Big Four” sports (Football, Basketball, Baseball and Hockey) always been at the top ofthe list? Come and learn how sports quickly moved from past-times to big money-makers.Approximate cost per student (if any): $0Course Title: “Celebrity Justice: Hollywood and High-Profile Cases”Using high profile and celebrity legal cases as a backdrop, students will learn about the basicsof criminal and civil law. Through Hollywood movies, documentaries, articles and casestudies, students will explore topics such as jury selection, basic rights and responsibilities,inherent problems and flaws in the system, social justice issues and inequities, and debunkingmyths created by television shows. Students will engage in the voir dire (jury selection)process, evaluate cases for themselves, and explore case studies that allow them toexperience the drama from different vantage points In the courtroom.Approximate cost per student (if any): $0Course Title:“World Myth and the Human Imagination”Course Description: This is a study of world myths, folktales, and fairytales and how theycan inform our own self-knowledge. We will study heroes, villains, and tricksters from allover the world and discuss how the archetypal hero's journey can apply to our lives. We willalso draw stories from the world's religious and wisdom traditions to compare and contrasthistorical and modern formulations of the hero's quest and what it means to live a good life.Questions we'll answer: "Why are the Grimm Brothers' Folktales so violent?" "What does11

Wolverine have in common with an ancient Sumerian king?" "Is Shrek enlightened?" and"Orcs vs. Dementors: How does the villain define the hero?"As Joseph Campbell says:"Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes of all time have gone before us. Thelabyrinth is thoroughly known. We have only to follow the thread of the hero path, and where we had thoughtto find an abomination, we shall find a god. And where we had thought to slay another, we shall slayourselves. Where we had thought to travel outward, we will come to the center of our own existence. Andwhere we had thought to be alone, we will be with all the world."Approximate cost per student (if any): $5-10--The Power of Myth, 1988, p. 123.Course Title:“Music and Money”Course Description: The importance of making and keeping money is obvious. Knowinghow to do so is less obvious. Students learn the basics of personal finance with a twist bylooking at the lyrics to popular songs about money. Using songs like "Taxman" by theBeetles, "I Wanna Be Rich" by Calloway, and the more recent "Large Amounts" by Ludacris,we'll explore how to keep track, save, and invest your money.Approximate cost per student (if any): $oCourse Title:“A Journey of Biblical Proportions”Course Description: So much of Western culture assumes a knowledge of both the Hebrewand the Christian scriptures. In this overview we will walk through the stories you need toknow to have a basic grasp of both Jewish and Christian sacred writings. This course is notapologetic in nature nor is it for “believers,” instead it is designed to give an understandingof culturally relevant biblical stories.Approximate cost per student (if any): $o12

Winterm 2014 TripsArt and Mythology in the Land of Legend (Greece) *LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE*PARENT INFORMATION SESSION: SEPTEMBER 9 th at 6:00 p.m. – FOUNDATION HALLJoin us on an exploration of classical Greek mythology! We will embark on a journey toexperience the stories and adventures in the actual places of their origins. The focus will becentered on the art, architecture and artifacts of ancient Greece. While the final itinerary issubject to change, we plan to visit Athens, Delphi, Olympia, Epidaurus, and Mycenae. Opa!Students will read excerpts from Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by EdithHamilton in preparation for the trip. Throughout the fall, participants will engage in a series ofdiscussion groups prior to our departure.Guatemala Service Trip (Guatemala City, Guatemala) *LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE*PARENT INFORMATION SESSION: SEPTEMBER 9 th at 6:00 p.m. – FOUNDATION HALLDuring this 7-day trip to Guatemala, Cannon students will complete a service project in thesurrounding community. The service project will be centered on local villages, churches, schoolsor community centers. The travel agency, Intercultural Experiences, has picked specific serviceprojects for communities. Once Cannon students have committed to this trip the group willdecide which project to work on for the week. Students will earn service hours on the trip,which will count towards the Cannon School service requirement. In addition to a group of 5-7students, Mrs. Zelaya envisions mentoring one or two rising seniors who are interested inadopting one of these causes as their Capstone project for next year. You do not need to speakSpanish for this trip, nor must you be a skilled craftsman…no skills are necessary, just awillingness to serve!Habitat for Humanity Service Trip (Sea Island, South Carolina)*TRIP FULL*Do you love that really good feeling you get from performing a service for others? Do you likethe sense of accomplishment you get from working with your hands and building something?Do you enjoy sharing an awesome experience with your friends and people who enjoy thesesame purposes? Then, this trip is for you! We will be traveling to John’s Island, SC (nearCharleston) to work for the week with Sea Island Habitat for Humanity to aid in continuing theprojects that they have going in the greater Charleston area. Habitat for Humanity is a wonderfulservice organization and the need for safe affordable housing is of such high demand and soimportant to those who will benefit from the outcome of our hard work. (Students must be 16years of age by January 1, 2014 to participate in this trip.)13