CLASSES, TUTORIALS, ACTIVITIES

with Joe Glover. In an unbiased way, students will learn both sides (pro and con) of various controversial economic, political, and social issues. Students will then be encouraged to critique the arguments by either supporting, opposing, or alternatively advancing a middle-of-the road compromise. Ideally, the course should evolve into a polite debate format, where students can voice their own views and argue their points.

An all-group meeting to check in with the community, talk about any shared concerns or significant matters and plan for upcoming events and activities. All members are encouraged to attend.

with Chloe Raichle. The class provides an overview of Anatomy & Physiology. A basic understanding of levels of structural organization and the different body systems.

With Joel. A general survey of United States history from the start of WWII to the end of the Cold War. Particular attention is paid to the history of social movements and various groups inside the United States, how larger global issues impacted US History and the role technology and geography played in US History.

With Pan. Embark on a fascinating adventure through the world of mathematics in this Math Appreciation class. Explore the captivating histories and stories behind major mathematical discoveries and developments, engage in hands-on activities that make math come alive, and learn about fundamental math concepts across various fields. This course aims to provide an appreciation for the beauty, creativity, and practicality of mathematics.

With Katy. We meet once a week to share stories! The stories we love say an awful lot about us. This year we are focusing on classical stories. After sharing we discuss the story and unlock its secrets. All stories have secrets; it’s a matter of knowing where to look. Attendance expected.

With Scott. Art is not a discrete discipline.

It seems to exist at the intersection of all other possible disciplines. Learning to draw, paint, sculpt, dance, film etc. are crucial skills that build a broader understanding of one’s place within culture and the self but in and of themselves do not produce art.

Art seems to occur in the overlap of other disciplines: science, philosophy, engineering, politics, literature etc.

This class will focus on that elusive space.

With Skip Berman. Criminal justice describes the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. Justice is the ideal that individuals are to be treated in a manner that is equitable and fair.

This course will focus on the constraints on behavior imposed by law to ensure a safe and stable society. It will describe the elements of crimes that must be proven and follow the whole process of bringing an accused through the criminal justice system. It will reveal where there are flaws in the system and what has been and can be done to correct them.

There will also be a section on criminology, which is the study of why individuals commit crimes. It includes principles of sociology and other non-legal fields, including psychology and mental illness, economics, statistics, and anthropology.

with Carolyn Biondi. What does scientific research say about wellbeing? What is positive psychology and what does it mean to flourish? In this course, we explore psychological research from the past two decades, focusing on the PERMA model (positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment) for creating a rich and fulfilling life, as well as explore character strengths as a way to think about what is good and right in humans. In addition to reviewing articles, books, podcasts and webinars, you have the opportunity to apply strategies and consider what helps create wellbeing in your own life. Those who are interested may also incorporate literature, film and art into their exploration of how we think about wellbeing and what it means to thrive.

With Skip. Civics is a social science dealing with the rights and duties of citizens and their public officials. It describes the broad political and economic structure of the place where we live, how it affects us, and how we affect it. A political system is a coordinated set of principles, laws, ideas, and procedures relating to a particular form of government. It coexists with an economic system that organizes a country’s economy. The two concepts are intertwined and continuously evolve.

We live in a big, diverse country, but there are core concepts that run through it at all levels that make it understandable. In everything we do we encounter rules that tell us how we should behave and how we can get things done. Where do these rules come from? Who makes them? What is their structure? How do we use them to our benefit? What are their limits? In this course we will learn about our Constitution and how it defines our government, and the organization and role of government at every level from airport security to local law enforcement and even to where you can put a shed in your backyard. These are things that all citizens should know so that they can understand current events and move into adulthood with knowledge to confidently control their lives.

With Janice. This class uses medical case histories of patients to explore underlying diseases. Case histories are presented and relevant concepts discussed and then potential differential diagnoses are considered.

With Katy. In this course we travel the globe through film. We view foreign films from a variety of countries as well as independent American films and maybe even a Hollywood film or two for good measure. We study the films as text, analyzing symbols, character development, cinematography, plot structure and so on. The hope is that by appreciating and understanding the films with different themes, styles, from different countries, time periods, that we come to a better understanding and deeper appreciation of the stories, culture and people.

With Peter. We are reading ‘The Odyssey” by Homer this year.

With Ellen. We will talk about the history of children’s books from their beginnings to the present. In addition to discussing the texts, we will look at how they were produced (e.g., printing; papermaking; illustration techniques, and printing processes); by whom they were written and for whom they were intended. We will consider social issues and historic developments (e.g., war, racial prejudice, new technology, etc.) that affect children’s book publishing. We will share our own favorite children’s books, talk about why we love them, and see what’s new in the world of books for children.

At PLC we believe that getting out in to the world should be part a young person’s education. With that in mind, we schedule trips to various locations on Fridays, such as museums, tours of restaurants, businesses, and farms, local artisans, and hikes in local natural areas. PLC members interested to lead a trip work with their mentor to plan and communicate about the outing.

with Katy Burke. Writers’ Writers’ Workshop is for those who love writing, for those who fear it and everyone in between. This is where you can get feedback, tips and pointers for whatever writing assignment you are currently working on, and encouragement for writing more. Any kind of writing is open for discussion whether it’s a blog post, a poem, a brainstorm, a college admissions essay, a film script, an essay digging into a question that is plaguing you, an ad for a business, or a letter to your grandma. Bring a laptop, tablet, or journal for writing in. Electronic devices are preferred if you want to set word count challenges that will be supported by the group. We meet twice a week to encourage consistent and routine writing habits. Attendance expected.

Let’s play the ultimate Magic Card game.

With Katy Burke. Join Katy to learn some knitting and listen to relaxing music.

With Nadine. This course covers drawing materials and techniques and focuses on increasing visual awareness and strengthening conceptual and rendering skills. We will explore fundamentals such as composition, line, form and value and how to utilize these for expressive purposes. We will do both observational drawing and drawing from the imagination. A variety of conceptual approaches to working with images and representation will be explored. Students will experiment with a range of materials.

With Kishore. The class will introduce basic programming concepts using Python. A project based hands-on approach will be adopted. Course will cover basics like variables, data types, decision & looping statements. It will also cover use of data structures like Lists, Dictionaries, handling files and graphing.

No programming experience is required.

Environment: Google Colab

With Jacob and Joshua. In this class we look to study nature outside, using the woods behind All Saints as our classroom, as well as studying living organisms and habitats in other areas. We look to understand different species, how they interact with each other and their environment, and the impact of humans on nature in the past and future. We walk outside in nature in all kinds of weather however, we may on occasion decide to stay inside to watch a nature-related documentary.