Rochester Scholars
Spring Course Descriptions 2008
- 2008 Spring Session: April 14 – April 18
- Offered to students in grades 9-12, running for one week, Monday - Friday. Students may choose a morning (9 a.m. to 12 noon) and/or afternoon (1 p.m. to 4 p.m.) class. Each session includes a group lunch hour from 12 noon to 1 p.m.
- Registration for the Winter and Spring Sessions opens on December 14, 2007.
Course List
Morning (9 a.m. to Noon)
American Sign Language
Astronomy: Planets, Stars, and NASA
Build a Mobile Robot
Digital Art
Economics, Law, and Freakonomics
Game Theory
What’s Up Doc? Exploring the Pre-med Experience
Afternoon (1 p.m. to 4 p.m.)
Animal Learning and Behavior
Argument & Debate
Careers in Communications
Careers in Education
Careers in Engineering
Careers in Psychology
“SIMS” Business
What’s Up Doc? Exploring the Pre-med Experience
Course Descriptions
American Sign Language
Morning
Are you ready to go on a journey into the world of the Deaf, where our voice is in our hands and we listen with our eyes? Did you know that Deaf Americans share a rich and unique culture with their own history, traditions, beliefs, values, and etiquette? The Deaf community has its own doctors, Avon ladies, hairdressers, teachers, scientists, mechanics, and even plumbers. This class taps into the Deaf world and teaches students all about its people. Students will develop important signing skills and strategies that will allow them to communicate confidently and effectively with Deaf individuals. Rochester has the second-most populous Deaf community in America. There is a need and desire for this language to grow, bridging the gap between the hearing world and the Deaf world.
Animal Learning and Behavior
Afternoon
Did you know that goldfish are trainable? This course will teach students the neural basis of learning, focusing on the principles of operant and classical conditioning. Students will learn which parts of the nervous system are used to acquire information, how animals use that information, and then how to modify animal behavior. Students will get to apply this knowledge by training goldfish to follow a laser pointer, and clicker training animals and their fellow classmates!
Argument & Debate
Afternoon
Debate emphasizes public speaking, critical thinking, organization, and research, while improving one’s self-confidence and self-esteem. These tools make for success in any academic discipline or field of personal interest. This course introduces argumentation and logic, policy analysis and problem solving. Basic research techniques will emphasize the use of Internet databases. Students practice debate in front of an audience. Students are encouraged to voice their opinions on a number of social issues in a forum that stresses free speech and open-mindedness.
Consider pairing with the morning course, Economics, Law, and Freakonomics.
Astronomy: Planets, Stars, and NASA
Morning
How does astronomy impact our daily life? Time, days, seasons, and weather revolve around astronomy – and that’s just the beginning. In this course, students will learn about our solar system’s inner and outer planets; comets and asteroids; our own star, the Sun; star birth, life, and death; NASA’s manned/unmanned space missions; and recent events and spacecraft launches in the news such as the demotion of Pluto, the New Horizons spacecraft on its way to Pluto in 2015, the still-functioning Mars Rovers and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the Cassini spacecraft presently observing Saturn. Get ready to explore outer space and discover new worlds!
Build a Mobile Robot
Morning
How would you like to build a robot that moves around and interacts with the environment? Now is your chance! Sensors, motors, computer programming, robot design, and construction come together in this hands-on workshop. First, students work in small groups using Lego Mindstorm kits to design, build, and program a robot that will accomplish an assigned task. Then students think of a problem, design a robot to solve it, and build that robot. Students learn how to program, work effectively in teams, solve engineering problems, and the start-to-finish design process for building a working system. (Maximum Enrollment of 15)
Consider pairing with the afternoon course, Careers in Engineering.
Careers in Communications
Afternoon
Get the real scoop, and learn how to report it, publicize it, or market it accurately and ethically in this course, designed for students who aspire to work in the field of Communications, Journalism, or Marketing. Through discussions, a field trip, and case studies, students will learn the ins and outs of working in the fast-paced field of media relations, and how to get on the inside track to a great career in the field of communications.
Careers in Education
Afternoon
Are you thinking of a career in education, but not quite sure what you want to do? Join this course to discover more about the field of education, its many specializations, and how you can make a difference. This course will explore the fields of teaching in K-12 and college environments in addition to covering the career paths of guidance counselors and school administrators. Students will learn about different programs, licenses, and courses required to work in the field of education, and what they can do now to get a head start.
Careers in Engineering
Afternoon
Through stimulating lectures, interactive labs, and informative field trips, this class introduces the many disciplines of engineering, and what students can expect during academic training at a university level. Students will be provided with an overview of the necessary tools for analysis and problem solving, and they will be encouraged to use their creativity, energy, and interpersonal skills while participating in several in-class design projects. Additionally, students will learn the importance of mathematics, science, and technology in everyday engineering situations. By the end of the course, students will have a better-defined idea of engineering, its requirements, and their options for a future within this field.
Consider pairing with the morning course, Build a Mobile Robot.
Careers in Psychology
Afternoon
Embark on a journey of exploration into how and why we think, feel, and act the way we do – and what we can do with this knowledge. Psychology is a relatively young discipline that has grown and developed tremendously over the past 100 years. The goal of this course is a basic understanding of the major topics that make up the field of psychology and to introduce students to different career paths in psychology. The course will encourage a conceptual understanding of genuinely psychological topics, including organizational and industrial psychology, philanthropy and altruism, social interactions, psychiatry, and research methods. Students will apply their knowledge through mind games, video clips, and a field trip that will provide students with an insight into the goals and content of an education in psychology, and how psychological theories can relate to everyday life.
Digital Art
Morning
Digital art techniques are some of the most pervasive tools used by contemporary artists. Printmakers, photographers, performance artists, and graphic designers are currently incorporating digital techniques into the production of their work. Web design, digital advertising, digital video, digital music, and interactive art thrive as art of their own making – forging its own unique place in commercial and fine art fields. Digital art has found its way into channels you use everyday: in podcasts, on YouTube, and on MySpace pages. In this course, students will learn to use computer software as a tool in the creation of art and individualized projects. Using two different software packages, students will learn to incorporate technical skills with artistic expression of ideas.
Economics, Law, and Freakonomics
Morning
What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? What makes a perfect parent? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? This class will use the best-selling book Freakonomics to explore ways in which economic analysis can be used to explain some current political, social and economic issues. Through discussions and in-class activities, students will study and discuss issues including taxes, poverty, drugs, war, education, the Stock Market, Globalization and immigration. In this course, students will turn conventional wisdom on its head by exploring the riddles of everyday life, including the hidden truths embedded in – or camouflaged by – the modern world.
Consider pairing with the afternoon course, Argument & Debate.
Game Theory
Morning
Just about everyone enjoys playing games, but how many really know their importance in everyday life? By studying principles of simple and common games, students will learn to analyze more complex games and real-world strategic interactions. Popular illustrative games, as well as some of the students’ favorites, will be used to familiarize the class with various economic concepts. Students will work together in using these concepts to examine business, political, military, and social applications such as trust and fairness, credibility, foreign policy, incentives, price negotiations, bargaining, industrial competition, and marketing. By the end of this class, Tic Tac Toe will no longer be viewed as just X’s and O’s, but rather an intriguing lens through which to apply worldwide issues and current events.
Consider pairing with the afternoon course, “SIMS” Business.
“SIMS” Business
Afternoon
Owning your own business. Being your own boss. Setting your own hours. These are the goals of many people as they embark into working life. This course will give students the opportunity to find out what it takes to own their own business. Through the magic of technology and a computer simulation program, students will learn about the many decisions needed to run a business – and, actually carry them out! This course will let students run their own company, from choosing which products to purchase, to pricing, merchandising, and promoting those products, to staffing and location of their company. Students will embark on the decision making process in their computer simulated business, and then see the results and outcomes. Toward the end of the week, students will compete against each other to see whose business is the best of the best!
Consider pairing with the morning course, Economics, Law, and Freakonomics.
What’s Up Doc? Exploring the Pre-med Experience
Morning and Afternoon
What’s it like to be a physician? What does it take to become a doctor? Meet with practicing physicians, medical students, and other experts. Explore hands-on medical procedures, examine equipment, and discuss medical ethics and the role of the physician. Learn what it takes, academically, to prepare for medical school, how to decide if medicine is right for you, and current pros and cons of being a doctor.
