Seminars
Spring 2011 Seminars
Seminar sign-up for the Spring 2011 semester begins on Thursday, January 27th at 7:30 am in room 3324. Sign-ups are on a first come-first-serve basis. Students not taking an AP course or a 9th or 10th grade Gifted course are eligible to register for a seminar. Those notices will receive notices today; please stop by 3316 if you do not receive and believe you are eligible for seminar registration. Below are the seminars being offered this semester.
- Intro to Linguistics (Tubiak): Ackording to Linguistics, ain’t nuthin’ wrong w/ how im riting this. If u think there is, u just buyin’ in 2 the 1337-ist view on prestige dialects. I’ll teech you a lil’ bout tha breighn, thee history of anglish, semantixs, fonicks, the controversies on standards, and how we learn.
- Eastern Philosophy (Tubiak): Eastern thought process. Different than Westerners’. How So? Take this class.
- Adaptation: Screenwriting Workshop (Gingrich): Have you ever been viewing a film with a friend and said “this writer’s a hack. I could write a script that would be funnier, more thoughtful, or more exciting?” Here is your chance to hone your creative writing ability. In this seminar, members will critique screenplays and their cinematic portrayals. Participants will then write original scripts and work on translating them into short films.
- Magic, Monsters, and Mythical Creatures: Middle-Earth, Narnia, and Hogwarts (Gingrich): Explore the literature of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. Consider how they create a modern mythology. Wizards, Orcs, and Muggles all welcome.
What are seminars?
Seminars are one of the avenues for receiving TAG credit at Alpharetta High School. TAG seminars present students the opportunity for academic enrichment and subject matter extensions through a variety of course offerings spanning all of the academic disciplines. Each TAG seminar is taught by a TAG teacher who has designed the seminar on a specific topic of interest to students which illustrates the instructor’s unique academic specialty. Seminars meet the equivalent of once a week for fourteen weeks, alternating through the daily schedule so that students only miss each period approximately three times per semester.
Seminars are available to TAG students. During the second week of the semester, there will be a sign up for seminars on a first come first serve basis. A TAG menu presenting brief summaries of each seminar will be available for student perusal approximately one week before sign-up occur. Seminars are limited to 21 students, so if students are interested in a seminar, it is important that they arrive early on the signup date.
To receive credit, students usually must miss no more than two classes and must complete a project by the date assigned, although requirements may vary from teacher to teacher. Students are responsible for obtaining and completing class work from their regular curriculum teachers. Grades are given on a credit/no credit basis; no letter grade is assigned, and participation in seminars in no way affects GPA.
Seminar Descriptions (Fall 2010)
Click on the title of the seminar for a current calendar.
AlieNation (Gingrich) Science Fiction or Science Fact? From H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds to The Empire Strikes Back’s Yoda, from Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles to Stephen Spielberg’s E.T., science fiction literature and film have captivated many of our imaginations. Explore the classics of science fiction. Investigate “real narratives” of extraterrestrial encounters from the fear of alien invasions and firsthand accounts of alien abductions, to government “cover-ups” of UFO sightings, the Roswell Crash Conspiracy and the story of the Men In Black. Create your own science fiction stories, cartoons, or dramatizations (films). If you have ever gazed at the moon and stars and wondered “are we alone?” take this seminar and find out.
Applied Linguistics (Tubiak) Linguistics is the study of language. If you apply that knowledge, you analyze how people use it. And in doing so you’ll find yourself facing some controversial issues: whether English should be the only official language of America, who can say what words when (you know which ones I’m talking about), or if you should have to be politically correct—it’s vertically challenged, thank you very much. We will discuss and investigate such issues, using the science of linguistics as our guide.
Food for Thought (Fernandez) If you are what you eat, then you’re probably corn. Want to know why? Then come learn about the politics and ethics of food production and marketing. Questions examined will include: Where does your food come from? What’s in your food and why? And who makes those decisions? We will discuss industrial agriculture, genetically modified foods, organic farming, animal welfare, government regulations, the food lobby, and more. Virtual field trips included.
Future Problem Solvers (Fernandez) Develop thinking and problem solving skills as you work together to find creative solutions to local and global problems. Participants in this seminar can compete for money and fabulous prizes in the Future Problem Solving Program. For more information, see the FPSPI website at http://www.fpspi.org/topics.html.
Is a Toilet Art? Pragmatism and the Postmodern Condition (Tubiak) Nietzsche said that “There are no facts, only interpretations.” Considering such a statement is more than an intellectual or philosophical exercise; if Nietzsche’s view is accurate, how do you cope in a world lacking truth without resorting to nihilism? Where do you draw the line between art and trash? How do you differentiate between a hero and villain? When do you mandate standardized English instead of allowing people to speak as they wish? Should you bother trying to figure out “who you are” or just see yourself as a complete product of your constantly changing environment? Do you fight for what you believe in or see doing so as an act of hegemony against those whom will become history’s “losers”? This seminar looks to address such questions through an interdisciplinary look at the cultural aspects of postmodernism.
“Off with their Heads” (Gingrich) From Grimm’s Grimmest to Harry Potter’s Quidditch matches, from Alice’s Adventures to Shrek’s marriage, we will explore the history and cultural impact of Fairy Tales and “Children’s Literature.” Children’s literature often has been watered down in versions from the original tales which were often brutal and bloody (why does Cinderella’s step sister cut off half of her foot? why does the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood have his stomach sliced open?). Discover the original stories and discuss what they teach children (and adults) about morals and human nature. Write, illustrate, and dramatize your own children’s stories. Remember your youthful imagination and prepare to put on your invisibility cloak, step through the looking glass, and skip down the yellow brick road.