Splash Fall 2018
Course Catalog

Ever dreamed of being on a drumline? Come learn the basics with some of the students on BC's Drumline in the Boston College Marching Band and experiment with different beats and rhythms on different types of drums.

Basics of makeup

This class - led by a BC senior- will examine what to do to prepare for college life and the college application process. This course is restricted to high school students.

How do you make a computer program that calculates the square of any number? What makes a program continue until it finds the correct answer? We will begin the very basics of what programming is and how to learn coding skills, then move into some basic math problem solving with the coding language Python.


Prerequisites
No previous computer science knowledge is required!

Should we care about Katniss's love life? How much do we love Hazel Grace and Gus? What about Lara Jean from To All the Boys I've Loved Before, and Simon, from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Love, Simon)? With Young Adult literature playing a bigger role in pop culture than ever before, especially with hugely popular film and television adaptions, the genre is defining the ideas and values of a generation of readers.

Join us in talking about the ways young adult literature addresses issues of gender and sexuality, and how that has influenced our own understandings of these issues.

In this course, students will travel through the mythological history of the creatures we always feared were under our bed.

Are you interested in learning another language? In this class, we will discuss effective methods of second language acquisition and creative ways to practice speaking. No foreign language skill required.


Prerequisites
N/A

We will discuss the importance of public health on a global scale and learn about the many challenges that the field of public health faces. We will also learn about the many ways to get involved in solving these complex and far-reaching health issues!

Learn to write like Shakespeare!

Do you like musicals and acting? Are you interested in the development of the United States? Are you as obsessed with the Hamilton soundtrack as we are? Come join us as we look at the growth of the United States from its birth in the late 1700s to present day, following the musicals that we all know and love and what they teach us about the times.

As humans, we always feel as though we have complete control over the way we think all the time. That’s really not the case! In this class we will go over a bunch of psychological phenomena and illusions that are meant to “Psych” you out.

Can a company be more than a profit-hungry money machine? Or can businesses provide some social good through their practices and products? From Starbucks and Patagonia to Sea World and Facebook, we'll look at what makes a company "good" or "bad." We can also see how the stock returns of morally good companies compare to companies caught misbehaving.
We'll look at some frameworks, case studies, and talk about some of our favorite companies!

This course explores the fundamental principles and applications of basic experimental methods used in molecular biology.


Prerequisites
General Biology and Chemistry

I will discuss the basics of special and general relativity at a high-school level. We will be going over length contraction, time dilation, gravitational waves, black holes, and wormholes, to name a few. No previous knowledge of physics is required.


Prerequisites
Algebra

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!

Did you know that bats are your main reason for bananas? Did you know that only the vampire bat can walk? Did you know that bats are an amazing critter that you should learn about? Stop on in to learn about the cool contributions that bats make to our world, why they're so important to preserve, and what role we can play in their conservation!

We will cover the basics of molecular genetics. If time allows, we will also move into a discussion of sequencing and the Human Genome Project. In the second half of the class, we will isolate DNA from fruit that you will be able to take home!


Prerequisites
A basic knowledge of biology

This November, voters in all fifty states will head to the polls and decide the fate of the House, Senate, and multiple governships. But where will things head? How are the hottest races shaping up? And what issues will define this election cycle? This class will tackle these big questions in a crash course of this year's midterm elections.

Do you like money? Want to get rich? Join members of BC's Smart Woman Securities to learn about investing, personal finance, and setting yourself up for future success!

4 Years. 4 different lifestyles interrupted by bouts of summertime reflection. Might sound weird but hey, since I'm at year 4/4 I can give you an idea of what it looks like. I'll be talking about general tips of what college life is like compared to high school, as well as give insights on how these years have affected me + what I would do over again.


Prerequisites
You actually attending the class

Is stress getting to you? Would you like to take control of it? Come learn from a trained and certified health coach (and fellow stressed person) about what stress is, and positive coping strategies like mindfulness and cognitive restructuring, to tackle your stress!


Prerequisites
If comfortable, please take this 15 minute survey before the day-of to find your top strengths for certain exercises. https://www.viacharacter.org/survey/account/register

Learn what's in the Constitution, from how a bill becomes a law to the Electoral College. See the history of the Constitutional Convention and how each amendment came to pass.

Whether it be meeting the parents or interviewing for the job, a skill you should always have and want to sharpen is your communication skills. Learn how to direct the conversation towards your best qualities and other tactics to ensure you nail the first impression. No matter what you're pursuing, our goal is to help you succeed along the way.

I want to finally sink (pun intended) the ongoing debate. Could Jack have fit on the door with Rose? If no, why does everyone think yes. If yes, whose fault is it? Rose's?The prop manager's? The director's? Yours? Come to my class to find out. Even if we don't find out and we end up even more confused then I'm sure it will still be fun.


Prerequisites
I suggest watching Titanic. Spoiler alert: Jack dies.

Congress is talked about constantly on TV and in newspapers. But what does it do? What's the difference between a "Congressperson" and a "Senator"? And how does it work with the President to make laws? This will be a crash course into the history and workings of one of the most complex and interesting institutions in the American government.

Journey into the stories of real people who undertook the impossible to find what they love. This course serves to inspire students to demand more from themselves and their life experience by looking at interesting examples and exploring what 'success' really means.

This class features elements of persuasive techniques in making a strong argument for anything, even a "ridiculous" conspiracy theory. We will spend the class reviewing conspiracies and formulating arguments to support them. In doing so, students will be exposed to out-of-the-box theories, while building skills to construct a strong argument.


Prerequisites
None