Heroic Humans and Glorious Gods: Myths from Around the World
Taught by Ben Batzer
This class welcomes anyone who enjoys a great story—reading one, telling one, or even performing one! From video games to blockbuster films to children’s literature, myths persist in popular culture, helping us make sense of love, loss, adventure, hope, adversity, and relationships. Why are myths so important to humans? What is the relationship between storytelling and human nature? Why do we keep telling—and even adapting—stories that are thousands of years old? What counts as a myth, and what role do myths play for the people who tell or believe them? Come with an open mind, and we will explore these questions together as we study the globe’s mythic traditions.
Breakout!
Taught by Jenny Blank
Take the appeal of the escape room, in which a group of people use their wits to break out of a locked room, and turn it inside out. Your team will be provided with cryptic clues to solve and you’ll input the code to open each digital lock. Work together to find the solutions, but hurry before the clock counts down to zero! Think you’re already a super sleuth? Step behind the curtain and create brain teasers, secret messages, riddles, and locks. Become the master designer yourself as we work in groups to design, play test, and modify our own breakouts. Will your own breakouts prove challenging enough for other scholar minds? Prepare to baffle in Breakout!
The Nonprofit Sector: How to work for causes you care about
Taught by Tina Casagrand
If you’re eager to channel energy into causes you care about (or even into simply figuring out what causes you care about) — and want to meet other folks with the same sort of drive — join this class! Although we won’t have time in this class to do hands-on volunteering (save that for MSA’s afternoon activities!), we will learn about the nonprofit sector’s dynamic blend of ethics, policies, partnerships and goodwill that set nonprofits apart as career options. Drawing on examples from the local community, this class is designed to help students understand how their talents can contribute to society, be that through volunteerism, employment, or philanthropy. Topics include policy history, market theories, and characteristics of the United States nonprofit sector; human motivations; and an introduction to basic skills for nonprofit careers, including marketing and communications, fundraising, and grants. We will learn from discussions, guest speakers and panels, and applied activities to experience and understand the fascinating “third sector” of civic life.
Math Imitates Art
Taught by Frank Corley
Or does art imitate math? What do the two disciplines have in common, and how are they different? What is art, anyway? What is math? How does the work of an artist embody mathematical ideas? What is the human setting for the work of mathematics? We will look at historical movements in art and see how artists represented space within those movements. We will read poetry, consider non-euclidean geometry, and create several pieces of art of our own. You don’t have to be a talented artist, nor do you have to be a crackerjack mathematician. Just bring patience with yourself and curiosity for new ideas.
Blame it on the Algorithm…Exploring the World of AI and Data Science
Taught by Kristofferson Culmer
Description coming soon!
James Bond in Literature and Film
Taught by Stephanie Hasty
During this course students will explore the world (myth and lore) of James Bond both through the novels and films to learn about 20th/21st century history and modern-day literature. The class will be discussion based and your participation through discussion questions is vital as we explore the movies, parodies, books and articles analyzing and interpreting James Bond and his relation to topics covered in class.
The Blues, Jazz, and the American Experience: Thriving on a Riff
Taught by Jordan Henson
“Jazz is not just music, it’s a way of life, it’s a way of being, a way of thinking.” – Nina Simone.
The blues and jazz were the first musical forms to emerge exclusively on American soil. Their emergence from the unique cultural blending of late 19th and early 20th century New Orleans mirrors the great “melting pot” of America, and their history is implicitly tied to the history of its country. The blues and jazz quickly jumped out of the musical staff and into literature, art, and even philosophy. Students in this minor will study and listen to the blues and jazz, tracing their history and influences among other artistic disciplines, discussing how they differ from other musical forms, and investigating how jazz performance and improvisation can help one navigate the notes, high, low, blue, and everywhere in between, of life’s grand melody. No prior musical experience required!
The Weight of Matter-ing: Journalism and the Search for Meaning
Taught by Chris Holmes
Let’s tell a story, a documentary-style piece of existential journalism with a dash on gonzo. Push convention. Challenge blind acceptance. How much does matter weigh? We’ll answer this question with interviews, investigation, and introspection, offering novel perspectives that debunk widely believed myths about adolescents, democracy, and the future of journalism. A liberating experience of self-concept, meaning, and mattering, this class will leave you with renewed hope and motivation for those who perceive matter literally and figuratively.
Acting for Non-Actors
Taught by Mike Kersulov
Acting for Non-Actors is a welcoming and supportive course for students with little or no theatre experience who are curious about performance and how stories come to life on stage. Students will learn foundational acting techniques, explore character creation, and practice basic script analysis to better understand dialogue, motivation, and conflict. The course also introduces the collaborative nature of theatre by examining how costumes, lighting, and sound shape mood, meaning, and character, while also exploring the history of theatre to see how performance has evolved across cultures and time periods. Through scenes, readers theatre, improvisation, games, and ensemble activities, actors will all gain confidence and expressive skills in a supportive environment. Actors will also analyze film and live performances, including local theatres and productions. Emphasis is placed on creativity, curiosity, and engagement rather than prior experience, making this an ideal introduction to acting and theatrical storytelling.
ALIEN EARTHQUAKE MONSTER ASTEROIDS: Why We Love Disaster Films and What They Say About Us
Taught by RJ Koscielniak
Sometimes all you want to do is watch the world end. Asteroids. Zombies. Robots. A mega earthquake. The global storm that ushers in another ice age. Irradiated super beasts. A super volcano that surprises and incinerates an island. What more could you ask for from a day on the couch or an evening in a theater? Hollywood keeps producing disaster movies and we keep lining up to watch people flee, ships sink, scientists panic, leaders sweat, monsters roar, and cities fall.
In this minor, we’ll explore the disaster film and what the genre says about filmmakers, audiences, global history, and our current moment. They’re not just movies – they’re clues for understanding people, ethics, community, identity, environment, and politics. We’ll start with the earliest examples of disaster films and work our way through the 20th century into 2026 – making sure to highlight the influential classics but always setting aside time for the cringiest cult favorites. Scholars will consider the changing depictions of disasters (house fires to total annihilation), what the films are REALLY about (Urban decline? Cold War? Atom bomb?), and who or what gets to survive. As we familiarize ourselves with the rich world of the disaster movie we’ll also develop and create our own cinematic catastrophe, using what we’ve learned to produce a short film that might mean just a little more than ending the world.
Animals in Action: An Introduction to Zoology
Taught by Megan Lilien
This introductory zoology course explores the diversity of the animal kingdom and how structure, function, and behavior are shaped by evolution and environment. Through comparative anatomy dissections, hands-on activities, discussions, research, and possible visits to university labs, students will study both invertebrates and vertebrates to uncover patterns that connect form to function. Emphasis is placed on scientific observation, ethical research practices, and inquiry-based learning, providing students with an engaging, college-style experience in biological science.
The Myth and Reality of the Mafia
Taught by Michael Limmer
“I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
Spoken by Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather (1972), these iconic and ominous words are forever embedded in our cultural imagination and understanding of the Mafia. Film and literature alike have popularized, romanticized, and mystified the Mafia and its violent realities. The idea of the Mafia conjures up a wealth of images that have been shaped by popular culture but are also drawn from deep-rooted 19th century stereotypes of Italians and Italian Americans, as quick-tempered, passionate, knife-wielding, cunning gangsters. Utilizing film, literature, and other sources, this course attempts to dissect fact from fiction as we investigate the history of the Mafia from the streets of Sicily to New York. As we peel back the layers of organized crime, we will expose the dark dimensions of the Mafia and its impact on individuals and societies. Join us as we investigate the myths and realities of the world’s most infamous criminal enterprise! Like the Mafia, this is a class you can’t refuse!
Math Without Numbers
Taught by Matthew Matheney
We will explore topics of mathematics that are full of challenging thought but sparse in … numbers. Counting may be the most we do with numbers, but the variety of mathematical ideas still available may astound you. We will tackle new problems each day using the more visual side of mathematics, until we reach the limits of our visual reasoning.
The Art of the Parody
Taught by Austin McWilliams
ahem
To the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”:
In this class at MSA,
Sharper tongues will come to play.
As a minor, we’ll pursue
Rhyme and form and meter, too.
Here your genius comes unfurled:
Let’s all satirize the world.
Think you can do better? Prove it, nerd. See you in class.
Tiny Sparks
Taught by Sabrina Michael
In this hands-on soldering minor, scholars will learn the fundamentals of electronics by building small electronic kits and gaining experience with soldering from the ground up. Scholars will explore how basic electronic components, such as resistors, capacitors, and diodes, work together in simple circuits, all while developing a practical, transferable skill. No prior experience is expected or required, in fact this minor is highly introductory and intended for anyone curious about how electronics work and excited to learn something completely new!
Philosophy in the 21st Century
Taught by Jacob Nofal
This course explores recent philosophical work and aims to address the kinds of issues we face living in the 21st century. We will cover a wide range of contemporary topics in ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics. Specific discussions include the ethics of new technology (advances in genetics, artificial intelligence, and automation), current debates about scientific methodology, present-day knowledge concerns (social media, misinformation, and institutional trust), and social ontology (what does it mean for something to be socially constructed, and whether social kinds are real).
Hybrid Writing: Flash, Image, Poem
Taught by Caitlin Palmer
Life is messy. Sometimes the best way to explore the mess is to make something that mimics it, and doesn’t try to have a “takeaway” or make sense of it. We’ll look at various modes of writing and hybridity – that is, combining different modes in new and surprising ways. What can a flash, or very short piece, teach us about embodying an experience? What can an image show us about the senses? How can white space or collaging words in a poem, show us about pauses and changed understanding? We’ll look at works by writers such as Anne Carson, Jericho Brown, and others, to snap us out of a hum-drum existence. If you think writing is boring, prepare to see, read, and write, with new eyes.
Thought Revolutions: A History of Science and Society
Taught by Sam Rayburn
Ever wonder why we believed Earth was the center of the universe for over a thousand years? Or how a book about birds launched a revolution? Science is a wild story of brilliant insights, catastrophic mistakes, bitter feuds, and world-changing discoveries. This course explores the history of science and its impact on society and culture. Explore Aristotle’s flawed physics. Defend Galileo before the Inquisition. Grapple with Oppenheimer’s atomic dilemma. Debate the connections between the scientific revolution and imperialism. Throughout the course, you’ll handle primary sources, explore famous experiments, and put controversies on trial. This course treats science as what it really is: a messy, human, constantly evolving adventure that’s shaped wars, saved lives, challenged power, and changed everything about how we see ourselves and our universe.
Who Am I? Selves and Society
Taught by Doug Valentine
What makes you who you are? Where do you come from? How were you raised? How do you interact with the world and how does it interact with you? Does any of it matter or would you be the same person if you grew up elsewhere or with other people? If you’ve ever wondered what makes you who you are, join us in exploring various social and behavioral science theories of personal identity! We draw from sociology, psychology, anthropology, philosophy, and more to answer these questions. We will tackle challenging questions related to important aspects of the self. We will interrogate the influences of the social institutions we interact with every day, including the family, education, religion, government, and pop culture. Through all of these discussions, we will return to our central question: who am I?