ESP Biography

Join this class to learn more about the rest of the world! We will cover issues affecting the developing world such as GDP, gender equality, literacy, and sustainability through the examination of world maps and discussion (no world politics discussions). This class will also discuss indices such as the Human Development index and the Millennium Development Goals. No prior knowledge on the topics is assumed. An eagerness to learn and participate in discussion is desirable.

Optimization is all about solving complex problems. For example, how many flavors of ice cream should your ice cream parlor carry in order to maximize profit? How would you cut a piece of yarn into four pieces to maximize the area of the quadrilateral formed? Where should you locate an emergency facility in order to minimize transportation costs? We will show you how to model real-life problems and find optimal solutions of your own! Familiarity with Algebra is a prereq, preferably Algebra II

Do you like music? Do you like plays or musicals? Are you interested in learning about Opera? Well you are in luck, because no previous experience is required here!! In this class we will go over the basics of Western Opera. We will talk about and listen to some clips from famous Operas starting from the 1600s until the 1950s. We will learn about Operatic style and talk about what the terms libretto, aria, and recitative mean. We will cover the Operas of the works of Gluck, Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, and more!

Ever wonder where your (or your parent's) tax dollars go and how they end up helping you? What the role of the government should be in crucial issues such as health care and social security? Wikipedia defines the field of Public Finance as the "field of economics concerned with paying for collective or governmental activities, and with the administration and design of those activities." In the first half of the class, we will first discuss recent trends/problems with the American economy in a social aspect (such as income inequality and crime). In the second half, we will talk about the allocation of government resources (taxes, education, infrastructure, medical care, for example). The second half of the class will contain some basic economic principles and understanding, so familiarity with math is assumed but no prior knowledge of econ is required.

For beginners who may want to know a bit more about Chinese. A bit of history and introduction for you to get the feel of the language. Learn to say and/or write some simple phrases(dialects: Cantonese and Mandarin). Take questions. If we have time, we could listen to a selection of Chinese pop music? and translate the lyrics?