Art History Survey I: Course Description

Teacher: Jillian Shepard
Classroom: Witherell Left
E-mail: jshepard@burkemtnacademy.org
Office: Heib Left
Extension: 1336

Concentrating on formal analysis, Art History navigates a timeline of images from the cave paintings at Lascaux, France to the frescoes of the 14th century. Students will learn to analyze and describe the visual elements of a work of art while investigating the underlying historical, social and cultural contexts. Emphasis will be placed on critical response and comparative essays.

Instructor: David Iverson
Email: diverson@burkemtnacademy.org

The technologies that we develop to create and consume energy change every day. The attitude that our culture has towards energy can be very difficult to study. But, to a physicist, energy is pretty straightforward. Our understanding of the theory behind “how energy works” has been well understood for a very long time.
In this course we will start with the fundamental question: Where does energy come from in the first place? We will then discuss how energy can be transformed from one form to another, as well as the different forms that it can take. Once we have a adequate understanding of how a physicist sees the topic of energy, we will start to tie that knowledge to current discussions about energy efficiency and global warming.
This class will revolve heavily on open-ended class discussion. Students will be expected to be active, daily participants in this discussion. They will be expected to use the internet for researching the concepts discussed. They will be expected to write essays in response to what they have learned and what the class has discussed. Students will be assessed on their ability to move past the discussion of energy in the popular press towards an understanding of the topic that is based much more heavily on scientific concepts.