2024 Course List

Week 1, 2, and 3

For those interested in mastering the art of negotiation, thinking strategically, and developing a greater grasp of geography, this class is for you. With rising tension throughout Europe at the turn of the century due to imperialism, nationalism and the thirst for supremacy on the continent, conflicts emerged among the seven European powers. Diplomacy, a game of alliances and promises kept and broken, attempts to recreate the diplomatic type-roping to solve, perhaps, the impending crisis through the art of negotiations. As one of the major powers - England, Germany, Russia, Turkey, Italy, France and Austria-Hungary - a skilled diplomat will realize when help is needed from others and when not to trust his/her “so called” allies. Remember, you are a diplomat first, a commander second. To fortify skills as a negotiator, students will study several texts that define artful negotiations and provide background information regarding previous European conflicts. Let the games begin.

Week 1 and 2

Did you know that bread is a foam? Or that butter is inside-out whipped cream!? This course provides students with the hands-on opportunity to explore the relationship of food from preparation and cooking to consumption, through both a biochemical and historical lens in order to better understand our modern food system. Through the strengths of blending a traditional lab course with hands-on experiential learning in food sciences, students will understand the scientific basis of various recipes and appreciate the art of integrating science into cooking and dining.

Important Note: This course is specifically designed for omnivores. However, the science of cooking welcomes experimentation and students will be allowed to substitute some of the ingredients for food preparations or ask friends to assist with the tasting of your assignments. Alternatively, you may skip that specific assignment provided that you have fulfilled all other qualifying requirements to pass the course. Please speak with the instructor if you have any concerns about how your food allergies may potentially affect participation in this course.

Week 1, 2, and 3 

Who are you, and how well do you know yourself? What is your story? Better yet, when is the last time you ventured to share your story with someone else? Having an understanding of self is important for anyone. Equally as important is learning about and from those around you. In “Find Your Voice,”students will be asked to investigate the pillars of their identity, shape their reflection into compelling stories, and practice public speaking in front of an audience. This skills-based class seeks to help students examine great orators, identify and discuss the qualities of a compelling story or speech, and then implement these techniques into their own narrative. In doing so, students will learn how to share their nuance with those around them. And as an added bonus, they’ll be able to hear other cool stories too!  Join us as we embark on an adventure to capture our essence and share our stories with anyone who will listen

Week 1 and 2 

Learn what all those knobs do! This class is an introduction to recording in a professional studio. Students will learn how to record with industry standard recording equipment such as: SSL in-line analog console, Pro Tools, outboard gear, cue mixing system, TT patch bay, and more. Topics that will be covered include: microphone techniques, mixing tips, signal flow, and processing. Students will set up, record, and mix both vocals and instruments.  Throughout this class, you will gain insight and experience into how hit records are made! This is a technical class but open to beginners excited to dive in! You do not need to be a musician, but you must love creating music!

Week 1

Taking a cur from artists like Claes Oldenburg, Peter Anton and Lucy Sparrow, come learn about 3D sculptural techniques while creating your own giant food sculpture. We will play with scale, materials and color to make your work come to life. 

Week 3

How does a computer turn a bunch of 1s and 0s into images on your screen? How do we use words to tell computers what to do? In this elective course, students will learn the basic fundamentals of computer programming, including variables, functions, and basic loops, and apply them to create visual art pieces that incorporate movement, color, and interaction. Students will be encouraged to think computationally and artistically and express themselves using the paintbrush of the 21st century: their computer. 

Week 2

Students will explore guitar, bass guitar, drums, piano, and voice both individually as well as in a rock band setting playing a variety of popular music styles. Iconic and standard notation, comping and improvising, and songwriting will all be introduced. No previous experience is required!

Week 1 and 2

CSI’s Leadership and Design Thinking class draws upon the curriculum from Cate School’s leadership program and the teachings of Stanford University’s d.school. Through the model of service-leadership, students explore their own values and styles of being a leader, all while developing greater empathy for others. Through the creation of greater group and self awareness, students engage in leadership as a deliberate practice. With these tools, students also start to explore the world of design thinking, a process which draws on methods from engineering and design, and combines them with ideas from the arts, tools from the social sciences, and insights from the business world to solve challenges and problems in an empathetic and creative way.

Week 1 and 3

Students will participate in a creative writing workshop with a special focus on the visual arts. Rather than using written prompts, we will generate content from selected imagery, designed to evoke students to tap into their visual imagination. Each day of the workshop will focus on one particular aspect of the writing process- brainstorming, setting, plot structure, crafting dialogue, and revision- as students will hone and polish their short story over the course of the week, working from the germ of an idea to a finished piece.

Week 1, 2, and 3

During this one-week session, students will explore the wonders of the Cate Mesa with their cameras! While learning how to operate a DSLR camera, students will be introduced to the basics of photography, such as composition and lighting, as well as how to process their photographic images working with Adobe Photoshop. By the end of the week students will leave the class with a hand full of new photographic skills! We provide all materials (cameras included).