Modeled off the most popular class in Yale history, this class will explore how to use psychology to live the best life possible. We will discuss how our mind lies to us about what makes us happy, and we will discover what we can actually do to live our happiest lives.

Student Reviews:
“Landon Allen is an AMAZING teacher! I will be looking out for any classes by him during Splash at Yale. His class was interesting, funny, and so informative.”

“I liked how the teacher included interactive activities. He was also REALLY enthusiastic and funny.”

“It is really interactive and fun, amazing 10/10 class.”

Students will learn about how to conjugate commonly used verbs, introduce themselves, use helpful phrases and more. Come learn about this Romance language and get an introduction into learning another language!


Prerequisites
None! Come ready to learn (a notebook and writing utensil recommended)

Law operates in society on a number of levels, some of which are always churning in the background while we barely notice. This humdrum operation of the law probably describes most people’s lived experience with legal systems - applying for licenses, making claims for injuries, filing for divorce, etc. Some operations of the law, however, are eminently visible - they are loud, spectacular. This class hopes to interrogate some of the ways that law functions as spectacle in society - how law channels emotions, sentiments, and broader political narratives in the public sphere, and how legal events create social spaces for competing ideas. The class will focus primarily on legal trials in the United States, India, and on the international stage; trials I am hoping to cover include post-WWII war crimes trials at Nuremberg, Tokyo, and around the Indian Ocean; the 1995 O.J. Simpson trial, the Nanavati Case in 1959 Mumbai, the trial of Nazi administrator Adolf Eichmann in Israel in 1961, the 1969 trial of the “Chicago Seven”, and the 1922 trial of Mahatma Gandhi for sedition.

This class will examine the interconnected history of race and drugs throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. In three classes, students will learn the history and racial implications of alcohol, marijuana, and opiates and opioids. By the end of this course, students will be able to effectively discuss topics such as the War on Drugs, opioid addiction, drug de-criminalization, and others.

Interested in the environment? Like the outdoors? Enroll in this core class lecture series on environmentalism to learn more about what Yale's environmental groups are pursuing, and how they are pursuing it. You'll have different teachers and new activities each week--Fossil Free Yale (FFY) will teach on fossil fuel divestment and standing up to large, powerful institutions with organized resistance; Project Bright will have some fun activities surrounding solar energy and renewables; and the third day will be an environmental "mixed bag". We can't wait!


Prerequisites
None

Are you interested in writing fiction? In this course, we will dissect some of the key elements that go into writing an effective short story, talk about how to read published fiction like a writer, and try our hands at turning our own ideas into concrete stories.

Do you want to make a difference but aren't sure how to or for what cause? Come learn about Effective Altruism- a movement based on using reason and evidence to do the most good. The world is full of worthy causes, so many that it can be intimidating to figure out how you personally should help. This class will discuss ways you can make a positive impact, now and in your future.

We will read and discuss contemporary poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, examine style and form, and workshop pieces. Writers we read may include Denis Johnson, Ocean Vuong, Fatimah Asghar.

How to use "and" and "or" gates to build adders for computers. Discussion of ripple-carry adders and other faster adder designs. Discussion of how integers are represented in a computer. If there is time, I will talk about multiplication of numbers and fast multiplication algorithms.


Prerequisites
I will assume you know what binary is, and how to add numbers (by hand) in binary and that you have familiarity with simple algebra. It will be helpful if you have seen a logarithm before (i.e. I will assume that you know I can cut a pile of $$n$$ items in half iteratively approximately $$log_2(n)$$ times) I may use big-O notation, but I will explain what this is quickly.

Ever wanted to become a grandmaster of tic tac toe? Do you often find yourself betting large sums of money on games involving some sort of taking of stones from piles? Then look no further! We shall develop tools to analyze (i.e. figure out how to win or know when to resign) various classes of games.

An introduction to mathematical game theory, studying how to use logic and probability to make intelligent, rational decisions in games. Will include discussions of payoff matrices, the Prisoner's Dilemma, the role of randomness in optimal strategies, and other related topics.


Prerequisites
Basic algebra (mostly solving linear equations) is required, some knowledge of probability would be helpful but will be explained in the class.

In this introductory course on moral philosophy, we'll look at ethics questions both in the abstract and through their real-life applications in politics, economics, and medicine. For example:

-Terrorists have kidnapped you and sentenced you to death by torture. Do you want your government to negotiate for your release?
-Your contributions to society are valued at $300,000/year while I am paid a mere $3,000 for mine. We both need the same organ transplant. Who should get it?
-I smoke cigarettes and shave 5 years off my lifespan. After I die, my friend quits smoking and lives an extra 6 years. Was my death worth it?
-Your close relative just blew up a building causing dozens of deaths. Do you turn them in to the police?

This class will be seminar-style, so get excited for a lively discussion and get ready to play the devil's advocate!


Note: This is a core class. For a less intensive version of the same course, please see the electives section.

Basic introduction to non-Euclidean geometries, such as hyperbolic geometry, and an investigation into the weird things that can happen when Euclid's fifth postulate is replaced with something else.


Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of Euclidean geometry

The first class in this workshop will cover some important questions: what is stress? what is mindfulness? how can mindfulness be used as a tool to overcome stress?

In the two follow-up classes, we will explore specifically how smartphones and social media are changing the way we think and making it more important than ever that we carve out space in our days to reflect, relax, and pay attention to the world around us. Through group discussion, fun exercises, and meditation, we will provide some helpful tools and tricks that you can all use to become more mindful digital citizens. Please join us if you are interested in learning more about the mind and media; this class if perfect for anyone looking to reduce stress, improve emotional well-being, and practice living in the present!

An eye for an eye? A head for an eye? Thirty years for an eye?

In this seminar-style class, we will look at the ways in which justice was served (or not served) at various points in history. We'll also consider hypothetical cases to explore some "side effects" of our judicial process. Some of the topics we'll be discussing:

-the Nuremberg trials and the idea of victor's justice
-Blackstone's formulation: "It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer"
-incentive structures behind plea bargaining and "flipping"
-insanity, impossibility, lawful capacity, and lesser harm defenses
-trial by fire and systems of justice in pre-modern times
-societal functions of courts/prisons and their actors (lawyer, jury, executioner)

If there is anything else that particularly interests you, feel free to bring it up in class or email the teacher ahead of time!


Note: This is a core class. For a less intensive version of the same course, please see the electives section.

Ever wonder why your friends and even family members are either similar or very different from the way you look, act, and/or behave? It all comes down to the DNA. But wait, it doesn't stop here. In this course, you'll dive into deeper depths inside your cells and go beyond this double helix and breakdown those qualities that make up who you are. Through this genetic based course, you'll understand better how everything is connected and come together at the end.

China’s return to its traditional role as a regional—and, increasingly, global—power has implications for the political, security, and economic structures that have been the foundation of the international system since the end of the Second World War.

This course will analyze the historical rise of China, including a very brief history about the Mao era, the Cultural Revolution, and Deng's economic reforms, ending with China's current status as a country and its implications for the world.


Prerequisites
Knowledge about China would be nice, but not absolutely necessary

Seiðr (seidhr, seithr, seid) is the collective term for a set of complex Viking Age sorcery and rituals that plays a significant role in Old Norse society, reflected strongly in Old Norse (mostly Old Icelandic) sagas, and to a lesser extent in Old Norse mythology. As a social phenomenon, seiðr is treated as a powerful weapon, a versatile means to achieve political and personal agendas, and both a gift and a curse to those who practice it. Practitioners of seiðr often find themselves in a struggle between divine and earthly powers, sometimes serving as the literal and symbolic medium, especially when tasked to predict the fate of heroes.

This class surveys the practice of seiðr in mythological/cosmic texts (in the poetic edda and skaldic verses) and the secular sagas. The goal is to understand seiðr beyond a mere literary trope, a narrative device, or a convenient shortcut. Seiðr and its practitioners form a mysterious yet captivating aspect of Norse culture that survives, although in completely different forms and functions, well into our time.


Prerequisites
Pre-readings are required. Students who took Old Norse Mythology (Sprout/SplashFall 2017) are very welcomed. No prior knowledge required.

In the age of the Internet there's dozens upon hundreds of variations on the truth. But truth is singular, it's versions contain mistruths. These mistruths come in the form of propaganda designed to manipulate the truth into something to be used for personal gain. People rarely notice what's happening unless they know what to look for. In Primary Sources and Propaganda I will show you not only how to spot propaganda in the media but how to understand the original source material that was manipulated

Come learn about the genre of satire in literature and everyday life and how its aspects of irony, sarcasm, and hyperbole open up the world to conversations that are often hard to talk about or taboo. Excerpts from George Orwell, Jonathan Swift, and Bo Burnham. And we will also look at some forms of satire that are consumed daily in the form of media like SNL and The Onion.

Have you ever wondered about what genes are? Or how information from your parents is passed on to you? Or how the environment influences your genes? Or maybe even just why genetics matters?

This class covers some of the basics of genetics including what DNA is, how transcription and translation work, and how heredity (how information is passed on) works. We will also discuss epigenetics, genetic engineering, and what happens when something goes wrong in the form of genetic disease.


Prerequisites
Understanding of basic biology.

Learn basic techniques and folds to get you started on your origami journey!

Many people know that new inventions, such as the microscope and the x-ray machine, have led to major advances in our understanding of biology. But did you know that advances in biology have inspired new inventions? Through millions of years of evolution, nature has come up with many nifty ways to solve problems that we humans could learn a lot from. In biomimetics, inspiration is drawn from nature to approach questions in engineering, with innovations including photosynthesis-mimicking solar panels, self-healing materials, painless injections, jet airplanes and Velcro. Similarly, our growing knowledge of the brain has taught us how to design faster and smarter computers, and this is the basis for technologies which are used every day at companies like Google, Facebook, and Instagram. Join us on an adventure where we uncover how biology's secrets have empowered inventors to design new gadgets and inspired engineers to find new ways of designing computers.

We will be learning about how cranberries are harvested with a real cranberry farmer, then learning how to make a dish with the cranberries. The course will be interactive, with live demonstrations to explain how cranberries are grown, picked, and processed, as well as involving the students to cook and add their own twists to our cranberry recipe.

We will examine various studies related to the principle of linguistic relativity—that is, the notion that a language's structure and vocabulary affect how its speakers perceive the world. Ultimately, we will discuss how linguistic relativity is relevant to modern society.

Please visit: https://www.ryansandler.com/teaching/linguistic-relativity

"It really made me think about language and how it works in a way I didn't know existed. All of the studies were relevant and very interesting, and I left the classroom thinking in a different manner than I had before ... truly a great experience! Made me excited to go to college and take courses similar to this one!"

"The sheer amount of knowledge the instructor possessed on the topic at hand and all of the examples really helped to key into the broad topics which are very complex."

Ever wonder what the vikings did when they weren't busy raiding and pillaging? In Iceland they created a free society of independent people where law, culture, and creativity flourished. Who were these first Icelanders? What was their daily life like? And how did they resolve conflicts in a land with no king or government? We'll answer these questions and many more as we explore the fascinating history of Viking Age Iceland.

Enter the world of Vikings! Follow Grettir the Strong, Iceland's most legendary Viking outlaw, as he battles monsters, wrestles a bear, and cleaves enemies in two with his famous sword. Will our hero manage to outwit and outfight his numerous foes? Or will he finally meet his end in glorious combat? Find out as we cover Grettir's Saga!

Philosophers since the dawn of time have debated about human nature and what it means to be human. But what if the answer to that question was in our pockets? Or in our homes or schools? What if the answer to our humanity was in computers and all that we've created for them. The Talos Principle: Life as Defined by Machines asks these questions in a practical way to understand our own humanity through the devices we created ourselves.

Through a group approach, students set up parameters for discussion and work as a team to understand their own humanity. There are no wrong answers and you set the pace. The more discussion the better the class. This class is truly what you make of it.


Prerequisites
An open mind and willingness to participate. This is a student driven class. I (The teacher) act as fact checker and moderator.

Viruses are everywhere and impact many things. Most notably viruses cause human disease, but there are also many helpful applications of viruses.

We will be answering:
What is a virus?
How does a virus make you sick?
How can viruses be used for good?

and other questions that you may have about viruses.

Learn a bit about the Boltzmann Brain thought experiment, a physics concept that suggests that reality is a construct, and ties to ideas about entropy and the big bang. No previous knowledge about these topics is required; this course will be taught from a conceptual standpoint without any math or complex physics.

Students will learn about the anatomy of the human face and how to draw portraits.

How might the Ministry of Magic compare to the modern United States Government? What political lessons can we learn from the books of J.K. Rowling?
Come learn about freedom of speech, due process, totalitarianism, and more, all from the tales of the wizarding world.


Prerequisites
Recommended: Knowledge of the Harry Potter books or movies

Have you ever wondered what’s going on inside your brain that allows you to develop different emotions and thoughts while listening to music or playing an instrument? Are you also potentially interested in pursuing a career in the healthcare field? In this class, we will discuss the impact of music on the human brain, and more specifically, how it affects the brain during illness and injury- on both a psychological and biological level. You will also learn how important it is to treat a patient as a whole, or in other words, how to establish an emotional connection with people, something that is not taught directly in school. Through videos, group discussions, and interactive activities, you will learn how music positively impacts the brain, and how it exemplifies a critical method in not only being able to connect with others on a deep emotional level, but also, aid in the rate of recovery from illness or injury. In addition, you will be taught how to apply this information to your own everyday life, so that you can improve your future interactions with all people, whether or not you go into health care.

Come learn about the history and culture of the islands of Hawaii. We will discuss geography, language, traditions, and anything else you're interested in! We will also learn a little bit about the hula, the traditional dance of the Hawaiian people. Aloha!


Prerequisites
Positive attitude and open mindedness!

Literature extends far past what we usually read in class -- we can often find a great deal of meaning in hidden places. By focusing on the legendary manga and anime Naruto, we will explore both what literature fundamentally represents and the many different ways that this can manifest. Students will ideally emerge with a greater understanding of why we write, who we write for, and how we achieve this. .

“We cannot succeed when half of us are held back,” and we most definitely cannot succeed when the half that’s held back is divided among itself! Come learn how feminism as a movement has evolved over time, leading into the all-inclusive mindset that is popular today.

Do you love to dance? Look no further than this course! Let's Get It: Contemporary African Dance will provide students with the unique experience to learn choreography from DZANA, Yale's only contemporary African dance group. Bring a lot of energy, and get ready to show off your moves and learn some of our favorite ones!

Socratic Seminar - this class is about thinking! Be ready to listen and share your thoughts.

What we'll discuss:
-What is Science?
-How does Science relate to Society and vice versa?
-Scientific Lingo
-Semantics (e.g. belief, proof)
-Context: why dragons are real!
-Certainty, Subjectivity, & Objectivity
-Scientific Method
-Logic & Fallacies
-Science-Public Controversies (may touch on climate change, gluten, GMOs, evolution, vaccines, junk food, etc - determined by class interest)


Prerequisites
NA

This class will teach students about concepts of physics through the familar lens of Star Wars. Since we will be discussing Stars Wars, there will be spoilers for the most recent films.


Prerequisites
N/A

Have you ever wondered about what part of the brain your memory is in? Have you ever wondered where your emotions come from? The brain controls every move you make, every breath you take, and everything you see, hear and touch. It is the most complex and important organ in the body, but one of the least understood. This class will cover many of the different areas of the brain and their functions. We will talk about how you come to see, hear, feel and remember things. Hopefully through this class, students will begin to understand how the entire world that they perceive around them is represented in their own heads.

Conway's soldiers is a simple game for one player, with rules somewhat like checkers. We will learn to play it and consider an interesting puzzle arising in its play.

This class discusses unethical medical, biologic, and psychologic research performed on human subjects in the United States throughout the 20th century. We will review the details of each experiment and where it went wrong, learning some ethics and history of medicine along the way.

People have always asked seemingly impossible questions, like:

How big is the earth?
How much does it weigh?
Do atoms exist?
Do electrons exist?

In this course, we'll discuss the brilliant and surprisingly simple ways in which these questions were answered.


Prerequisites
Basic algebra (If $$ax=b,$$ solve for $$x.$$)

The central dogma of biology states that DNA is transcribed into mRNA, which is subsequently translated into proteins by the ribosome. However, RNA has many other functions besides being an intermediate between DNA and protein. For example, the ribosome that makes these proteins is largely composed of RNA! Come learn about this and many other cool functions of RNA, many of which were discovered at Yale!


Prerequisites
AP Bio or equivalent highly recommended; high school chemistry

An eye for an eye? A head for an eye? Thirty years for an eye?

In this seminar-style class, we will look at the ways in which justice was served (or not served) at various points in history. We'll also consider hypothetical cases to explore some "side effects" of our judicial process. Some of the topics we'll be discussing:

-the Nuremberg trials and the idea of victor's justice
-Blackstone's formulation: "It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer"
-incentive structures behind plea bargaining and "flipping"
-insanity, impossibility, lawful capacity, and lesser harm defenses
-trial by fire and systems of justice in pre-modern times
-societal functions of courts/prisons and their actors (lawyer, jury, executioner)

If there is anything else that particularly interests you, feel free to bring it up in class or email the teacher ahead of time!


Note: This is an elective class. For a more in-depth version of the same course, please see the core classes section.

How does music affect you? Are you always singing/dancing/playing an instrument? Can music affect your mood? If so, you're not alone! Music has a tremendous effect on human behavior. But why is that? and can we use the power of music in medicine? In this class, we will learn about the connection of music and neuroscience. We will learn about how our brains respond to music and then discuss how scientists are designing musical therapies to treat disease!

Get ready for a whirlwind crash course to the internet! This course will focus on breaking down what's happening behind the scenes when you access the internet. We will follow the journey of an email being broken in down into smaller data chunks, making its way down the protocol stack (getting wrapped with more info), getting transferred from router to router, and finally reaching its destination. We will learn the definitions and uses of many terms that you might already know of, but not realy know (e.g., router, modem, IP address, MAC addres, TCP, switch, network, LAN, etc.). We'll also take a high level view and disect what the internet actually is (networks of networks), and how all these networks communicate.


Prerequisites
No prereqs!

Learn how your browser communicates with the server for an app or website. We'll talk about the difference between static and dynamic websites, HTTP protocol (GET and POST requests only), how data is stored and retrieved from databases, how a website knows who you are (think automatic login), the importance of asynchronous functions, and more. This course will give you a high-level understanding of what goes on behind the scenes when you interact with an app or website. The goal of this course is for you all to leave with a solid conceptual understanding. At the end we'll do a fun activity where we design a database schema for a website and model some logic for the user's interaction with the site.


Prerequisites
No previous knowledge required!

Ever wanted to start a company or a non-profit? Have an idea for the next big tech thing? Come learn about the Lean Startup model—rapidly development, gaining consumer traction, and finetuning based on consumer feedback. Learn why you only need an MVP (minimum viable product) to get investors and why building in bursts is the smart way to build your business. We'll spend the first half of the class discussing how to come up with a strong idea and utilize the lean startup model; in the second half othe class you will brainstorm an idea and work on a pitch deck.


Prerequisites
Interest in entrepreneurship/starting something, and hopefully some ideas!

This course introduces the practice of using mindfulness to work through stress. Mindfulness is paying attention in a particular way, and students will be shown how utilize this process in the reduction of their stress as well as throughout their lives.


Prerequisites
none

In this introductory course on moral philosophy, we'll look at ethics questions both in the abstract and through their real-life applications in politics, economics, and medicine. For example:

-Terrorists have kidnapped you and sentenced you to death by torture. Do you want your government to negotiate for your release?
-Your contributions to society are valued at $300,000/year while I am paid a mere $3,000 for mine. We both need the same organ transplant. Who should get it?
-I smoke cigarettes and shave 5 years off my lifespan. After I die, my friend quits smoking and lives an extra 6 years. Was my death worth it?
-Your close relative just blew up a building causing dozens of deaths. Do you turn them in to the police?

This class will be seminar-style, so get excited for a lively discussion and get ready to play the devil's advocate!


Note: This is an elective class. For a more in-depth version of the same course, please see the core classes section.

What's so special about science? Why do we label some disciplines, but not others, science? Why are we so sure science leads us to truth? This is an accessible introduction to these questions. This is a discussion-based course, so come ready to talk. No experience with philosophy or science assumed.

Join us for a practical, engaging, and impactful class on data literacy! We live in an increasingly data-driven world, so it is important as ever that we harness the power of data to reveal important issues in our communities and inform effective strategies for social justice. Students will have the opportunity to work hands-on with real data and learn about relevant social justice issues at a local, national, and international scale.

This workshop introduces students to the concept of gender as an identity and to several genderqueer identities. It introduces students to the concept of cisnormativity and teaches them how to be a good ally to their genderqueer peers.

This workshop introduces students to key moments in queer history around the world. It teaches students about how gender and sexual orientation was thought about in various cultures. The goal is to show students that queer identities have a long and diverse history that spans every time and every continent.

What do you think of when you hear the word “tragedy”? While most people immediately think of sadness, there is much more to the genre. Explore with us the nuances of tragedy through short films, discussions, and interactive activities!

Learn to make chocolate! We'll cover how we make the chocolate, from roasting and grinding the nibs, to mixing and molding.

Exploring how conspiracy theories and subterfuge have shaped discourse from the 1960s onward. Especially given the advent of targeted fake news and mainstream conspiracies, this class seeks to discuss how those new developments will affect us in the future.


Prerequisites
None

Come learn about diverse sexual and romantic orientations in an interactive format! We will talk about about a range of sexualities/romantic orientations, discuss stereotypes and misconceptions, and learn about how to be a better ally. Individuals of all identities/orientations are welcome to attend!

In this course, you'll learn basic Mandarin Chinese, such as elementary words/phrases, the Chinese pinyin system, and the Chinese alphabet/tones. I will highlight and address differences between the English and Chinese languages that makes learning the Chinese language difficult for some people.


Prerequisites
none

Have you ever wondered about the relationship between birds and dinosaurs? Why do male deers have antlers? Why do dogs look different?

Evolutionary biology is the study of the mechanisms that produce the diversity of life on Earth. In this class, we will explore the idea of natural selection as proposed by Darwin and examine the role of evolutionary biology in unifying the other biological sciences.