Courses OFFERED (may occur if students sign up):

art as social wormhole
An "artificial M.F.A." course/reading group in texts on aesthetic issues relating directly or indirectly to art's potential to influence reality (or not). Texts may be nominated by any participant and will be selected by the vote of those in attendance. A "discussion leader" for each meeting will be selected on a rotating, volunteer basis, but the "leader"'s job will be not to lead the discussion but simply to briefly summarize the text at the beginning of the meeting in order to ensure that everyone's memory of the basic ideas is fresh and thus facilitate a productive conversation. This class prevously met every 3 to 5 weeks 2013-15; syllabus with links to many of the texts here.

Irony and Utopia: A History of Computer Art
Each week we will look at and talk about computer art, whatever that means.  Class topics include: cybernetics, randomness, algorithms, early computer music, Cybernetic Serendipity and E.A.T., video art, cheesy computer graphics from the '80s, fractals, virtual reality, net.art, and kittens and people hurting themselves on YouTube.
Instructor: Carolyn Sortor and possibly others; probably ripping off a syllabus developed by Beau Sievers.

Shakespeare's Plays
Understanding and sharing the bard's language and thought as expressed in some of his plays.  Students' work will include informal performances we well as other experiments and will culminate in the production of either one Shakespeare play or a miniature Shakespeare Festival, in which students will be encouraged to push the envelope of what they've learned by contributing their own, wildly creative performances or other components of the production.
Instructor: Carolyn Sortor and possibly others.

COURSES REQUESTED (may occur if teachers sign up):

Club Dancing
During the first third of each class, we'll learn new moves; during the second third, we'll practice them; during the third third, we'll just dance – creativity encouraged!  Become a better dancer, or at least more fit, or maybe both.  A DJ or mix disks as well as a dance teacher would be helpful.

Art and Language
We will work our way through Michael Corris's new book, or at least the parts he wrote.

Positive Self-Presentation
Are you one of those people who seem irresistibly impelled to downplay or even sabotage their own accomplishments and positive qualities?  No?  Well, I am.  Help me learn how to do differently.  Students' work will culminate in a panoply of artist's statements, bios, resumes, texts for use in grant applications, press releases, and positive spiels, including responses to embarrassing or even hostile questions.

Public Speaking
Similar to Toastmasters, maybe, without being them.

Critical Thinking and Analysis
Techniques of precise observation, analysis, and reasoning will be applied to various kinds of expression including literature, visual art, advertising, tv shows, political speech and other corporate media.  The point will be not so much to judge the ostensible messages as to understand the intended effects.

Critical Media Consumption and Sharing
Techniques for vetting news and other information for accuracy and bias, together with best practices for sharing such information in ways that can facilitate integrity and credibility. Such techniques and practices might include "following the money," tracing relationships à la Mark Lombardi, checking citations to verify that they say what they're claimed to have said, refraining from sharing stories not supported by appropriate citations or that are sourced to anonymous "officials," etc.

Systems Theory
A study of biological, ecological, psychological, economic, governmental and other organizational systems with a view to understanding common factors or principles that lead to sustainability and growth.

REQUEST OR OFFER A COURSE: admin@PlsImTryintoThink.org

[Reserved] (idea 2010):