For Grades: 8, 9, & 10

Dates: Mondays – 12/7, 12/14, 12/21, 14, 1/11

Time: 4 - 5 PM

Price: $265

Time: 4 - 6:30 PM EST

Dates: Thursdays – 1/21, 1/28, 2/4, 2/11, 2/18

Instructor: Michael Rothbaum

Course Overview

We are pleased to offer a special enrichment seminar exploring one of the most complex and beautiful systems ever developed—the human body. Together we will take a journey through some of the body’s major organ systems as we dive into the basic principles of human anatomy and physiology. We will also cover important topics in health and medicine, and learn how to perform a physical exam.

Course Objectives

●  Explore the cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems that comprise the body

●  Learn the physiological principles and homeostatic adaptations that maintain life

●  Understand medical principles of health promotion and maintenance

●  Practice the components of a well-patient visit physical examination

Course Policies

●  Students are requested to watch the supplementary videos in advance of each class

●  Students are expected to attend each class with curiosity and positivity

●  Students are asked to give advance notice if they cannot attend class

Syllabus

Week 1: Cardiovascular System

●  Anatomy of the heart, arteries, and veins

●  Principles of the cardiac cycle, blood flow, and capillary exchange

●  Cardiovascular System Anatomy

●  Conduction System, Ventricular Contraction, and ECG

●  Capillary Exchange

Week 2: Respiratory System

●  Anatomy of the upper and lower respiratory tracts

●  Principles of ventilation and gas exchange

●  Respiratory System Overview

●  Mechanism of Breathing

●  Respiration Gas Exchange

Week 3: Gastrointestinal System

●  Anatomy of the GI tract and accessory organs

●  Principles of digestion, absorption, and excretion

●  Digestive System Anatomy

●  Digestive System Physiology

Week 4: Urinary System

●  Anatomy of the kidneys and urinary system

●  Principles of electrolyte and fluid balance

●  Kidney and Nephron Overview

●  Kidney Physiology

●  Glomerular Filtration

Week 5: Nervous System

●  Anatomy of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves

●  Principles neural

●  Divisions of the Nervous System

●  Neuron Action Potential

Instructor Bio

Michael Rothbaum is a third year medical student at New York Medical College. He first joined the City Smarts team in the summer of 2015 and has a wealth of private tutoring and test prep experience in a broad range of academic subjects. Michael completed his undergraduate education at Cornell University where he majored in Comparative Literature and Spanish. He plans to pursue a career in pediatric neurosurgery.

Time: 4 - 5 PM

Dates: Thursdays – 1/7, 1/14, 1/21, 1/28, 2/4

Instructor: Kevin McKeown

Course Description:

As people of the modern world, it is easy for us to think about mythology as nothing more than the fantastical attempts by ancient people who lacked science to describe the world, or as stories exaggerating the adventures and deeds of their ancestors. But viewing mythology with this modern, critical lens overlooks the most important part of myths: they are stories, created to entertain, or to teach. Myths and legends are the ancestors of our novels, movies, TV shows, comic books, and even video games.

In this course, we will explore ancient mythology, and analyze it like we would any other piece of literature or media we encounter in our everyday lives. Students will learn how to engage with stories, ancient and modern, through their narrative elements, and build skills to analyze stories from different eras through archetypes and tropes. The ultimate goal will be for each student to find a modern “myth” to analyze and relate to the ancient myths we will read during the course.  

Course Objectives:

1. Familiarize students with the mythological world of Ancient Greece and Rome through reading excerpts from the works of classical authors such as Homer, Hesiod, Aeschylus, and Ovid.

2. To build a vocabulary of literary elements, archetypes, and tropes through which students can analyze, compare, and contrast the stories of the ancient and modern world.

3. Teach students how to explore the goals of different myths and stories: Do they entertain? Do they explain? Provide a moral, or lesson?

4. Explore how the perspective of different authors or treatments of the same story (or type of story) can change our experience as readers or spectators. Are heroes always heroes, and villains always villains? 

Materials:

All assigned materials will be provided, including the texts, informational and historical documents, and instructional materials. Students will be expected to read the relevant texts and background documents before each class, where they will then be asked to engage with the readings alongside new materials. Students will receive each week’s readings at the end of the prior week’s class.

Course Readings will be based on the following sources:

• Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days

• Homeric Hymns

• Ovid’s Metamorphoses

• Apollodorus’ Library and Argonautica

• Robert Grave’s The Greek Myths

Course Policies

• If a student misses one of the course dates, they can reach out to me directly to catch up on what they missed, and to access the necessary materials.

• Students are expected to be respectful of each other during class discussions.

Course Schedule

Week 1: Introductions to the World of Mythology, and to the Basic Literary Elements

1. MYTHS:

   1. Creation of the World, the Titans, and the First Olympians

   2. The Later Olympians:

      1. Artemis and Apollo

      2. Hermes 

      3. Dionysus 

2. -Introduction to Central Literary Elements:

   1. Character

   2. Plot/Conflict

   3. Setting

   4. Theme

   5. Point of View

   6. Tone

3. -Introduction to Myth categories, Archetypes, Tropes

Week 2: Myths about the Early Days of Human Civilization

1. MYTHS:

   1. Prometheus, the Creation of Humans and the Gift of Fire 

   2. Pandora and her box

   3. Deucalion and the Flood 

   4. The Descendants of Deucalion 

2. LITERARY ELEMENTS OF FOCUS:

   1. Types of Characters

   2. Types of Conflicts

Week 3: Cultural and Foundational Myths

1. MYTHS:

   1. Demeter, Persephone, and the Eleusinian Mysteries 

   2. Apollo and Delphi 

   3. Cadmus and Thebes 

2. LITERARY ELEMENTS OF FOCUS:

   1. Setting

   2. Theme

Week 4: Heroics: Monsters, Challenges, and Magical Prizes

1. MYTHS:

   1. Zeus and Typhon 

   2. Hercules

   3. Jason and the Argonauts

   4. Perseus

2. LITERARY ELEMENTS OF FOCUS:

   1. Point of View

   2. Tone

Week 5: Love and Tragedy

1. MYTHS:

   1. Echo and Narcissus

   2. Daedalus and Icarus

   3. Orpheus and Eurydice

   4. Jason and Medea

2. LITERARY COMPARISONS:

   1. Different Treatments of Myths and Tropes