ESP Biography

Have you ever seen a bad movie?? Do you know anybody who has ever seen a bad movie? Have you ever wondered why people tend to keep watching the bad movie, instead of walking out of the movie theater or turning the movie off? If so, this course is for you! We'll discuss some of the shortcuts our brain uses for us, such as loss-aversion, sunk cost, diminishing gains, anchoring, and consistency-- in making daily decisions.

Why do we like the arts? Why do our brains react a certain way to rhythms, sounds, and colors? This class will be an in-depth attempt to treat these questions and more!

This class will be an in-depth (but by no means exhaustive) look into some of the ways philosophers, social scientists, and others have come to answer questions about religion. Bring your questions and be ready to talk!

This class will cover some of the shortcuts our brains use to help us make everyday decisions, from what we buy at the store to which treatments doctors choose to how we decide to take risks. We'll learn through games and simulations, so bring your strategy face to the table. This class is intentionally listed as a 7-12 class-- older students may appreciate more of the economic theory and statistics of the games that the younger students may win. This class is also pitched at an introductory level. I offered this class at Spring 2011 Splash, so if you have taken this class before, you may find it repetitive!

Where does religion come from, and what is religion's use, anyway? Is religion more than a set of commonly shared beliefs and commonly understood practices? This discussion-based class will introduce some theories of religion as we consider just what religion is. This class is appropriate for anybody who is curious about religion- whether or not you consider yourself to be "religious." We will NOT be questioning/defending the validity of religious beliefs; we are instead examining why and how religious beliefs have prevailed among human societies.

In this course, we'll discuss some hypotheses on the origins of human spirituality through looking at history, biology, sociology, and psychology. Note that we will not discuss whether religion is right or wrong, good or bad, or whether "God" exists- we will instead ponder the nature of religious organizations.

This class is an optional extension of my "Where did religions come from?" class, in which we will be discussing the nature of new religious movements, particularly the movements that popular media has called "cults." We'll discuss the historical and cultural shifts that help give rise to new religious groups and consider the social dynamics of these organizations.

Think you're good at making unbiased decisions? Think again! In this class, we'll explore some of the classic errors the human brain commits in decision-making, decisions that can cost companies millions of dollars and can affect the way you see your life.

This course will cover multiple perspectives on the experience of individuals between the ages of 10 and 20, in other words, teenagers. We'll look at perspectives from pop culture, history, psychology, and biology and consider how these lenses influence teenagehood today.

This class will encourage you to think about some ways to find ideas for new businesses and how to get that business started. You'll also have time to develop a business plan with your classmates and present it. Business is one of the few fields that brings together artists, writers, dreamers, scientists, social butterflies, readers, and mathematicians, so please come, even if you don't think business sounds like it's for you!

You've probably heard of cults: the crazy people who believe in aliens, hand out flyers to actively recruit new members, prey on the weak and innocent, and steal all their money? In this class, we will consider some of the popular conceptions of cults and compare them to the research that has been done. We'll talk about obvious fictions exploited by the media such as "brain-washing" as well as more hotly contested issues surrounding these novel religions.