Category: 9-12

How to Thrive in Emotionally Charged Conversations

At a time when our communities and country seem more divided than ever, it can seem increasingly difficult to talk to people with whom we disagree. The truth is, it is not impossible to have productive conversations with people who vote for different candidates, support different policies, or just see the world differently than us.

In this class, we will explore the knowledge and skills required to engage in dialogue across differences. We will integrate cutting edge research and techniques from negotiation theory, transformative mediation, conflict resolution, psychology, and sociology. Rather than focus on how to win debates, we investigate how to engage in constructive conversations and pursue mutual understanding.

This class will not teach you how to win a debate, but you will walk away knowing how to manage an emotionally charged conversation. You will learn how to escape the vicious cycle that turns dialogues into toxic debates and entrenches those you wish to persuade.

with Zachary Schaffer

Register on Eventbrite

If registration for your class has closed, please email youthremotelearning@gmail.com to sign up for the class! We’re excited to have you.

How to Read a Novel in 3 Easy Steps

Together we’ll explore the powers and drawbacks of long-form storytelling. We’ll spend our half-hour together talking novels. There’s no homework and nothing you need to do to prepare ahead of time!

During our time together we’ll focus on plot, character and the power of the novel to transform the worlds it represents.

with Katherine Voyles

Register on Eventbrite

If registration for your class has closed, please email youthremotelearning@gmail.com to sign up for the class! We’re excited to have you.

Dr. DJs Unexpected Histories

Have you ever been bored by History? Perhaps you were watching a long documentary and started to doze off. Perhaps a relative gave you a book that spent 20 pages telling you something you learned in class last year. Perhaps you even daydreamed during a social studies class. Well, Dr. DJ wants to help you rediscover how exciting history can be by asking you unexpected questions that you may not think are historical. Did we fight World War II over trees? Can we write histories of the future? Who thought it was a good idea to blow up a whale? Dr DJ will ask you these questions and as he answers them you will realize History is more than dates, people, wars, and falling asleep. History is an exciting way to study the past and learn about the present. So, feel free to sign up and hear some of Dr. DJ’s Unexpected Histories!

with Derrick Angermeier

Register on Eventbrite

If registration for your class has closed, please email youthremotelearning@gmail.com to sign up for the class! We’re excited to have you.

Writing for You: Creating Characters Outside the Mold

Often times in writing, there is a specific mold you most follow, whether that be a character archetype or the way a story should be told. This course explores why those molds exist and how to break them.

with Mik Moats

Register on Eventbrite

If registration for your class has closed, please email youthremotelearning@gmail.com to sign up for the class! We’re excited to have you.

What is Poverty? Engaging Poverty as a Good Citizen

What is poverty? The United States has one definition, but this 4-part course seeks to untangle the many different ways poverty can be defined and applied. We will define poverty in the United States, go over relative and absolute measures of poverty, and explore alternative ways to defining poverty. We will look directly at American social policy to understand how current poverty measurements impact social program development and implementation and the individuals who may or may not receive related services and aid. Then, we will look at how alternative measures may impact our social policies. Each week will incorporate ways (social distance-friendly) in which young people (grades 6-12) can think about their roles in society to impact policy, individuals, their communities, and their own futures.

with Leah Gose

Register on Eventbrite

If registration for your class has closed, please email youthremotelearning@gmail.com to sign up for the class! We’re excited to have you.

Topics in Religious Studies

Religion is a force that has shaped history around the globe, from the development and influence of Buddhism in East Asia to the ongoing legacy of the Crusades on the conflicts in the Middle East. This course will look at a variety of topics, shaped by student inquiry, in order to better understand the role of religion in society and history throughout the world. We’ll be utilizing history and sociology to understand religion as a human phenomenon rather than a question of truth or theology — this is a secular course, akin to what students will encounter in Religious Studies Departments in colleges and universities. For high schoolers.

with Aleks Moniz Mirov

Register on Eventbrite

If registration for your class has closed, please email youthremotelearning@gmail.com to sign up for the class! We’re excited to have you.

HTML & CSS: An Introduction to Web Development

This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of website design and development – using HTML and CSS to create web pages. Students will learn a basic understanding of the foundations of websites that make up the internet. This course can be the start of a unique opportunity for students to expand their knowledge of technology through coding.

with Madelaine Coelho

Register on Eventbrite

If registration for your class has closed, please email youthremotelearning@gmail.com to sign up for the class! We’re excited to have you.