ART – ‘TYPE’
Letters and numbers have personalities. They can look friendly, angry, playful, romantic and even scary!
But where did all these letter designs, fonts, come from? Why do we like certain fonts and not others? Who designs them?
Jasper Johns, an American artist, used letters and numbers in his artwork to encourage us to appreciate them as objects of beauty, with delicate shapes and details. By overlapping them, drawing into them, shading inside them and around their outlines, Jasper Johns created intricate, abstract pieces, with familiar shapes we easily recognise… as easy as ABC.
In this workshop, we will explore letter shapes and create dynamic drawings, all leading to a large scale relief piece cut from foam board. You’ll need a steady hand with a scalpel and ambition…see you there!
ASTROBIOLOGY
What is out there? What would a life inhabited planet look like? How do we observe these places? AND even if we do spot one, how do we even get there to say “Hi!”? Step forward the topic of this masterclass; Astrobiology. A unique blend of chaos and intellect.
Across the four days you will explore:
- The mesmerising world of Physics which includes; the manufacture and use of telescopes, investigate the construction of rockets, blowing up balloons with colourful gas in them.
- The breath taking world of Biology which includes; the building blocks of life, evolution and natural selection and extra-terrestrial appearance.
The only requirement for this masterclass is a passion for science and all things crazy.
CLASSICS & STEM –‘Myths & Machines’
Think Myths are Marvellous?
Think Machines are Magic?
Think Maths is Magnificent?
Then this is the course for you!
Combining Classics and STEM, you will learn about the myths of the Trojan War and Odysseus’ epic journey home. You will also learn about what life was like in the Roman Army or for a Roman chariot racer. On top of that, you will spend some time myth-busting – considering how an ancient city could actually have been taken over or what ancient monsters were really like.
This workshop would be ideal for anyone interested in History, the Roman world or considering taking the ISSP GCSE Latin course, as well as those who like taking on the practical side of Science or DT.
JOURNALISM & MEDIA
ISSP Newsweek
As the former Washington Post President and publisher, Philip L. Graham, once said: “Journalism is the first rough draft of history”.
The media influences and shapes our lives on a daily basis, from the stories we hear and read, the pictures we see and the programmes we watch, but what actually goes into reporting the news? In this workshop you will be introduced to the fundamentals of reportage and get to hear and experience this first-hand through a workshop with a published journalist. Later, you will explore how the media affects us by looking at how stories are reported from different viewpoints, the influence of social media and the impact of images on our emotions and opinions. Next, you will learn to question the reliability of what you read and consider the impact of the writer’s agenda on what is (and isn’t!) reported. Finally, working collaboratively with the other students in the group, you will create your own online newspaper which will draw together all the aspects of the masterclass and allow you to create your own “first rough draft of history”!
If you are interested in communicating with the world through the written and spoken word, social media and the power of carefully chosen and devised images, this is the workshop for you.
MATHS WITH A HINT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
We will study the weird and wonderful bits of maths that you don’t see in school.
For example, imaginary numbers, cryptography, fractals and much more.
We will also show how the maths can be used for practical applications in Computer Science with programming and the use of MicroBits.
There will be loads of challenges, stretching problems and a lot of fun!
PSYCHOLOGY – ‘Magical Mind’
An opportunity to get an insight into Psychology and how our growing understanding of the human brain might affect your future in intriguing ways! This workshop gets you involved in interactive demonstrations and activities based on some of the most up to date scientific research. We will carry out our own experiments and consider the nature of evidence and validity.
You will be introduced to the mental tools that allow you to cut through the neuro-nonsense in the media so that you can sift out the really useful neuro-scientific findings and techniques and put them into practice. Indeed you will start to be able to see the difference between Science and Pseudo-Science in general.
You will learn ‘mind control’ techniques both ancient and modern – including practical tips and tricks that you can use yourself! Plus, you will learn a little about how stage magic works, through an understanding of information processing in the brain, perception and hypnosis. You will practise practical skills such as memory feats and ‘positive psychology’ for well-being. You will find out how to measure and reflect on your personality to make the most of your capabilities. You will explore how you could maximise your own mental health towards peak performance and becoming the best possible version of yourself.
York ISSP 