The Packer Symposium
January 23 – February 1, 2024
A two week mini-term between semesters, the Packer Symposium program is a highlight of the Upper School curriculum. The array of unique courses designed by our faculty members extends our community’s development beyond the traditional classroom and constructs a rich, meaningful, experience-based educational opportunity that encourages both intellectual development and social-emotional growth.
Registration for Symposium begins in October and students are assigned to their classes in November. To help foster a shared sense of purpose and a genuine intellectual community, Symposium classes are graded Pass/Fail, based largely on a student’s full engagement. Please note that if a student has any unexcused absences or if he or she is late to any class meeting four or more times, their ability to pass the course is in jeopardy. Please also note that some courses have required afternoon, evening, or weekend activities as noted in the descriptions.
Why Martial Arts?
Why did people train martial arts in the past? Why do people train martial arts in the present? We will explore possible answers to these questions through a combination of traditional martial arts movement, reflection/discussion, visits from martial arts masters, and field trips to different types of martial arts studios and museums. Note: students in this course are expected to participate in some moderate physical movement every day. Students will participate in guided self-defense techniques, Aikido/Judo partner work, Tai Chi push-hand partner drills, and Kung Fu forms. If you have ever wanted to try martial arts or explore various styles - this is the course for you! Whether you have extensive personal experience in martial arts or none, there will be opportunities for everyone.
Where Land and Water Meet: Conservation, Culture, and Coastal Communities
Focusing on the beaches and surfers of New York's vibrant surfing community, this symposium engages with the city’s coastline and the people that live, work, and play there. We'll meet —and surf with —local surfers, board makers, surf shop owners, as well as coastal conservation organizations to learn about the issues facing New York's coastline. You will make your own surfboard and learn how to ride it, as we read, write, and talk about the nature of play and playing in nature. Finally, we’ll document out time together using still and video photography, to share what we’ve learned with the larger world as we craft our own surfing documentaries! No previous experience (or gear) required!
The Business of Entrepreneurship
Branding, Unique Value Propositions, Client Relations and Strategic Marketing are key terms inherent to entrepreneurship. Such terminology, however, is not exclusively relevant to the product/service you’re selling, but uniquely applies to the business owner as well. Through this project-based exploration of Financial Literacy & Entrepreneurship, attendees are empowered to identify— and monetize— their own personal unique value propositions (aka, that thing within you that wonderfully distinguishes you), while exploring interpersonal and business communications, relationship/rapport management, franchising opportunities, marketing strategies and how to fail successfully in business and personal endeavors.
Films in the Chinese Speaking World
In this Symposium, we will learn about, view, and discuss films from various Chinese speaking societies: China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and North America, where the majority of the Chinese diaspora have settled. We'll watch our films both at Packer as well as in the local movie theaters. Through field trips to local sites with thematic, historical, or cinematic connections to the films we’re viewing, we'll learn what inspired these films and the people who made them. If you are interested in film, and open to exploring a language and culture through cinema and storytelling, this is the symposium for you. Note: All of our films will be subtitled; Chinese language proficiency not required.
Caribbean Vybez!
This course will explore aspects of Caribbean culture through food, music, and dance. Engaging with various members of the Caribbean community, students will participate in a series of experiential activities. Students will learn how to replicate the sounds of the Caribbean by playing the steel pan and practicing Caribbean dance movements. They will have the opportunity to taste Caribbean snacks and food and cook a traditional Caribbean meal in Flatbush's Little Caribbean” area. They will learn about carnivals in the Caribbean, specifically Trinidad Carnival, dubbed the “Greatest Show on Earth,” and create a Carnival headpiece! Students will also learn to play cricket and netball, two games popular in the Caribbean. Come join us and feel the Caribbean Vybez!!
What Lies Beneath: Secrets of NYC's Underground
In this symposium, we’ll explore aspects and layers of NYC’s “underground” - its history, social movements, art scenes, spaces, and secrets. We’ll consider the purpose of the “underground” - both literal and figurative, and consider how what’s “above” relates to what’s “below.” To achieve this, we'll visit various sites around the city, watch films, hear guest speakers, and create an artifact related to the “underground.” Come along with us while we meet ghosts in the catacombs, take a graffiti workshop, and discover your new favorite secret, spooky spot in the city!
So You Want To Make a Podcast?
When Serial exploded in 2014, a podcast revolution was born, leading to thousands of programs in myriad formats (investigations, interviews, scripted) on a variety of topics (news, comedy, sports, fashion). We'll listen to, discuss, and make podcasts. We'll be visited by podcast professionals to hear about their craft. What you create will be up to you, and by the end of Symposium, you’ll have a podcast that you can submit to The New York Times' and NPR's podcast contests for teenagers. Inevitably, much of our time will be spent inside Packer as you produce your podcast. But if you want to get outside, you can do that by choosing a podcast topic that will get you into the city, talking and listening to the sources that you'll need.
Curtains Up!
Some of the most exciting live performances are on our doorstep, and we are going to take you to four of them. We shall enjoy a varied diet of Musical Theatre, Dance and Plays and meet practitioners from many areas of show business. Through these experiences we explore deeply and appreciate even more fully what leads to Art in Performance and why it matters. (Our Symposium will have some evening commitments as we make the most of the city on our doorstep and so those with many evening commitments will sadly not be able to participate).
NYC in Film
Who are we as New Yorkers? Is there even such a thing as a New Yorker? If so, what are our values? What are our experiences? NYC in Film attempts to answer these questions by viewing films set here; visiting museums devoted to the history of and life in the city; and inviting industry pros to discuss acting, directing, and producing in the city. In addition, members of NYC in Film write scripts, scout film locations, and ultimately direct and act in New York-centered vignettes. The symposium culminates in an intimate film festival meant to celebrate and admire one another’s work.
Math & Music
Music has been an essential aspect of the human experience. But how exactly does music work? What are the secrets to music on a structural and physical level? We’ll explore the seven major elements of music and the art, science, and mathematics used in each of those. We'll then turn those skills loose to create interesting new works — maybe you’ll build an instrument, create a song, or write a mathematical exploration. Activities include tours of places where music is made, going to watch live music, working with synthesizers to create new types of sound, and solving interesting musical math problems.
Lotions and Potions
Natural product usage for skin care, hair and body, and aromatherapy is rising in popularity as more revelations about toxicity, allergic reactions, and the harshness of certain chemicals pile up. Through learning about skin and hair types, family history and allergies, the chemistry of making perfume, exploring aromatherapy, and self-care as an Industry, students will become wiser consumers. They will also develop skills that give them freedom to create what they need without any unnecessary additives (chemical or otherwise). Lotions and Potions will enable students to work and play in the intersection between science, health, self-care, culture and creative expression.
NYC Culinary Expeditions
Creating food is an important form of self-expression, allowing us to find joy and passion through cooking and sharing food with others. We will explore the incredibly diverse culinary worlds that NYC offers and learn essential cooking skills. Every day we will eat delicious food and visit culinary institutions where we will learn to prepare dishes from different cultures, which we can then share and enjoy with family, friends and the community.
Digital Storytelling on the LES: The Immigrant Experience in NYC
Students in Digital Storytelling explore the Lower East Side through photography and journaling, with a focus on the immigrant experience, then and now. Excursions include visits to Ellis Island and the Tenement Museum, street photography tours of the LES, and tastings at famous local food establishments such as Katz’s Deli and Lombardi’s Pizza. Guest speakers invited to share their experience range from an author of culinary history to famous photographers who have documented life on the Lower East Side. Students will learn how to tell a visual narrative and become their own documentarians.
Artistic Alchemy: Art’s Evolution in the 21st Century
Where does inspiration come from in the twenty-first century? Is there such a thing as a new idea? Does it even matter? Paintings inspire movies, films are reimagined as musicals, and comic books become blockbusters. What is the potential when one work of art inspires another work of art? What is gained and what is lost? Students in this symposium will attend Broadway shows, watch films, and read excerpts of texts. After focusing on original works, students will then experience the same stories in new genres. Potential outings include the musicals Merrily We Roll Along, & Juliet, Sweeney Todd, Back to the Future, Spamalot, and Kimberly Akimbo among others. Potential viewings include the films Little Women, Back to the Future, among others. Students can expect to journal, reflect, and engage in discussions about the works studied. (Students in this symposium must be available for some evening performances.)
The Great Outdoors
Are you looking for an adventure? In the Great Outdoors we will spend a week in New Hampshire's White Mountains where we will be living and learning in the winter wilderness. We will snow shoe, explore nature, learn to work as a team, navigate terrain, prepare meals, and build snow shelters. During the course of the week we will set and accomplish goals as well as appreciate the quietness and inner peace of forest living. Seniors Only. Please note that this trip is physically challenging. We will be away from campus from January 24th through the 31st, 2024.
The Power of Democracy: NYC Government
Dive into the heart of New York politics! This symposium is a gateway to understanding the complexities of government, law, and politics. Whether you aspire to become a future leader, advocate for change, or simply seek to expand your knowledge, this immersive experience promises to ignite your passion for civic engagement. We’ll travel our city—from City Hall to the Courts to offices of the most influential politicians—to connect with elected officials, judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and political consultants. We'll learn what it takes to govern our diverse city—from crafting compelling campaigns to navigating public opinion to making the city run. As we do so we'll have insightful conversations with city officials who shape policies and champion the causes that matter most to our diverse city. Elevate your understanding of government, and leave inspired to be a catalyst for positive change in our ever-evolving political landscape.
Let the Chips Fall Where They May: Poker, Strategy, Data, and Decision Making
Can poker really be a game of chance if the same people consistently win? Do they have extrasensory or magical abilities? This quintessentially American card game has historically been mythologized, its participants portrayed as outlaws and savants, capable of reading an opponent's soul by interpreting every twitch. But recently, poker strategy has been transformed and demystified by widespread online play, data analytics, and neural networks. In this complex game of incomplete information, the most successful players are observant and expert decision makers who use mathematical concepts, like combinatorics or game theory to maximize their chance of winning. In this symposium, you’ll play poker and explore how its strategic concepts inform decision making in real-world situations beyond the poker table, including sports scenarios, the stock market, international diplomacy and more.