ESP Biography



KIRSTEN MADSEN, UChicago Splash! Board Member, Awesome



Major: Political Science

College/Employer: University of Chicago

Year of Graduation: Not available.

Picture of Kirsten Madsen

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I would say that I'm best described by my Facebook interests section. So here it is. My interests include Trivia, Quotes, Reading, UChicago, Diet Coke, Cupcakes, Girls State, Sunglasses, Photography, Being amazing, Oxford Commas, Skipping Downhill, Parliamentary Procedure, and Playing Percussion/Guitar/Piano.

But seriously folks. My name is Kirsten Madsen and I am currently a first year prospective political science major at the University of Chicago. I'm originally from Fort Worth, TX (howdy), but I'm definitely falling in love with Chicago. It's spectacular. Some background relating to the classes I'm teaching seems in order. I've been a percussionist for 6 years. I went through this phase last year where I baked like 60 dozen cupcakes in 2 months. I have a passion for the social side of political systems. Do any of those things intrigue you? Sign up for my classes!



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

A3007: Boom Boom Pow: An Introduction to Street Drumming in Splash! 2009 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2009)
You're wandering around downtown one day, just hanging out, you know, when...hark! You hear a glorious cacophony of rhythm and sound from around the corner! Street drummers! This class will provide you with a knowledge of basic street drumming technique, rhythms, posture, history and philosophy. By the end of the class, you and your classmates will be able to complete a basic, but impressive, street drumming performance. And you'll feel really cool, I promise.


H3023: Why So Serious?: Bad Things That Wouldn't Have Happened if We Just Lightened Up in Splash! 2009 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2009)
Sure, ruling the world is serious business, but sometimes world leaders just need to take a deep breath and count to ten. In this class, we will discuss historical events (from the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy to World War I) that would've happened very differently if the people involved had just calmed down a little. We will use our hindsight (it is 20/20, after all) to create alternative solutions for the sticky situations we discuss, in addition to discussing current crossroads where world leaders are choosing between laughing things off over a cup of coffee and launching full-scale military invasions.


X3038: Let Them Eat Cake: An Unconventional Exploration of Political Philosophies in Splash! 2009 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2009)
Do you like history or politics? Do you like cupcakes? Would you like to learn about various political philosophies while simultaneously learning about various methods of cupcake preparation and decoration? Well this is the class for you! We will use the baking and beautification of cupcakes as a metaphorical means to explore various methods of governing, from monarchy to Marxism. By the end of this course, you will be really good at decorating cupcakes and really good at explaining political systems. It's a win-win.