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Sustainability Studies [clear]
| Title | Offering | Standing | Credits | Credits | When | F | W | S | Su | Description | Preparatory | Faculty | Days of Week | Multiple Standings | Start Quarters |
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Nancy Parkes and Hirsh Diamant
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Program | SO–SRSophomore - Senior | 12 | 12 | Evening and Weekend | F 13 Fall | W 14Winter | In this two-quarter, interdisciplinary program, we will cultivate a “Sense of Wonder” while building skills as writers, activists, artists, and interdisciplinary scholars. Our work will combine theory and practice as we delve into the rich areas of literature, cultural studies, writing, creative arts, contemplative practice, natural history, and environmental/outdoor education. We will explore how we develop roots to the natural world and explore themes related to natural history literature, the Pacific Northwest, and global multicultural traditions that have an intimate connection to place. At the core of our inquiry will be the questions: What enlivens Culture? What motivates change? Working from a rich, interdisciplinary perspective, we will study what it means to be rooted to place and how place connects us to a deep sense of purpose and meaning through word and image, language and tradition, stories and activism, and education and scholarship.Program expectations for education and scholarship: By the end of the two-quarter study, students will: | Nancy Parkes Hirsh Diamant | Mon Wed Sat | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | |||
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Rachel Hastings and Steven Scheuerell
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Program | SO–SRSophomore - Senior | 12, 16 | 12 16 | Day | F 13 Fall | W 14Winter | S 14Spring | This is a yearlong interdisciplinary program that incorporates sociolinguistics, geography, history, cultural ecology, global change, biocultural diversity conservation, food systems and sustainable development studies to explore how societies evolve and survive in relation to their environment and a globalizing world. Our studies are based on the belief that many cultures have developed rich linguistic and ecological traditions that have provided the means for communication, food, clothing and shelter based on a sustainable relationship with the land. More recently, cultural and economic globalization are increasingly impacting local knowledge systems worldwide, in particular when measured by changes to language, land-use and food systems. These changes, together with such factors as increasing human population, environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity and climate change, compel us to explore the ways in which knowledge systems are preserved or lost. In particular, we recognize the urgent need to preserve cultural knowledge that allows a society to be rooted in place, recognize ecological limits and provide for its needs. The Andean region of South America is an ideal region to study these issues.The academic program consists of two phases. The first phase over fall quarter will focus on program themes using texts, lectures, workshops, film, writing and local field trips. Fall quarter the program will be offered for 12 credits to provide students with the option to separately register for an appropriate Spanish language course. Selection for the second phase over winter and spring quarters will be based upon criteria including successful completion of fall quarter work, demonstrated readiness for study abroad and Spanish language ability. In winter and spring, students will be full time in the program, which will be offered for 16 credits per quarter. Winter quarter will begin with 5 weeks of travel preparations and intensive study on Peru, followed by a 15-week study abroad experience in the Cusco region of the Peruvian Andes that incorporates intensive Spanish or Quechua language study, regional travel, seminars, urban and rural home stays and independent research or service learning with local organizations. At the end of the independent project period, we will reconvene for final student presentations and evaluation conferences in the Sacred Valley near Cusco.As the former Incan capital, and home to vibrant cultures and immense biodiversity, the Cusco region of Peru offers immersion in the study of biocultural diversity and how the preservation of linguistic diversity is related to the preservation of traditional ecological knowledge, biodiversity and local food systems. While in Peru, we will continue language and cultural studies while experiencing regional initiatives to preserve cultural landscapes and indigenous knowledge systems in the midst of development pressure. Given the region's rich history, knowledge systems, architecture, agriculture, weaving, ceramics and music, we will ask how is knowledge transferred across generations and between communities, and how can traditional knowledge be maximized in sustainable development projects? As we address these academic questions, our own experiences will also lead us on to consider on a more individual level how learning another language and traveling abroad can increase our understanding of culture and what it means to fit into place. | Rachel Hastings Steven Scheuerell | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | |||
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Rob Cole
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Program | FR–SOFreshmen - Sophomore | 16 | 16 | Day | F 13 Fall | Sustainability - what does it mean? Sustainability for whom? Consumption, social stratification, increased indebtedness, and environmental destruction are existing hallmarks of ‘civilization.’ Many of our current cultural, social and economic systems are unsustainable. This program will explore different visions of sustainability that offer alternatives to the dominant industrial/corporate model. We will examine approaches taken by different groups of people, in differing circumstances, to forge a more just, equitable and sustainable future that doesn’t outstrip the regenerative capacity of our ecosystem.In particular, we will compare and contrast two major approaches to sustainability; that of The Natural Step, and that of ‘transition communities.’ We will explore how these visions address equity and justice in the face of climate change, social stratification and ecosystem degradation. We will examine metrics and indicators of sustainability, and various measures of the regenerative capacity of the planet. We will survey a wide array of actions individuals and groups can take to foster a future that is more sustainable and more equitable and just for both human and other species.Through workshops, readings, films, personal audits and seminar discussions, students will engage a variety of sustainability concepts and approaches. They will learn skills useful in assessing actions that foster sustainability, and they will explore the habits of mind so essential to taking action in the twenty-first century. | Rob Cole | Mon Tue Wed Fri | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO | Fall | ||||
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David Shaw
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Program | FR–SRFreshmen - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | W 14Winter | S 14Spring | This China studies program will take an in-depth look at modern China through the perspective of the social sciences, building on readings and issues discussed in the lower-division fall program China: A Success Story? However, any student with an interest in China or East Asian studies should be able to join the program in winter or spring quarter and succeed in their studies. Our overriding goals are to understand today's China as a vital global power, while critically exploring the lingering influence of its rich yet strife-torn cultural past on behavior and decisions made at the national, institutional and individual levels. Building on our shared texts and themes, students will do independent research individually or in small groups, becoming experts in a particular facet of Chinese business, economy. society and/or sustainability. Our work will also extend beyond uniquely Chinese experiences into topics on which the future of Asia, the global economy and our small planet depend, including the natural environment, paths to ecological, social and economic sustainability and strategies to redress economic inequalities and social dislocations. China's environmental history, its rural-urban dynamic and its economic development will also serve as core threads through both quarters of study. During winter quarter, we will study ancient Chinese texts (in translation), as well as popular and academic articles, books, films and documentaries on China, particularly those exploring and reinterpreting ancient themes. Chinese philosophy, comprised of the primary "Three Teachings" of Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism, will inform our study of Chinese culture. Sun Tzu's will introduce us to one of the world's oldest sources of strategic thought and Chinese concepts of leadership. Other topics likely to be covered include China’s trade and travel with the outside world, the Chinese diaspora, China's contact and interactions with foreign powers and its industrialization and political transformations from an imperial dynasty to a republic to a Communist state. Spring quarter we will focus on present-day China. We will examine China's current image as a dynamic economic powerhouse and “global factory” and as an enigmatic political player internationally. We will also look at its internal, problematic quests for domestic harmony, a well-functioning legal system and a truly civil society.In both quarters, we will meet in seminar, workshop and lecture settings. Weekly readings from books, popular media (newspapers, magazines) and academic journal articles should be expected for seminar and workshop. A peer-review approach will be taken in a Writing and Research Workshop to complement individual or small-group efforts on their research projects. Regular meetings for tai chi are also highly likely, alternating with film and documentary viewings to build a closer familiarity with Chinese culture and society. Finally, in spring quarter, students will make an individual presentation on a book they have read and critically reviewed on their own. Another student completing the same reading will provide feedback on the presentation based on their reading of the book. This should expand the range of perspectives covered beyond the readings assigned to the entire class.Separate enrollment in Chinese language courses is strongly encouraged as a complement to this program. This program would also serve as good preparation for students who plan to travel to China via independent learning contracts or subsequent study abroad programs. | David Shaw | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Winter | ||||
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Lin Nelson
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Program | FR–SRFreshmen - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | W 14Winter | S 14Spring | This program is an exploration of how to do Community-Based Research (CBR) and develop meaningful documentation in relation to community needs and challenges. Our focus will be on the social and environmental justice issues that are part of community life and that become the focus of the work of community-based organizations and social movements. A key feature of this two-quarter program will be grounded approaches with community groups. We’ll be working actively with Evergreen’s Center for Community-Based Learning and Action (CCBLA) to learn about the pressing needs in our region and to shape and sharpen our research skills and approaches. Some of the groups we will likely connect with include Parents Organized for Welfare and Economic Rights (POWER), People for Puget Sound (on environment and sustainability), Fertile Ground (community sustainability), Garden-Raised Bounty (community agriculture and food justice), Stonewall Youth (on the rights of youth and the LGBTQ community) and Teen Council of Planned Parenthood, among others.Central to our work, especially in winter quarter, will be an examination of the history, philosophy, debates and strategic modes of CBR—which is also called “participatory research,” “popular education” and “action research.” Readings and resources will draw from academics who work with communities in initiating or supporting research; at the same time, we’ll learn from community organizations about research they launch and how they work with faculty, staff and students in colleges and universities. CBR as a social movement in the U.S. and internationally will be the grounding for our efforts. Our reading will be drawn from the growing literature on CBR: key ideas and frameworks, cross-cultural and cross-national approaches, methods and skills, and vivid case material. We will sustain a persistent examination of ethics, community rights and co-learning and collaboration. Winter quarter will focus on exploring the literature and resources, learning with area organizations, posing and launching projects. Spring quarter will shift to more of a community base, with substantial fieldwork, community documentation and participation, project review and planning for future applications.Some important skills that will be developed include project design and development, interviewing and questionnaire design, researching public/government documents, participant-observation and creative approaches to documentation and presentation. We’ll be working to link our projects with compelling social, political and ecological issues and to place our work in regional to international contexts. There will be a strong focus on “give back” to the community and working with and contributing to the resource base of the CCBLA. Students will come away from the program with ideas, experiences and skills that should be helpful to them if they’re interested in future work in social justice, community organizing, environmental protection and environmental justice, public health, fieldwork, social analysis and documentation. | Lin Nelson | Tue Wed Thu | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Winter | |||
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Karen Gaul, Rita Pougiales and Julie Russo
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Program | FR–SOFreshmen - Sophomore | 16 | 16 | Day | F 13 Fall | W 14Winter | S 14Spring | In , the historian William Leach writes, “Whoever has the power to project a vision of the good life and make it prevail has the most decisive power of all.” Since the early 20th century, the pleasures of consumption have dominated prevailing visions of the good life in the United States. Innovations in mass production and mass media went hand in hand to link pleasure and prosperity with acquiring the latest commodities. Leisure has also been central to those pleasures, often in the form of tourism, fashion and entertainment, as people consume not only goods but experiences and ideas about what it means to be successful and happy. This program is an inquiry into these features of American consumer culture, particularly the values of convenience and authenticity that characterize the objects and desires it produces and exchanges.Students in this program will study the history and logic of U.S. consumer culture. We will consider the forces that have shaped each of us into consumers in this capitalist society, from prepresentation and ideology to material and technological development. Sustainability will be a critical lens for our inquiry, as we consider the raw materials, labor and waste streams inherent in goods and in cultural experiences. Life cycle analysis of objects—from their origins in nature to their presence on retail shelves, personal spaces, garbage bins and landfills—will help us build a broader context for understanding the materiality with which we all engage every day.Our historical arc will be sweeping: from hunter-gatherers nearly two million years ago, to the origins of animal and plant domestication, to the formation of colonial settlements which created unprecedented challenges and opportunities, to the modern era. We will explore the patterns of resource use, social inequality and relative sustainability. We will examine how habits of conservation, thrift and re-use that were endemic to pre-modern societies transformed in tandem with the unprecedented energies of industrialization. We will investigate the theory and economics of post-industrial capitalism to better understand the impact of new media and technologies on the ways we produce and consume in the present day. We will also examine how curiosity about foreign and mysterious cultures in the context of globalization paved the way for tourism in which cultural authenticity is a central attraction. We will study the relationship between consumption and sustainability, pursuit of the good life through self-help and imported cultural practices such as yoga and meditation, between entertainment industries and communication networks, advertising and buying habits, spending money and self-worth. These contexts will enable us to destabilize and interrogate notions of what feels "normal" in the ways we engage as consumers today, including as consumers of knowledge in increasingly digitized institutions of higher education.Students will have the opportunity to examine ingrained routines of daily life, become conscious of the origins and meanings of their own habits and desires, and thereby become critical thinkers and actors in consumer culture. Our activities will include reading, writing papers and participating in seminar discussions on program topics, learning ethnographic research methods, experimenting with multimodal and collaborative work, viewing relevant films and participating in field trips. In fall quarter, we will build foundational skills and introduce key concepts and themes; winter quarter students will begin to develop their own research agenda; and in spring quarter, they can apply theory to practice in research and/or community-based projects. | Karen Gaul Rita Pougiales Julie Russo | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO | Fall | |||
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Martha Rosemeyer and Thomas Johnson
Signature Required:
Winter Spring
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Program | SO–SRSophomore - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | F 13 Fall | W 14Winter | S 14Spring | Spring emphasis: We will study agroecology, traditional agriculture and permaculture in a tropical context. Seminar will focus on international “sustainable development” and its contradictions, successes and challenges. As a final project, students will apply their knowledge of tropical crops and soils to create a farm plan in a geographic area of their choice. This would be excellent preparation for an internship abroad and/or Peace Corps. | Martha Rosemeyer Thomas Johnson | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | |||
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EJ Zita
Signature Required:
Spring
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Program | SO–SRSophomore - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | W 14Winter | S 14Spring | How is energy harvested and transformed, used or abused? This two-quarter study of energy in natural and human systems is a good fit for students interested in environmental science, physics and sustainability—both mathematical and applied. We start with skill building and background study and finish with major research projects related to energy, climate and sustainability.We will study issues of energy generation and use in society and in the natural world. One goal is for students to gain a deeper understanding of issues involved in achieving a sustainable energy society. A primary goal is to illustrate the power and beauty of physics and mathematics. We will explore topics such as climate change and global warming; energy science, technology and policy; farming and land use, environmental studies and sustainability.We will study alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal and biofuels, as well as conventional sources of energy such as hydro, nuclear, gas and coal. Fundamentals of energy generation will focus on the underlying physics. In seminar, we further explore social, political and/or economic aspects of energy production and use, such as environmental and food production concerns and policies, effects of the Sun on the Earth, energy needs of developing countries, etc. We will have a strong emphasis on sustainability studies. While calculus is a prerequisite, students who already know calculus may deepen their math skills by applying them to program material or research projects, in teamwork. Student research projects are a major part of this program. Students develop a research question that interests them, then design and carry out their research investigations in small teams. Research projects involve quantitative analysis as well as hands-on investigations. For example, research might include fieldwork, energy analysis of an existing system (natural or constructed) and/or design of a new small-scale energy system, possibly with community applications. Past projects have included solar systems, energy generation from waste products, water purification for boats or farm composters, efficiency improvements of campus buildings, analysis of wind and water systems and more. Student researchers from this program have often won grants from the college to work on practical campus projects. | EJ Zita | Tue Thu Fri | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Winter | |||
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Robert Leverich, Robert Knapp and Anthony Tindill
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Program | FR–SRFreshmen - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | F 13 Fall | In a world full of man-made stuff, what does it mean to be a maker of things? How does what you make, the materials you choose, and how you shape them define and speak for you, as an individual, and as part of a culture or community, or an environment? What’s been handed to you, and what will you hand on? This is a foundational program for those who are drawn to envisioning and making things, from art and craft to architecture and environments, and who are open to thinking about that work as both creative self-expression and responsive engagement with materials, environments, and communities. It’s a serious introduction to studio-centered creative work – each student will be part of a working studios to focus on individual and group 3D projects that address art, craft, and construction challenges at a variety of scales, with supporting work in drawing, design, and fabrication skills, materials science, environmental history and ideas, and sustainable practices. Collaboratively, we will engage this work as art, science, expression, and service, challenging such distinctions and looking for commonalities of approach and meaning. Book possibilities include Pallasmaa: Cooper: ; Berge, Steele: Rothenburg: Engaged students will leave this program with new drawing, design, and building skills, experience with design as a multidisciplinary approach to complex problems, deeper understanding of materials and their environmental and social impacts, and fuller awareness of how the arts and architecture can shape environments and communities in ways that are ethical, beautiful, and sustainable. This program is preparatory for that follows in Winter and Spring quarters. | Robert Leverich Robert Knapp Anthony Tindill | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | |||||
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Robert Leverich and Anthony Tindill
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Program | FR–SRFreshmen - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | W 14Winter | S 14Spring | This program builds on ideas and skills introduced in in the Fall. It focuses on responsive and responsible use of materials at two different scales and in two different studios – Craft and Construction – with common activities for both. Students will choose one of the two studio options when registering for the program and will be expected to stay with that studio for both quarters in order to do focused work. The Craft Studio will explore definitions and questions of craft and sustainability through studio work in wood, metals, composites, and recycled materials – where much of the most creative work in craft is being done today. Projects will build on the basic design and construction skills introduced in the fall, to address functional and expressive challenges in the making of objects and furniture (furnishings?). The Craft Studio will emphasize full knowledge of materials, from structure and feel to sources and impacts, along with skillful use of tools and techniques – the knowledge and skill to discipline what we make and to conserve what we use. Possible key texts include Glen Adamson, and Stuart Walker, The Construction Studio will address materials in the context of sustainable building. From an architectural perspective, “green” design and construction is greatly about energy. Currently buildings account for 42% of the U.S.’s energy use, larger even than transportation and industrial uses. Effectively designing and constructing new buildings –or, sometimes even better, renovating and retrofitting existing buildings- can reduce that amount in the future despite the obvious fact that there will no doubt be more buildings. The Construction studio will focus on effective principles and strategies employed in sustainable design. Topics will include the impact of material choices (considering factors such as material origin, lifecycle costs, resource depletion and the use of recycled or reinvented materials), emerging technologies that enhance energy efficiency, design strategies that reduce the overall energy needs of a building, and current sustainable building movements that are impacting the industry. In-studio projects will ask student teams to design and build architectural projects that address various community needs. Other topics explored may include concepts of structural design, architectural history, design theory and service learning. Key texts will be Norbert Lechner, Andrea Oppenheimer Dean and Amory Lovins, Shared activities between studios will include lectures, workshops, and seminars that explore history and ideas common to both craft and construction and how both can be more ethical, beautiful, and sustainable. The program will culminate in a student-organized exhibition of best works at the end of Spring Quarter. Seriously engaged students will leave this program with a fuller understanding of materials and Sustainability, new technical and environmental awareness, well-made works in wood, metal and other materials, and the ability to present, speak for, and write effectively about their work. | visual arts, environmental design, architecture, art education, and sustainability studies. | Robert Leverich Anthony Tindill | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Winter | |||
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Mary Dean
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Course | FR–SRFreshmen - Senior | 4 | 04 | Evening | S 14Spring | We will explore the intersection where valued health care meets paid health care. In the health care arena, good intent is plagued by paradox and can yield under-funding and a mismatch with initial intent. Paradoxes and costs haunting prevention, access, and treatment will be reviewed. The books and aid our journey as will the video series, "Remaking American Medicine", "Sick Around the World," and "Sick Around America". We will consider the path of unintended consequences where piles of dollars are not the full answer to identified need. | Mary Dean | Tue | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Spring | ||||
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Bobbie McIntosh
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Course | FR–SRFreshmen - Senior | 4 | 04 | Evening | F 13 Fall | The class is about the fundamental differences between social systems (like a business or supply chain) and natural systems (like the Hoh rainforest). The social systems are created by humans. There can be no "system" without the human actors who inhabit it and take the actions that bring it to life. This class will help the student acquire a tool box of system tools that will help them take action and bring their work to life. Natural capital is built by work arising from how we work, how we think, and the shapes of the systems as they fit into the dynamics of capitalism. | Bobbie McIntosh | Tue Thu | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | ||||
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Jennifer Gerend and Glenn Landram
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Program | FR–SRFreshmen - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | F 13 Fall | W 14Winter | This two-quarter program focuses on Northwest communities from the perspective of public policy, land use and economics/personal finance. This program will be an eye opener for anyone who wonders why and how places develop. Where did that Walmart come from? Why did those trees get cut down for new homes? What will happen to that empty building? We will focus on the local decision making that shapes our built and natural environments while considering what types of development and redevelopment are more sustainable, both financially and environmentally.As the Northwest continues to grow, we will consider the voices of property owners, renters, business owners and other community members who often have divergent views on growth, preservation, conservation and property rights. These perspectives will aid our understanding of public places from urban and suburban cities to less connected subdivisions or rural developments. What do we want our public and private spaces to look like? How do communities plan for and accommodate growth? How are progressive policies developed and financed? Comparisons to other communities, cities, states and countries (Germany in particular) will be examined and discussed.Students will explore different communities' orientation to cars, transit, bicycles and pedestrians. Architecture and urban design aspects will round out our analysis. Class sessions will include lectures, workshops, films and field trips to Port Townsend and Seattle. The fall quarter will focus on the public policy, land use planning and economics necessary for students to conduct their own significant project during winter quarter. Seminar texts will offer a theoretical background in these issues as well as a look at some contemporary communities in the news.During winter quarter, students will continue their theoretical learning while taking on an applied group project around community planning and economic development. Specifically, students will work in teams to prepare research or other solutions for selected urban and rural planning issues around Washington. These projects may involve group travel. With faculty support, students will hone their ability to work in teams and develop their presentation skills. | Jennifer Gerend Glenn Landram | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | ||||
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EJ Zita
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Course | SO–SRSophomore - Senior | 8 | 08 | Day | W 14Winter | S 14Spring | How is energy harvested and transformed, used or abused? What effects do human systems have on Earth’s climate? What are the consequences for human societies? What can we learn from the past? How can we live more sustainably?We will investigate questions such as these, as a learning community seeking deeper knowledge and wisdom together. One of our primary means of inquiry is seminar: small teams pre-seminar on weekly readings in advance, we all seminar together twice a week and we share essays and peer responses online. This seminar is shared with students in Energy Systems and Climate Change.Students will share questions and growing understanding about readings, and will discuss ideas and concern for the future. SciSem students will write 3-4 essays and many peer responses individually, and will post pre-seminar assignments with teams. Learning goals include deeper understanding of sustainability and climate change, science and scientific methods and improved skills in writing, teamwork and communication. Details will be available at http://192.211.16.13/z/zita/scisem.htm. | EJ Zita | Tue Thu | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Winter | |||
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Stephanie Kozick
Signature Required:
Winter Spring
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SOS | SO–SRSophomore - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | F 13 Fall | W 14Winter | S 14Spring | This Student-Originated Studies program is intended for upper-level students with a background in community-based learning, and who have made arrangements to carry out a yearlong focused project within an organized community center, workshop, agency, organization or school setting. Community projects are to be carried out through internships, mentoring situations or apprenticeships that support students’ interest in community development. This program also includes a required weekly program meeting on campus that will facilitate a shared, supportive learning experience and weekly progress journal writing. The program is connected to Evergreen's Center for Community-Based Learning and Action (CCBLA), which supports learning about, engaging with and contributing to community life in the region. As such, this program benefits by the rich resource library, staff, internship suggestions and workshops offered through the Center. Students in this program will further their understanding of the concept of “community” as they engage their internship, apprenticeship or mentoring situation. The program emphasizes an asset-based model of community understanding advanced by Kretzmann and McKnight (1993). A variety of short readings from that text will become part of the weekly campus meetings. The range of academic/community work suited to this program includes: working in an official capacity as an intern with defined duties at a community agency, organization or school; working with one or more community members (elders, mentors, artists, teachers, skilled laborers, community organizers) to learn about a special line of work or skills that enriches the community as a whole; or designing a community action plan or case study aimed at problem solving a particular community challenge or need. A combination of internship and academic credit will be awarded in this program. Students may arrange an internship up to 36 hours a week for a 12-credit internship per quarter. Four academic credits will be awarded each quarter for seminar attendance and weekly progress journal writing. Students may distribute their program credits to include less than 12 credits of internship when accompanying research, reading and writing credits associated with their community work are included. During the academic year, students are required to meet as a whole group in a weekly seminar on Wednesday mornings to share successes and challenges, discuss the larger context of their projects in terms of community asset building and well-being, and discuss occasional assigned short readings that illuminate the essence of community. Students will also organize small interest/support groups to discuss issues related to their specific projects and to collaborate on a presentation at the end of each quarter. Students will submit weekly written progress/reflection reports via forums established on the program Moodle site. Contact faculty member Stephanie Kozick if further information is needed. | Stephanie Kozick | Wed | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | ||
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Sarah Williams
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SOS | SO–SRSophomore - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | F 13 Fall | W 14Winter | S 14Spring | J.W. Goethe Like the role of bees and seeds in the evolution of agriculture, beads—which often are seeds, shells, wax or bone—have an inside and an outside that commute. Seeds, beads and bees are interpenetrating, reciprocal creations. They form assemblages with centers and their use over time can be a measure of the fertility of mind, spirit and body. This SOS will support students in bead-like studies of biodynamic processes in conjunction with an internship, creative practice or field research project. Whether defined in relationship to agricultural, artistic or somatic practices, biodynamic processes are characterized by interconnected, recursive and iterative movements that form holistic patterns. Thus, students will be guided to reflect on their learning itself as a biodynamic process. To what extent is the subject and object of a liberal arts eduction mutually causative? In what ways might thinking be enlivened if informed by a consciousness of temporal rhythms (e.g., respiration) and cosmic forces such as tides and sunlight?This program is ideal for responsible, enthusiastic and self-motivated students with an interest in developing and reflecting on a substantial project over a substantial period of time. In addition to classroom work, each student will create an individual course of academic learning including an internship (e.g., at a local organic farm), creative practice (e.g., nature writing), or field research project (e.g., discovering the differences—and why they matter—between commercial and biodynamic beekeeping). Collaboration, including shared field-trip opportunities, with the Ecological Agriculture and Practice of Sustainable Agriculture programs will be available. Academic work for each quarter will include weekly group meetings, an annotated bibliography and maintenance of a field journal to document independent project learning. In addition to this independent project component, students will engage in weekly readings and written responses, seminar discussions and a final presentation. Unless designed into students projects and agreed upon in advance, all students will be required to attend and actively participate in this one day of weekly class activities, as well as individual self-assessment meetings with the faculty at mid-quarter and the end of the quarter. Interested students should browse the following authors and texts to explore their ability to think and act biodynamically within an intentional learning community. , edited by David Seamon and Arthur Zajonc; by Wolf Storl; by Charles Ridley; by Catherine Cole; by Gary Snyder; by Robert Bringhurst; by Ruth Ozeki; and : by Rudolf Steiner | Sarah Williams | Tue | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall |