2013-14 Master of Environmental Studies (MES)
Application and acceptance to the program is required for core classes and thesis. Special students may take elective courses. Upper division undergraduate students may take elective courses with faculty permission. All course descriptions and times are subject to change.
Looking for Undergraduate Environmental Studies offerings?
| Title | Standing | Credits | Schedule | F | W | S | Su | Description | Preparatory | Faculty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Year Core | ||||||||||
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graduate Conceptualizing Our Regional Environment (gCORE)
Kevin Francis, Erin Ellis and Martha Henderson |
GRGraduate | 8 | 6-10p Tue/Thu | F 13Fall | This program provides a framework for understanding current environmental issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students will begin to develop the skills to become producers of new knowledge, rather than being strictly learners of information already available. Multiple methods of data acquisition and analysis will be introduced through examples drawn from many fields of study. The philosophy of science and the problematic relationship between science and policy are also introduced. is an aquatic biogeochemist whose research focuses on examining the role of rivers in the global carbon cycle. Rivers are large sources of carbon to both the atmosphere and the ocean and are consequently critical to our understanding of the global carbon cycle. While working in the Amazon Basin, her research demonstrated that bacteria living in the river produce high levels of carbon dioxide through respiration, and this carbon dioxide is subsequently lost to the atmosphere. Her current research in the Mekong Basin (i.e. Cambodia) focuses on characterizing the type of organic carbon that is exported by large rivers to the ocean. Specifically, she uses molecular tracers to determine where in the watershed the carbon originates from, and uses radiocarbon analyses to determine the age of this material. Such information is necessary in order to understand the preservation of terrestrial carbon in the ocean, which can affect atmospheric carbon dioxide levels over long time scales. Through her training (Erin received her masters and doctoral degree from the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington), Erin has research experience working in streams, rivers, lakes, and the ocean. Additional interests include ocean acidification, estuarine ecology, evaluating the impacts of dams on downstream processes, and microbial ecology. Her past and present research has been conducted through collaborations with colleagues in Brazil, Cambodia, and the Pacific Northwest. is a historian and philosopher of science, with particular interest in the development of the environmental sciences. Kevin studied biology and philosophy at Reed College. After graduating, he spent several years working as a wildlife biologist for Mt. Hood National Forest. His graduate studies at the University of Minnesota focused on history of science and medicine. His historical research concerns scientific efforts to understand the mass extinction of North American megafauna (e.g. mammoth, mastodon, giant ground sloth) around 12,000 years ago, especially the way that various disciplines approach this problem. , is a geographer interested in social aspects of environmental conditions and transformation of Earth by humans over time. She is currently the Director of the Graduate Program on the Environment. Her primary research and teaching interests are in ethnic identities as revealed in cultural landscapes. Her teaching areas and research interests include Greek landscapes of wild land fire, Native American reservation landscapes, and Western American public lands and landscapes. | Kevin Francis Erin Ellis Martha Henderson | ||||
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Ecological and Social Sustainability
Kevin Francis, Ted Whitesell and Erin Ellis |
GRGraduate | 8 | 6-10p Tue/Thu | W 14Winter | Addresses central issues in contemporary sustainability studies on theoretical and practical levels. Emphasis is on ways to promote both environmental and social sustainability. Areas covered may include environmental quality at regional, national and global scales; energy use and alternative energies; resource availability and access to resources; social and cultural issues of sustainability; and indicators to guide policy. As part of this program, students write and present a research paper to provide evidence of their readiness to advance to . is an aquatic biogeochemist whose research focuses on examining the role of rivers in the global carbon cycle. Rivers are large sources of carbon to both the atmosphere and the ocean and are consequently critical to our understanding of the global carbon cycle. While working in the Amazon Basin, her research demonstrated that bacteria living in the river produce high levels of carbon dioxide through respiration, and this carbon dioxide is subsequently lost to the atmosphere. Her current research in the Mekong Basin (i.e. Cambodia) focuses on characterizing the type of organic carbon that is exported by large rivers to the ocean. Specifically, she uses molecular tracers to determine where in the watershed the carbon originates from, and uses radiocarbon analyses to determine the age of this material. Such information is necessary in order to understand the preservation of terrestrial carbon in the ocean, which can affect atmospheric carbon dioxide levels over long time scales. Through her training (Erin received her masters and doctoral degree from the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington), Erin has research experience working in streams, rivers, lakes, and the ocean. Additional interests include ocean acidification, estuarine ecology, evaluating the impacts of dams on downstream processes, and microbial ecology. Her past and present research has been conducted through collaborations with colleagues in Brazil, Cambodia, and the Pacific Northwest. is a historian and philosopher of science, with particular interest in the development of the environmental sciences. Kevin studied biology and philosophy at Reed College. After graduating, he spent several years working as a wildlife biologist for Mt. Hood National Forest. His graduate studies at the University of Minnesota focused on history of science and medicine. His historical research concerns scientific efforts to understand the mass extinction of North American megafauna (e.g. mammoth, mastodon, giant ground sloth) around 12,000 years ago, especially the way that various disciplines approach this problem. is a broadly trained cultural geographer with special interests in political ecology and conservation. As a freshman at the University of Colorado, Ted co-founded the CU Wilderness Study Group. After graduation, Ted ran the Colorado Wilderness Workshop, the only statewide preservation organization at the time. From 1975 to 1985, he was a leader of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, campaigning to secure designation of the first wilderness areas in the Tongass National Forest. He was recognized as the most accomplished environmental leader in the country of 25 years of age or less by the Tyler Foundation. Later, he earned a Ph.D. in geography from the University of California, Berkeley, investigating grassroots proposals for conservation and development in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil . Ted came to The Evergreen State College in 1998 and is affiliated with two planning units – Environmental Studies and Sustainability & Justice. His students published a major book in April 2004, called Defending Wild Washington (The Mountaineers Books). His most recent research was a collaborative investigation of tribal perspectives on marine protected areas in western Washington. | Kevin Francis Ted Whitesell Erin Ellis | ||||
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Research Design and Quantitative Methods
Carri LeRoy and MES Faculty |
GRGraduate | 8 | 6-10p, Tue/Thu | S 14Spring | Students learn how to integrate the use of inferential statistics and qualitative data analysis to conduct rigorous examinations of the social, biological, and physical aspects of environmental issues. This knowledge will prepare students for their own research and for understanding and critiquing research articles and reports in fields of their choosing. is a Member of the Faculty at The Evergreen State College and a Co-Director of the Sustainability in Prisons Project. As a stream ecologist, she is fascinated by interactions between forests and streams and has studied riparian systems in Washington, Arizona, and Utah for the past 10 years. Dr. LeRoy has published over 25 scientific research articles with students and collaborators in the fields of stream ecology, ecological genetics, riparian forest ecology and prairie plant community dynamics. For the MES program she teaches in gCORE and RDQM where she gets to teach about the ecology of the Pacific Northwest as well as the applications and theory of statistics and quantitative methods. Her interests in non-formal education are based in her experience with environmental and place-based education, her work with incarcerated students and her desire to facilitate environmental stewardship in broad audiences. | Carri LeRoy MES Faculty | ||||
| 2nd Year Core | ||||||||||
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Case Studies and Thesis Research
Carri LeRoy and Ted Whitesell |
GRGraduate | 8 | 6-10p Tue/Thu | F 13Fall | Students will examine in detail a variety of environmental problems, using the skills they gained in their first year of MES core studies to carry out individual or small group projects. Students and faculty will also work together to apply what has been learned throughout the core sequence about interdisciplinary environmental research to design individual thesis research plans that will be ready to carry out by the end of the fall quarter of the student's second year. is a Member of the Faculty at The Evergreen State College and a Co-Director of the Sustainability in Prisons Project. As a stream ecologist, she is fascinated by interactions between forests and streams and has studied riparian systems in Washington, Arizona, and Utah for the past 10 years. Dr. LeRoy has published over 25 scientific research articles with students and collaborators in the fields of stream ecology, ecological genetics, riparian forest ecology and prairie plant community dynamics. For the MES program she teaches in gCORE and RDQM where she gets to teach about the ecology of the Pacific Northwest as well as the applications and theory of statistics and quantitative methods. Her interests in non-formal education are based in her experience with environmental and place-based education, her work with incarcerated students and her desire to facilitate environmental stewardship in broad audiences. is a broadly trained cultural geographer with special interests in political ecology and conservation. As a freshman at the University of Colorado, Ted co-founded the CU Wilderness Study Group. After graduation, Ted ran the Colorado Wilderness Workshop, the only statewide preservation organization at the time. From 1975 to 1985, he was a leader of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, campaigning to secure designation of the first wilderness areas in the Tongass National Forest. He was recognized as the most accomplished environmental leader in the country of 25 years of age or less by the Tyler Foundation. Later, he earned a Ph.D. in geography from the University of California, Berkeley, investigating grassroots proposals for conservation and development in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil . Ted came to The Evergreen State College in 1998 and is affiliated with two planning units – Environmental Studies and Sustainability & Justice. His students published a major book in April 2004, called Defending Wild Washington (The Mountaineers Books). His most recent research was a collaborative investigation of tribal perspectives on marine protected areas in western Washington. | Carri LeRoy Ted Whitesell | ||||
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MES Thesis
MES Faculty |
GRGraduate | V | Evening | W 14Winter | S 14Spring | To complete their degree, MES students are required to complete a 16 credit thesis,* the prospectus for which is finished in the Fall quarter during Case Studies. At the end of Case Studies, and prior to Winter quarter, students are assigned a faculty mentor, or "reader." Each reader is assigned a CRN (course reference number), and students will be notified of their reader's CRN by email from the MES office prior to registration. In addition to the thesis, students are required to attend a bi-weekly thesis workshop, which is usually offered every other Tuesday evening throughout the Winter and Spring quarters. Students will be notified of exact details during Fall quarter.*This requirement applies to all students who started MES in Fall 2011 or later. If you started in a prior year, please see your MES student handbook for your specific requirements. | MES Faculty | |||
| Electives | ||||||||||
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Climate Change, Greenhouse Gasses, and Our Environment: A World Reinvented
Paul Pickett |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon | F 13Fall | Focus: the science and policy of global and regional climate change. This elective will address: | Paul Pickett | ||||
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Conserving and Restoring Biodiversity
Timothy Quinn |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Wed | F 13Fall | This course focuses on the biology that underlies conservation and restoration issues around the world. There are many ways to approach the study of conservation and restorationbiology and I will mostly emphasize the scientific elements of these disciplines. I also will provide you with a practitioner's perspective of the relationship of biology and policy from work done in Washington State. This course will introduce you to the literature, controversies, and promising methodologies for a variety of conservation/restoration biology applications. In addition, I will invite a number of local experts to come and provide perspectives on their work in applied fields of conservation. We will read, discuss, and write on a variety of topics. Your assignments include written and oral exercises, and peer evaluations aimed at helping you develop your ideas and increas your ability to communicate those ideas. I want to introduce you to the principal concepts and methodologies of conservation and restoration biology, enrich your understanding of the scientific contributions necessary for solving conservation problems, foster your understanding of the scientific process in general and as applied in conservation settings, and further your powers of analysis and ability to communicate effectively. | Timothy Quinn | ||||
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Fall 2013 Approved MPA Courses for MES Students
Various MPA Faculty Members |
GRGraduate | 4 | Evening and Weekend | F 13Fall | MES students have the option of taking up to two 4-credit MPA electives for MES elective credit. Each quarter, MES will publish approved MPA courses that MES students can take. This quarter, students are eligible to take:No classes approved at this time.MPA electives fill very quickly, so MES students should not be surprised if they are waitlisted at first. | Various MPA Faculty Members | ||||
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Fire Science and Society
Richard Bigley and Sarah Hamman |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon | F 13Fall | Fire has plays the role of ecosystem engineer in forests and grasslands throughout the world. This role has changed over the past hundred years, however, with increasing human populations, sprawling development into fire-prone areas, and altered perceptions of this vital ecological process. With fire suppression and exclusion, we are seeing dramatic changes in the structure and functioning of fire-influenced ecosystems and the role of fire in natural resources management and policy.There are significant ecological, social and political implications of these changes, ranging from the listing of fire-adapted endangered species to more rigorous air quality regulations to altered pressures and priorities for the timber industry. Adapting policies in the anticipation to climate change has become a major priority. It is becoming more important for citizens to understand both the benefits and the risks associated with fire as it is increasingly impacting people in their daily lives. This course will introduce students to the language, the ecology and the politics surrounding wildland fire and increase your effectiveness with opportunities that involve fire science, application and management. is a forest ecologist who teaches as adjunct faculty in the Evening and Weekend Studies and Masters of Environmental Studies programs. Richard teaches sustainable forestry and on occasion a forest ecology class.His current work focuses on the restoration of riparian forests to older forest conditions in western Washington, and the ecology and management of headwater streams and wetlands. He works for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources in Olympia. Over the last 21 years with DNR, he has served as the team leader for the Forest Ecology, Wildlife Science and the Habitat Conservation Plan Monitoring and Adaptive Management Teams. He also advises other organization on the development of conservation plans. Before joining WADNR, he worked as an ecologist for the Forest Service PNW Experiment Station and private industry.Richard earned a Ph. D. in Forest Ecology and Silviculture and M Sc. in Botany from the University of British Columbia. He has been an Affiliate Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, College of the Environment, School of Forestry Since 1994. As member of the Northern Spotted owl “5-year review” panel in 2004, Richard was a contributor to the first comprehensive evaluation of the scientific information on the Northern Spotted owl since the time of listing of the as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1990.After his family, his passions are the science of natural resources management and conservation, and boating. , is the Restoration Ecologist for the Center for Natural Lands Management. Her work is aimed at restoring rare species habitat in PNW prairies using rigorous science and careful conservation planning. Sarah holds a B.A. in Biology from Wittenberg University and a Ph.D. in Ecology from Colorado State University. Most of her training and experience has been in ecosystem ecology, with a focus on fire effects on forest and grassland soils. She has also studied climate change impacts on Minnesota tallgrass prairies, wolf behavior and demographics in Yellowstone, fire effects on invasive species in Sequoia National Park, and restoration techniques for endangered species in central Florida rangelands. At Evergreen, she teaches Fire Science and Society and Restoration Ecology for the MES program. | Richard Bigley Sarah Hamman | ||||
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MES Individual Learning Contract
Various MES Faculty |
GRGraduate | 2, 4 | F 13Fall | W 14Winter | S 14Spring | Su 14Summer | An MES student may arrange an individual learning contract with an MES faculty member if available elective courses or internships do not satisfactorily meet the student's academic program design. This is a negotiated agreement between the student and faculty for the student to pursue independent, individualized study. Please see the Individual Learning Contract section of the for more information. Contracts can either be 2 credits or 4 credits, depending on the content. MES does not offer contracts for more than 4 credits. Also note that no more than eight credits can be accumulated through individual learning contracts and/or internships.To sign up for an individual learning contract, students should find a faculty sponsor from among the MES faculty to help them write their contract. Contracts are created on my.evergreen.edu. Once the contract is signed off by the faculty sponsor and MES director, the student is registered for the number of chosen credits. There are no CRNs for contracts. | Various MES Faculty | ||
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MES Internship
Various MES Faculty |
GRGraduate | 2, 4 | F 13Fall | W 14Winter | S 14Spring | Su 14Summer | MES students are strongly encouraged to complete an internship after their first year in core classes in conjunction with their thesis, especially if they do not have prior professional-level experience in environmental work. An internship is a learning experience designed to aid students in achieving specific academic and professional objectives. Please see the for more details. Internships can be either 2 credits for 10 hours per week or 4 credits for 20 hours or more per week. MES does not offer internships for more than 4 credits. Also note that no more than eight credits can be accumulated through internship and/or individual learning contracts.To sign up for an internship, students should find a faculty sponsor from among the MES faculty and an internship field supervisor to help them write their internship contract. Contracts are created on my.evergreen.edu. Once the contract is signed off by the MES faculty, field supervsor, and MES Director, the student is registered for the number of chosen credits. There are no CRNs for internships. | Various MES Faculty | ||
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Natural Disaster Management
Martha Henderson |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Wed | F 13Fall | Disaster management is rapidly becoming a constant factor in environmental conditions. This class will include research and analysis of the physical, historical, cultural and political contexts of disasters. Relationships between climate and storm events, global and local management systems, and public capacity to cope with disasters will be examined. Specific disaster events such as Hurricane Sandy, the Gulf oil spill, Chehalis River flooding events, and the potential of earthquake, tsunami, and volcano events it the Pacific Northwest will be highlighted. Students will be asked to read public documents, critical examinations, and personal accounts of disasters. Finally, students will be asked to research a specific disaster and highlight management issues. One field trip and several guest speakers will be included in the class. , is a geographer interested in social aspects of environmental conditions and transformation of Earth by humans over time. She is currently the Director of the Graduate Program on the Environment. Her primary research and teaching interests are in ethnic identities as revealed in cultural landscapes. Her teaching areas and research interests include Greek landscapes of wild land fire, Native American reservation landscapes, and Western American public lands and landscapes. | Martha Henderson | ||||
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Advanced GIS
Gregory Stewart |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon or Wed | W 14Winter | Advanced GIS is a fast-paced course designed to teach graduate students to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for mapping, spatial data management, and spatial data analysis. Instruction is based on reading assignments, lectures, and weekly hands-on labs using ArcGIS 10.1. Evaluations are based on the quality of student-produced map and analysis products and two quizzes. No previous experience with GIS is required, but students should have experience with quantitative software and must be able to demonstrate a solid understanding of MS Windows file management. Students will be expected to use the software outside of class, and student versions of the software will be made available, but support is limited to college computers (note: software runs only under MS Windows, see requirements: ). Greg Stewart is a fluvial geomorphologist who teaches as adjunct faculty in the Evening and Weekend Studies and Masters of Environmental Studies programs. Greg is an applied researcher working on issues related to the interaction between humans and fluvial and ecological systems. He currently works for the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. Greg has various teaching interests including the use of geographic information systems theory and practice, fluvial geomorphology, geology, and statistics. Greg holds a B.S. from The Evergreen State College, an M.S. in Watershed Science from Colorado State University, and a Ph.D. in Geology from Oregon State University. | Gregory Stewart | ||||
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Contemporary Challenges to Building a Clean Energy Future
Alan Hardcastle |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon or Wed | W 14Winter | This course will examine current trends in the clean energy sector and the intersections with efforts to develop a green and sustainable economy and environment that also enhances social equity. The class will integrate research and readings with guest lectures and seminar discussion to explore the current social, technical and political context for the shift to clean energy. The class will include a special focus on the energy labor market, human resources, education and training, and societal implications for regional alternative energy and energy efficiency initiatives. | Alan Hardcastle | ||||
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Environmental Education
Jean MacGregor |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon or Wed | W 14Winter | It is widely agreed that an environmentally literate and concerned citizenry is crucial to environmental quality and long-term sustainability --but how and where is environmental and sustainability literacy fostered? And where "environmental education" occurs, is it effective? This class explores the history, philosophical underpinnings, and current trends in environmental education for both youth and adults, in both formal sectors (schools and colleges) and non-formal ones. This class provides a theoretical and practical introduction to the field of environmental education and interpretation. It will be useful to students interested in environmental teaching or communications as a career, or to those whose environmental work might involve education or outreach components. | Jean MacGregor | ||||
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Freshwater Ecology
Carri LeRoy |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon or Wed | W 14Winter | In terms of providing habitat for threatened and endangered species, freshwater habitats rank as the most imperiled ecosystems on Earth. Historically and currently used for transportation, irrigation, energy production, waste disposal and recreation, it is important to understand how freshwater systems funtion and how we can work toward ecological restoration of freshwater habitat. This program will focus on the foundations of and research methods in freshwater ecology. Topics covered will include basic water chemistry, stream flow dynamics, primary productivity, aquatic insect ID, trophic dynamics, ecological interactions, organic matter and nutrient dynamics, current threats to freshwater ecosystems and ecological restoration. The course will focus on current research in ecosystem ecology, community ecology and ecological genetics in riparian zones, streams, rivers and lakes. Seminar readings will focus on human-freshwater interactions and regionally important freshwater topics in the Pacific Northwest. Field trips will be undertaken regardless of weather conditions to local freshwater environments and the course will include several hands-on lab activities. is a Member of the Faculty at The Evergreen State College and a Co-Director of the Sustainability in Prisons Project. As a stream ecologist, she is fascinated by interactions between forests and streams and has studied riparian systems in Washington, Arizona, and Utah for the past 10 years. Dr. LeRoy has published over 25 scientific research articles with students and collaborators in the fields of stream ecology, ecological genetics, riparian forest ecology and prairie plant community dynamics. For the MES program she teaches in gCORE and RDQM where she gets to teach about the ecology of the Pacific Northwest as well as the applications and theory of statistics and quantitative methods. Her interests in non-formal education are based in her experience with environmental and place-based education, her work with incarcerated students and her desire to facilitate environmental stewardship in broad audiences. | Carri LeRoy | ||||
|
Winter 2014 Approved MPA Courses for MES Students
Various MPA Faculty Members |
GRGraduate | 4 | Evening and Weekend | W 14Winter | MES students have the option of taking up to two 4-credit MPA electives for MES elective credit. Each quarter, MES will publish approved MPA courses that MES students can take. This quarter, students are eligible to take:No classes approved at this time.MPA electives fill very quickly, so MES students should not be surprised if they are waitlisted at first. | Various MPA Faculty Members | ||||
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Environmental Policy Making
MES Adjuct Faculty |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon or Wed | S 14Spring | The goal of this course is to introduce students to the important concepts and to both theoretical and practical problems in the making and carrying out of environmental and natural resource policy in the U. S. Students will learn several approaches to understanding how, why, and by whom environmental policy decisions are made, and will gain experience with policy analysis and evaluation techniques, negotiation, and with the particular problems of policy implementation. This course takes a process approach to the topic, rather than a descriptive or prescriptive approach, and is aimed primarily at students who see themselves as future practitioners or researchers in this field. Some prior familiarity with the main categories of environmental and natural resource legislation and with the fundamental topics of political science will help students gain the most from this course. | MES Adjuct Faculty | ||||
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The Global Carbon Cycle
Erin Ellis |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon or Wed | S 14Spring | The global carbon cycle is fundamentally tied to many of the most important environmental issues of the twenty-first century, including climate change, energy consumption, ocean acidification, deforestation, and the pollution of freshwater ecosystems. As such, an accurate understanding of the carbon cycle is necessary to guide policy to work towards an effective solution to many of these complex issues. Accordingly, this program will explore the fundamentals of the global carbon cycle. Specifically, we will study the distribution of carbon between different reservoirs on Earth (i.e. the atmosphere, the ocean, and the land), and then examine the sequence of biogeochemical processes that control the cycling of carbon between these reservoirs. Further, we will use case studies of current hot research topics to explore how anthropogenic activities are altering the global carbon cycle in different ecosystem types (forests, lakes, rivers, and the ocean). Additional topics to be covered include greenhouse gasses, the effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide levels on terrestrial and aquatic organisms, carbon sequestration, the global nitrogen and phosphorus cycles (as they relate to the carbon cycle), ocean acidification, and deforestation. Seminar readings will be based on primary literature in addition to the required program text. Hands-on laboratory activities and a field trip will be used to support lectures and seminar readings. Erin Ellis is an aquatic biogeochemist whose research focuses on examining the role of rivers in the global carbon cycle. While working in the Amazon Basin, her research demonstrated that bacteria living in the river produce high levels of carbon dioxide, and this carbon dioxide is subsequently lost to the atmosphere. Her current research in the Mekong Basin focuses on characterizing the type of organic carbon that is exported by large rivers to the ocean. Specifically, she uses molecular tracers to determine where in the watershed the carbon originates from, and uses radiocarbon analyses to determine the age. Such information is necessary in order to understand the preservation of terrestrial carbon in the ocean, which can affect atmospheric carbon dioxide levels over long time scales. Erin has experience working in streams, rivers, lakes, and the ocean. | Erin Ellis | ||||
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History of Ecology and Environmentalism
Kevin Francis |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon or Wed | S 14Spring | In the past century, ecology has denoted both a biological science and a political movement. Sometimes these two meanings converge, as in the ecologist Paul Sears’ call for conservation in (1964). Many ecologists navigate the path between “objective” scientist and “political” advocate in their work as researchers, policy advisors, natural resource managers, teachers, and public intellectuals. What lessons does the history of ecology offer for current scientists? This course examines the parallel development of ecological science and environmentalism, with special focus on past and current controversies that compelled ecologists to enter the political arena. We will focus, among other issues, on how ecologists responded to destructive agricultural and forestry practices, environmental pollution, human population growth, species endangerment and extinction, and climate change. Students will engage this material through several brief essays on the seminar readings and a longer research paper on a scientific controversy. Kevin Francis is a historian and philosopher of science, with particular interest in the development of the environmental sciences. Kevin studied biology and philosophy at Reed College. After graduating, he spent several years working as a wildlife biologist for Mt. Hood National Forest. His graduate studies at the University of Minnesota focused on history of science and medicine. His historical research concerns scientific efforts to understand the mass extinction of North American megafauna (e.g. mammoth, mastodon, giant ground sloth) around 12,000 years ago, especially the way that various disciplines approach this problem. | Kevin Francis | ||||
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Protected Areas and Environmental Justice
Ted Whitesell |
GRGraduate | 4 | 6-10p Mon or Wed | S 14Spring | This graduate elective is focused on the following question: Can protected area policies achieve conservation objectives while respecting and furthering the rights and interests of peoples with long historical and cultural ties to such areas? We now stand at a critical juncture in the history of protected area designation and management, at home and abroad. As the human capacity to transform the landscape, the waters, and the atmosphere of the planet reaches unprecedented levels, the isolation of natural areas from human occupation and use is being increasingly challenged as an inappropriate or misguided policy. Resident (especially indigenous) peoples often see the traditional, exclusionary model of nature protection as a form of environmental injustice. For protected area managers, regulatory enforcement has become difficult or impossible in traditional nature reserves of the world’s poorest countries. Within academia, increasing numbers of scholars are challenging the conceptual basis of wilderness preservation and national parks, while other scholars staunchly defend preservation as the best policy by which to stem the massive tide of global extinctions. As a result, an impasse has been reached in protected area policy. The choice of conservation strategies today will have lasting consequences for future ecosystems and peoples. Endangered species and cultural traditions can be lost by a misstep in either direction, i.e., through precipitous policy shifts or through stubborn adherence to misguided policies. In this course, we will attempt to first understand this impasse and then to look beyond it, toward the most likely short-term, medium-term and long-term strategies for achieving lasting natural area preservation with social justice. Readings will be drawn from fields such as geography, history, conservation biology, and political ecology. Theoretical debates will be grounded in case studies from North America and other world regions. Ted Whitesell is a broadly trained cultural geographer with special interests in political ecology and conservation. As a freshman at the University of Colorado, Ted co-founded the CU Wilderness Study Group. After graduation, Ted ran the Colorado Wilderness Workshop, the only statewide preservation organization at the time. From 1975 to 1985, he was a leader of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, campaigning to secure designation of the first wilderness areas in the Tongass National Forest. He was recognized as the most accomplished environmental leader in the country of 25 years of age or less by the Tyler Foundation. Later, he earned a Ph.D. in geography from the University of California, Berkeley, investigating grassroots proposals for conservation and development in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil . Ted came to The Evergreen State College in 1998 and is affiliated with two planning units – Environmental Studies and Sustainability & Justice. His students published a major book in April 2004, called Defending Wild Washington (The Mountaineers Books). His most recent research was a collaborative investigation of tribal perspectives on marine protected areas in western Washington. | Ted Whitesell | ||||
|
Spring 2014 Approved MPA Courses for MES Students
Various MPA Faculty Members |
GRGraduate | 4 | Evening and Weekend | S 14Spring | MES students have the option of taking up to two 4-credit MPA electives for MES elective credit. Each quarter, MES will publish approved MPA courses that MES students can take. This quarter, students are eligible to take:No classes are approved at this time.MPA electives fill very quickly, so MES students should not be surprised if they are waitlisted at first. | Various MPA Faculty Members | ||||
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Summer 2014 Approved MPA Courses for MES Students
Various MPA Faculty Members |
GRGraduate | 4 | Evening and Weekend | Su 14Summer | MES students have the option of taking up to two 4-credit MPA electives for MES elective credit. Each quarter, MES will publish approved MPA courses that MES students can take. This quarter, students are eligible to take:No classes are approved at this time.MPA electives fill very quickly, so MES students should not be surprised if they are waitlisted at first. | Various MPA Faculty Members | ||||