This survey of ancient sacred texts will explore their poetic and literary influence, past and present. How do they frame philosophical, moral, ethical and spiritual insights? How have they inspired lives of contemplative mysticism and active social justice? How are sacred texts passed on through oral traditions and illuminated or printed manuscripts? What is the impact of modern poetic translations? We will conduct our studies through an interdisciplinary lens and ecumenical dialogue that affirms both religious and secular perspectives. We will combine rigorous academic inquiry and poetic insight, with somatic and contemplative practices, such as yoga, meditation and performance. We will look at chants, invocations, and creation myths, as well as contemporary translations of Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim and Christian texts, along with a contemporary novel that synthesizes insights from various spiritual traditions.

The current practice of using Google and other engines to search the web has led to public interest in how to write "good search engines" that find relevant information as well as how to write "good web pages" that search engines find. However, web pages are not the only potential information we might want to find on the web. Many internet sites now contain information in non-text format such as databases, images, sound, etc. This course will consist of lectures by experts on the web, web searching, and linguistics. Topics will center on conceptual, technical and cognitive issues of searching the web and on how web developers will build the Semantic Web (aka the Deep Web). We will ask how computers can help communicate and interpret meaning and process information overload, for example, as Google does when it aims to understand "just" what information we are searching for, or as some web sites provide useful data aggregations. Speakers will explore the complexity of interfaces between humans and the web, and will be selected from among experts in linguistics and computer science.

The series is open to students and members of the Evergreen and Olympia Communities. Some background in designing web sites or web applications, computer science, or linguistics will enable students to get the most out of the lectures, but there are no prerequisites. Students wishing to receive credit must register for the course, attend all lectures and hand in a written 1-2 page summary of each lecture.

Note: This lecture series is funded by a grant from Evergreen's PLATO Royalty Fund.

This four-credit graphics/media workshop examines the simple act of telling stories with picture and words. We will study the history of related popular film, animation and comics as well as story structure, character development, shadow puppet theatre and visual storyboarding. This class is great preparation for students interested in developing ideas for short films or illustrated stories.

In this course, students will gain a basic foundation in Spanish vocabulary and grammar. The course work will focus on verbal, written and reading exercises to acquire essential vocabulary and develop communication skills. Many aspects of Latino and Spanish culture and society will be presented throughout. The course is taught primarily in Spanish and involves work in affinity groups. The fall course is the first in a series of three quarters of beginning level Spanish.

This course builds upon previous work to strengthen communication skills and fluency in Spanish. The course work focuses on intensive conversation, reading and writing, as well as practice of grammatical structures. Group conversations and written work will focus on practical themes, as well as on many topics related to Latin American societies and Hispanic cultures. Communication in class takes place entirely in Spanish. The fall course is the first of a three-quarter sequence. Students uncertain about entry into intermediate level should contact faculty to arrange for level assessment.

This course covers the central competencies in special education assessment. It provides a basic knowledge of the purposes, implementation and interpretation of formal and informal assessments. Participants gain an understanding of how to administer, score, interpret and report on formal and informal assessments, and analyze the accessibility and appropriateness of assessments for students with disabilities to determine the effectiveness of Individual Education Plans, and modifications and accommodations to general curriculum. Students are required to complete five 6-hour classes and 36 hours of practicum.