2009-10 Courses: Winter

This course will review the law under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). It will focus on unfair labor practices and union representation elections, with an emphasis on the right to engage in union activities free from interference, restraint, coercion, or discrimination, and the duty to bargain in good faith. Students will be expected to study the text of the statute, relevant selections from actual cases, and various other materials and apply them to current events and hypothetical situations. The course will also review the major employment discrimination laws including sexual harassment, disability, family leave, wage/hour, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Students will learn how to apply these major laws to 'real-work' situations and will have a very good understanding of the major provisions.

This course is one in a series of required courses for the HR Certification Program, but it is also open to enrollment by students who are not part of the certification program.

HR practitioners and front-line managers share accountability for developing and implementing the systems that support the identification, measurement and rewarding of employees for their performance. This module will explore how to use motivation vs. discipline to drive exceptional performance and achieve organizational results. The course reviews current motivational theories and best performance management practices that help organizations achieve their goals and objectives. There will also be review of performance management systems and technologies that assist HR practitioners and managers to deploy and manage more effective performance management processes.

This course is one in a series of elective courses for the HR Certification Program, but it is also open to enrollment by students who are not part of the certification program.

Required Reading (to be completed before the first class): Peltier, B. (2009). The Psychology of Executive Coaching, 2nd edition. New York: Routledge. ISBN: 978-0-415-99341-8.

Additional Text: Bruce, A. and Pepitone, J. S. (1999). Motivating Employees. New York: McGraw Hill. ISBN: 9780070718685.

This continuing class will focus on building pieces from techniques of synthesis introduced in fall quarter, and learning new production oriented controller, processor, and production skills. Members will complete two projects which apply voices built in the lab with composites from acoustic lines and realtime analog manipulation. New techniques will include use of the Kat percussion controller, voice editing, sample editing applications, and signal processing editing. Members will attend the weekly lecture/lab/demo, maintain journals, use a minimum of two weekly independent studio times and present work to the group for critique.

This is a continuing course from fall quarter. Students will build on their skills and learn new sentence structures as well as vocabulary so they can function in Japanese in a variety of situations. Classroom activities include presentations, watching film and TV clips, and small group discussion. Additional kanji will be introduced as they read short stories. Japanese culture and life will be discussed throughout the course.

This is a continuing course from fall quarter. Students will learn how to function in Japanese in everyday situations as they build on previous skills and improve their communicative skills. Students will learn how to read and write katakana as well as elementary kanji letters. Japanese culture and life are discussed throughout the course.

The objectives of this class are grammar review and the improvement of reading comprehension and speaking skills. The class is ideal for third-year students and those who are preparing for the Level 2 or 3 Japanese Language Proficiency Tests. Classroom activities will include presentations, small group discussions and kanji reading and writing exercises. Japanese culture and life will be discussed throughout the course.

This course is designed to develop and prepare students to recognize and assume leadership roles. The class will explore contemporary leadership theories with an emphasis on accountability-driven leadership, ethical leadership through servant leadership, and the significance of embracing diversity. Major areas of study will include human resource management and business. Credits will be awarded in business management.

How are Evergreen graduates realizing the worth of their educations in the world? This course approaches this question with a lecture series of Evergreen alums who have successfully combined their Greener dreams with right livelihood. A discussion and reception will follow each guest’s lecture. Speakers will include entrepreneurs, social service professionals, artists, farmers, social justice advocates, educators, and others who found work that has monetary value, personal meaning, ecological sustainability, and social worth. We’ll be asking alumni speakers, “What has proven to be the value of an Evergreen education? How has your Evergreen experience played a part in your professional success? Readings will accompany the speaker series, including William Cronon’s “Only Connect: The Goals of a Liberal Education.”

With the possible exceptions of sushi and the woodblock print, no other forms of traditional Japanese culture have been as widely embraced in the West as the traditional Japanese house. An investigation of both abstract concepts—form, space, pattern, harmony, and order—and more tangible elements—modular construction, arched roof, tatami, shoji, and the tea garden—will form the basis of this exploration of the architectural wisdom contained within one of history’s most sophisticated and thoroughly integrated traditions. Winter quarter will be spent primarily in the classroom. Spring quarter will be primarily “hands on” and spent building in the wood studio and in the field.

In every organization, each person plays a critical role in helping the organization meet its mission, vision and objectives. In this course, students will learn how to develop strategic plans, mission and vision statements, and define unit and organizational objectives. From there, we will learn various strategies to align and prepare staff as well as planning and allocating other resources to meet those goals. We will conclude our work by studying performance measures and benchmarks to understand how organizations can improve their processes and outputs. Credits will be awarded in organizational development.

This course is an introduction to the tools and processes of metal fabrication. Students will practice sheet-metal construction, forming, forging and welding, among other work, while accomplishing a series of projects that encourage student-centered design.

Multitrack Composition is the study of creating music with modern analog and digital technology. This continuing course will introduce students to the new fully digital Audio Lab in the CCAM, and develop skills merging analog and digital production techniques. Members will engineer, produce, and perform on the works of classmates, and the artistic aspects of software instruments and digital signal processing will be primary areas of interest. Students are expected to be interested in exploring musical forms as well as in-depth production technologies.

This is the second course in a year-long sequence that introduces students to the operation and creative use of the music technology labs. During this quarter students will be introduced to digital tools for the creation of electronic music. Topics include digital audio, MIDI controllers, synthesizers and sound collage. Reading materials will provide an historical and technical background to the studio work.

Students will learn fundamentals of music literacy and piano technique, and develop free, healthy singing voices. This class emphasizes the value of live performance and collaboration with other musicians. At the end of each quarter, students will perform both vocally and on piano for other class participants and invited family and friends. This class requires excellent attendance and a commitment to practice every day. Credit will be awarded in Musicianship.

This course introduces students to the basic skills in the fabrication of neon. Each student will learn to heat, bend, weld and anneal glass tubing using a ribbon burner, cannon fire and tipping torch. Students will learn the bending process for the four basic bends: 90 degree right angle, double back, "U" and "O" loop. Students will learn to blow bubbles in a tube. They will use these techniques to fabricate several creations of their own design. Students will be guided through the processes of bombarding and wiring of their individual projects to safely attach and handle high-voltage transformers to energize their neon. Instruction in the mounting and display of the neon projects concludes the course.

In this course, we will study certain works of the Ancient Greeks through the lens of Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophy. We’ll use excerpts from his work to bring out key characteristics of the works of Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Plato and Thucydides, and to challenge some of our responses to these seminal texts. Assignments for this course will include a substantial reading load and several writing assignments. Previous familiarity with Ancient Greek texts is helpful but not required.

Non-profit organizations arise from the passion of founder(s) with a vision they want to achieve. To be successful, these groups must then develop effective programs and strategies, build alliances for change, and raise funds to support their work. The ability to do these things is grounded in solid strategic planning. Through readings, guest speakers, and collaborative exercises, we will learn the strategies that make non-profits capable of making change in the world.

This course emphasizes beginning-level skill development in camera use, lighting, exposure, b/w film and print processing. We will also briefly explore basic color printing and digital photography techniques. The essential elements of the class will include assignments, critiques and surveys of images by other photographers. Students of this class will develop a basic understanding of the language of photography, as a communications tool and a means for personal expression. Students must invest ample time outside of class to complete assignments.

In this course we'll be learning to print from color negatives, work with medium format cameras, photograph with electronic flash, and work in the studio environment. There will be assignments, critiques, and viewing the work of other photographers. All assignments and all work for this class will be in the studio with lighting set-ups. In addition to assignments, each student will be expected to produce a final project of their own choosing and turn in a portfolio at the end of the quarter.

This course is designed to help students in the Prior Learning from Experience (PLE) program progress with their document writing. We will concentrate on writing essays that address the learning language in the knowledge areas identified in the Writing from Life course. Students will also create the structure of their document by writing the introduction, table of contents and synthesis of learning essay.

This intensive class is designed for entry-level students to build media literacy skills and gain basic proficiency with media production and web technologies. Students will learn to critically analyze content by completing readings and conducting individual research via a personal blog space. Students will apply their research to the creation of a multimedia project using the theme of portraiture to frame their work. Full credit will be awarded for the completion of a blog site and multimedia project as well as full participation in all class activities. Technology workshops will include: Photoshop, iMovie, audio field recording and multitracking, WordPress, and media compression.

This course will give students a broad overview of prose writing, and help them to broaden, deepen and improve their own writing practice. We will explore every step of the writing process, learning to brainstorm, structure, draft, critique, rewrite, polish and "share out" in ways large and small. The course will also address key principles of good writing, challenges such as procrastination and writer's block, and ways to develop productive writing routines.

This course will begin to prepare students for calculus and more advanced mathematics. It is a good course for students who have recently had a college-level math class or at least three years of high school math. Students should enter the class with a good knowledge of supporting algebra. The course will include an in-depth study of linear, quadratic, exponential and logarithmic functions. Collaborative learning, data analysis and approaching problems algebraically, numerically, graphically, and verbally will be emphasized.

Using both wood and linoleum, students will learn a variety of relief printmaking techniques including hand editioning practices and proper press operations for both Vandercook proofing presses and traditional etching presses. Reduction printmaking processes as well as multiple block techniques will be demonstrated using handmade registration systems. Students will learn the proper care and sharpening of hand tools. The history of the medium will be discussed as well as its applications in contemporary art. This course concludes with a print exchange.

In this advanced class we will focus on attachment theory and family systems theory as lenses into understanding the complexity of working with children and families in many settings: education, mental health, psychology etc. We will use psychological texts, fiction, films and personal histories to understand the interplay between biological endowment, early attachment and family development as well as the external constraints families and children face, including poverty, out-of-home placement, schools and trauma. Work in class will include seminars, role-plays, some lecturing. Students will journal regularly, write 4 short response papers. and one longer paper. Self and faculty evaluations are required.