Students are introduced to multicultural aspects of historical developments of the Pacific Northwest. With texts and films that provide accessible historical accounts, students will be exposed to Native American Indian perspectives on the eventual occupation of their lands by European imperialists, the origins and outcomes of competition among Europeans for the Pacific Northwest, and challenges placed on non-European ethnic groups, such as African Americans, Mexican Americans, Chinese Americans and Japanese Americans. This course fulfills the prerequisites for many MIT students and meets a social studies K-12 teaching “endorsement” requirement.

Credits awarded: 4 credits in Pacific Northwest history

This program explores central personality theories from a traditional perspective as well as feminist and multicultural perspectives. We examine the relationship of personality theories to abnormal behavior and develop an understanding of the DSM IV classification system. Goals of the program include developing an ongoing awareness of personality theory and psychopathology, gaining an understanding of the application of theory, developing research skills and improving on their proficiency with Web-based communication tools. This course provides foundational and advanced level work in psychology.

Credits awarded: 8 credits in personality theory, abnormal psychology, or research topics in psychology

This intensive session will mix visual art with art history through guided tours of historical and artistic significance. Sites include the Duomo, the Uffizi Galleries, the Sistine Chapel and the Pantheon. Students receive guidance in photography, and post journal entries to a class Web site weekly. Students enrolled at Evergreen may prepare in advance through workshops in camera operation, and photography techniques. Students may work in photography, drawing, or painting, though studio space is limited. The exposure to the art, history and culture of Italy will be a valuable preparation for upper division and graduate school programs.

Credits awarded: 4 credits each in beginning or advanced photography and art history

A digital (strongly recommended) or film SLR and an off-camera flash are required. This introductory class includes photographic technique, ethics, design, style development and how to write captions. Students will learn digital darkroom techniques using film scanners and Photoshop. No traditional wet darkroom work. Any student wanting to learn is welcome, but working knowledge of own camera gear is strongly recommended. Students will be required to update their work each week with assigned work using the class Web site for photo editing by instructor and class. Digital SLR’s are available via Media Loan.

Credits awarded: 2 credits in photojournalism

Students will attend a six-day intensive in which we will spend most of our time outdoors, visiting gardens and habitats, learning to identify medicinal plants from various cultural traditions, exploring techniques and issues related to growing and harvesting many of these plants, maintaining a nature journal, considering broader contexts—including garden design and garden/herbalist relationships—and documenting our plant knowledge. (This course may be taken alone but is especially designed to complement Plant Medicine Traditions: From Kitchen to Community.) Students may design independent study for variable credit which will be carried out during the first session only or during both sessions, depending on registration. Additional individual study will consist of project-oriented research, hands-on activities, journal and log maintenance (detailing activities and time spent), and a final synthesis of learning; this will supplement the 4 credits generated by the Intensive and will be planned with faculty before the end of the Intensive. This course will support interdisciplinary perspectives for K-12 educators and healthcare professionals including herbalists, environmental managers, writers, artists and gardeners.

Credits awarded: 2 or 4 credits each in plant observation, identification, and journaling and plant access: gardens and habitats.

In this six-day intensive, students will explore traditions in which it is common to know safe, local medicinal plants as well as to create simple preparations that support the family and community. Specifically, we will learn about a variety of wild and cultivated plants as well as techniques for making a variety of preparations. We will meet herbalists and explore contemporary issues related to practicing the centuries-old art of herbalism. Students will also engage in research and will document their experience and knowledge. (This course may be taken alone but is designed to complement Plant Medicine Traditions: Forest, Field and Garden.) Students may design independent study for variable credit which will be carried out during the first session only or during both sessions, depending on registration. Additional individual study will consist of project-oriented research, hands-on activities, journal and log maintenance (detailing activities and time spent), and a final synthesis of learning; this will supplement the 4 credits generated by the Intensive and will be planned with faculty before the end of the Intensive. This course will support interdisciplinary perspectives for K-12 educators and healthcare professionals including herbalists, environmental managers, writers, artists and gardeners.

Credits awarded: 2 or 4 credits each in introduction to plants as medicine and creating a medicinal plant notebook.

This popular off-campus poetry and philosophy writers’ workshop returns to Fort Flagler on the Puget Sound. Open to student writers of all abilities, this program promotes discussions, introspection, and writing of both poetry and prose. Students leave this program with a collection of poems and/or essays that explore personal and social meanings of love and war. Students can expect to experience new levels of understanding about love and war in a beautiful setting that is both supportive and collaborative. This course is excellent for MIT students.

Credits awarded: 8 credits in poetry writing

We will read and write poetry on Serendipity Farm, which is nestled at the foot of the Olympics within two miles of the beach. This class is open to beginners and seasoned poets. We will have outdoor adventures and write about them as we explore farm life and sleep in tents. We will write haiku, free verse, pantoums, nature poems and other poetic forms. Students can expect their writing and understanding of poetry to be enhanced significantly. This course is excellent for MIT students in English and Literature.

Credits awarded: 8 credits in poetry writing

This program will examine the process of colonization, neo-colonialism,
neoliberalism and other economic political forces which impoverished the region and continue to keep it so. Using a dependency theory approach, the program will examine how models were imposed on the Latin American people historically. The program will also examine attempts to alter these fundamentally unequal social, political and economic relations. In doing so, studies about a variety of themes including the role of Indigenous peoples, the land tenure system, religion, education, culture, revolutions and immigration will be carried out. The program, for intermediate and advanced Spanish speakers, will be conducted entirely in Spanish language. Students will have an opportunity to extend their knowledge of the language by actively learning about Latin American events, arts and cultural expressions. This course includes upper division sociology, economics, history, Spanish, geography, social sciences and social research and writing.

Credits awarded: 2 credits in sociology; 3 credits in political economy; 3 credits in Spanish language.

“Political economy” concerns principles on which our economy is organized, grounded in moral philosophy and notions of human nature. This course begins by enumerating principles of ecological economics and a political economy of sustainability. We then contrast these against current dominant modes of economic thinking from growth, neo-classical and development economics and main themes in the history of Western economic thought. Modern schools of economic thought are treated: market failures, public goods, environmental economics, regulation/deregulation, economic anthropology, critique of corporate power and theories of happiness.

Credits awarded: 2 credits each in history of economic thought and environmental economics

This course takes a critical look at unresolved controversies in the United States, including government secrecy; civil liberties, security and the press in wartime; same-sex marriage and adoptions; the death penalty, affirmative action, gun control, workfare as welfare reform, and privatization of public schools. It will be taught entirely via the Internet through a digital message board, a chatroom for live seminars, e-mail, and a course Web site: http://academic.evergreen.edu/curricular/problems/home.htm. This course has become important for state workers in decision-making positions, students seeking to develop better critical thinking skills, and MIT applicants in need of Civics and/or American Government endorsements.

Credits awarded: 8 credits in political science: controversies in public policy

This academic/farming practicum includes hands-on instruction in a variety of farm-related topics, including irrigation system design and management, farm and business planning, composting, management of green and animal manures, insect, weed and pathogen identification, biology and management strategies, farmscaping, livestock husbandry, mushroom cultivation, small farm marketing strategies and more. Students can also work with facilities for vermiculture, composting and biodiesel production, and will explore their personal agricultural interests through research. Students will participate in overnight field trips to farms and weekly potluck meals. Student projects will produce a body of work and demonstrate a level of knowledge that would justify upper division credits.

Credits awarded: 8 credits each in applied horticulture and organic practicum

One of our most important tasks as writers is to discover the topics and themes that hold the deepest meanings for us. Each week we will pursue intensive “writing marathons” that allow us to write fearlessly and share freely. Then we will develop discrete pieces that draw out the full significance of our most promising topics, focusing particularly on form, structure, voice, and tone. Our overall goal is to become more centered and self-directed writers. Both four and eight-credit students will attend all scheduled meetings; eight-credit students will take on an appropriately heavier workload, including additional reading related to their chosen genre, longer journal assignments, and more extensive brainstorming, drafting, and editing activities.

Credits awarded: Either 4 or 8 credits in writing/creative writing

This seminar is part of the Professional Certificate Core, taken after the Pre-Assessment Seminar and before the Culminating Seminar for practicing teachers. The program is an interactive, student-centered seminar with the primary focus on dimensions of multicultural education and how these dimensions intersect with popular culture, instructional design, issues of cultural diversity and classroom management. Individual projects will be based on needs identified by program participants. This course meets the prerequisites for Professional Certificate candidates between Pre-assessment Seminar and Culminating Seminar.

Credits awarded: 4 credits in professional development: dimensions of multicultural education

This course concludes the 24-credit special education endorsement core competencies. It examines current special education research with an emphasis on best practices; effective skills in communicating and collaborating with parents, para-educators and professionals; early childhood special education trends and curriculum; planning the transition of special education students between education and post-secondary environments; and use of technology in special education. This course meets the endorsement requirements for entrance to the MIT program.

Credits awarded: 4 credits in special education

In this course we will explore and apply ideas from the humanistic and transpersonal psychology traditions on the topic of authentic (feelings-based) forms of communication. The psychologists we will learn from include Carl Rogers, Eugene Gendlin, Marshall Rosenberg, John Welwood and James Bugental. Class time will be divided among book seminars, experiential activities, and projects. This course is designed to be of particular value for those interested in pursuing careers in psychology, education, or social work, as well as for anyone interested in communicating more effectively.

Credits awarded: 4 credits in psychology

We will focus on the modern understanding of dreams from a variety of viewpoints. After a review of dream theories from the dawn of recorded history through the 19th century, we’ll briefly cover the works of early 20th century psychologists such as Freud and Jung. We’ll then discuss modern experimental studies of dreaming, including the effects of gender and aging on dream content as well as lucid and “paranormal” dreams. Come prepared for an exciting examination of the world of dreams!

Credits awarded: 4 credits in psychology of dreams

In this course students will learn to control speech anxiety, compose well-organized presentations and develop performance skills necessary for effective public speaking. Students will also study persuasive speaking strategies and the appropriate use of visual aids. All students will receive individualized feedback and coaching in order to help them identify problem areas, improve skills, and gain confidence in their ability to speak in the classroom, workplace or community. This course provides prerequisite courses in speech communication for selected MIT endorsements.

Credits awarded: 4 credits in public speaking