With Liberty and Justice for Whom?: Fall 2010 - Spring 2011
The Tacoma program is committed to providing its students with an interdisciplinary, reality-based, community-responsive liberal arts education. The program operates from a frame of reference that values family, community, collaboration, inclusiveness, hospitality and academic excellence. Recognizing the importance of personal and professional growth, research and scholarship, and commitment to community and public service, the Tacoma program seeks to provide a catalytic climate for intellectual, cultural and social growth. Evergreen's educational approach provides a unique opportunity for students to go into local communities and engage in research, education and problem-solving projects that are as beneficial to those communities as they are to our students. The Tacoma program seeks to be a nexus for activities directed toward responding to community needs. We see ourselves as a resource not only for students, but also for the broader community. Within this context, we seek to promote service learning by linking students, faculty, staff and community members in community development, sustainability and well-being efforts.
Our emphases—interdisciplinary understanding and analysis, collaborative learning, cross-cultural communication, problem-solving skills, multicultural richness, and seeing the connections between global issues and personal or community action—provide our students with community-building tools that are needed and appreciated outside our walls.
Last Updated: 02/23/2010
Fall, Winter and Spring quarters
Faculty: Artee Young law, literature, Peter Bacho literature, writing, law, political science, Barbara Laners public policy, foreign policy, law, Mingxia Li biology, public health, bioethics, Chinese cultural studies, Mandarin Chinese, Gilda Sheppard media literacy, sociology, cultural studies, Tyrus Smith environmental science, ecology, environmental policy, Paul McCreary mathematics, social justice, life science
Academic web site: www.evergreen.edu/tacoma
Major areas of study include law and public policy, history, community and environmental studies, political economy, education, public health, bioethics, social science research, research methodology, literature, art and art history, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, composition, media literacy, computer studies, instructional technology, project management, statistics, human development, mathematics, computer graphics, biochemical modeling and human biology.
Class Standing: Juniors or seniors; transfer students welcome.
Accepts Winter Enrollment: This program accepts new enrollment, with formal admission to the Tacoma Program. Prospective students must attend an intake interview. For information about admission and the application process call (253) 680-3000 or send an e-mail to inglebreo@evergreen.edu
Accepts Spring Enrollment: This program accepts new enrollment, with formal admission to the Tacoma Program. Prospective students must attend an intake interview. For information about admission and the application process call (253) 680-3000 or send an e-mail to inglebreo@evergreen.edu
Prerequisites: Formal admission to the Tacoma program. Prospective students must attend an intake interview. For information about admission and the application process call (253) 680-3000 or send an e-mail to inglebreo@evergreen.edu
The faculty and students will embark upon a thorough study of the origins and current status of justice in American society. From an interdisciplinary perspective, we will consider various definitions and theories of justice, review the way justice is carried out in different settings and historical periods and examine the possibility of achieving truly just social institutions. Topics to be considered include: social and environmental justice, just political and economic systems, criminal justice, just healthcare and educational access, representations of justice in media, as well as concepts of equity, fairness and equality. By the end of the academic year we will be able to offer concrete recommendations as to the steps necessary to achieve justice for all in our society.
The theme for fall quarter is identifying the problem and clarifying the question. We will lay the foundation for the rest of the year, both substantively and in terms of the tools necessary to operate effectively in the learning community. We will explore the concept of justice as it is explicated in theory, history and practice. The concept will be analyzed from both the perspectives of the legal system and moral teachings. In seminars, we will read and analyze texts dealing with issues that have historically raised questions of whether justice was achieved. Students will examine their personal experiences with justice issues by constructing an autobiographical memoir. Our work will be supplemented with a series of courses designed to assure literacy with words, numbers and images. Students will have the opportunity to hone their skills in critical reasoning, research and the use of multimedia and computers.
Winter quarter's theme is researching the roots, causes and potential solutions. We will look at specific contemporary societal issues in justice viewed from a variety of institutional perspectives, most notably justice in education, health care, law, science, government and politics. Students will investigate specific justice issues of interest with the purpose of identifying a particular problem, defining its dimensions, determining its causes and establishing action plans for its remedy.
In the spring, the theme will progress to implementation. This final quarter will be devoted to the design and implementation of projects aimed at addressing the issues of injustice identified in the winter quarter. Seminar groups will combine their efforts to undertake actual programs aimed at assisting the community in righting a current injustice or providing greater justice for the community. The projects may take the form of educational events, publications, multimedia presentations or art installations, to help the community find higher levels of justice. Courses will assist in the successful implementation and evaluation of the student group activities.
Credits: 16 per quarter
Enrollment: 200
Internship Possibilities: Yes, with program coordinator and faculty advisor approval.
Special Expenses: Approximately $25-50 for media and/or data storage supplies.
Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in organizational leadership, public administration, social work, counseling, education, law, public health, environmental science, multimedia and arts production, and community development, advocacy and sustainability.
Planning Units: Tacoma Campus Programs