Evergreen Curriculum

The Evergreen State College Reservation Based Community Determined program curriculum is built upon the program's philosophy that it best meets its students' needs by creating and delivering a well-defined, consistent program that balances personal authority, indigenous knowledge and academics.

Personal authority challenges students to be personally accountable for their attendance, engagement and learning, and to declare the nature of their own work.
Indigenous knowledge honors the founding principles of the program and its commitment to involving our community's keepers of cultural and traditional knowledge as teachers and valuable human resources.
Academics give breadth within the liberal arts through reading, writing, research and other scholarly pursuits that complement personal authority and community knowledge.

This Liberal Arts curriculum is a repeatable three-year cycle built on the following themes and core courses:

2006-2007: Contemporary Indian Communities in a Global Society

Fall core course: Understanding and Analyzing the Relationship Between Indian Tribes and the U.S. Government
Winter core course: Shakespeare's Leaders: Lessons in Leadership
Spring core course: Fundamentals of Management

2007-2008: Traditional Knowledge: The Foundation for Sustainable Tribal Nations

Fall core course: American Indians and Social Policy
Winter core course: Ethics: Cultural Traditions and Communities in Transition
Spring core course: Comparing Indigenous Societies

2008-2009: Integrating Change in a Communal Society

Fall core course: Tribal Management
Winter core course: Profiles in Leadership
Spring core course: Social Services TBA

The 5-credit core courses are taught at each site (classes meet 2 nights a week), with the same core course readings and assignments at each site.

In addition to the core course, community-based site faculty design- often with student input- an additional 4-credit course or project that complements the core. These 4-credit pieces may vary substantially from site to site, or they may be quite similar at each site, depending on the faculty/student design. Students typically earn up to 9 credits for work done through site classes. Advanced students may propose additional work for additional credit.

Students also meet for class 4 Saturdays per quarter at the Longhouse on the Evergreen campus. Here's the breakdown for the Saturday portion of the curriculum:

Saturday morning: Students earn up to 2 credits through successful completion of strand courses, which meet 4 Saturday mornings throughout the quarter. These courses are designed to provide the breadth of a Liberal Arts education. Samples of recurring courses include Coastal Art Design and Application, Birds Afield, Human Services, Salish Art, Collaborative Management, Eportfolios, Writing Stories of Our People, Public Speaking, Ethnobotany, and many others.

Saturday afternoon: Students earn up to 1 credit for successful completion of course requirements for Battlegrounds, a series of workshops built around case studies of issues in Indian country. Battlegrounds combines the Evergreen Reservation Based Community Determined program students and the Grays Harbor College Bridge program students in activities and discussions relevant to Tribal communities.

Contact the Site Manager

Last Updated: September 12, 2007

The Evergreen State College

2700 Evergreen Parkway NW

Olympia, Washington 98505

(360) 867-6000

Tribal: Reservation Based Community Determined Program

Evergreen Curriculum

Tribal: Reservation Based
Community Determined Program