2011-12 Catalog

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2011-12 Undergraduate Index A-Z

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Student Originated Studies (SOS)

 offers an opportunity for self-motivated students to create their own advanced course of study and to interact with a community of other students researching related topics. Students enrolled in an SOS design their work with input and support from the faculty member, and participate in class sessions with activities that may include seminars, workshops, lectures, and peer review.

Student Originated Studies (SOS)


Title   Offering Standing Credits Credits When F W S Su Description Preparatory Faculty Days Multiple Standings Start Quarters Open Quarters
Julianne Unsel
Signature Required: Fall 
  SOS SO–SRSophomore - Senior 16 16 Day and Evening F 11 Fall W 12Winter What is the past and future of books in academic publishing and library collections today? How are human capacities altered by the use of books in comparison to other media and formats? What is the past and future of books as a medium for teaching and learning? How do print and electronic book formats compare in their utility and power for undergraduate scholarship and research?  How do they compare in their capacities for the formation, presentation, and preservation of knowledge?This program will partner students with Evergreen library faculty and staff to engage these and related questions through organized academic coursework (theory) and through an in-program internship within the Evergreen library (practice). The academic component will include seminar classes and research options in the history of print media, electronic media, and the book form. Students and faculty will experiment with and test a range of state-of-the-art e-book formats and e-readers. All e-texts and e-readers will be provided for student use by the college.Internship work will provide opportunities for students to contribute to a two-year project by library faculty and staff which will begin in Fall. The project is for the modernization and reinvention of the library and its policies, procedures, and collections in context of the capacity for scholarly work with and across various information and communication media. Students will choose and design specific work assignments within current and ongoing library operations, planning activities for the immediate and long-term future of the library, and intellectual discussion and exploration of possible futures for academic libraries and learning more generally.The academic and in-program internship components of this program will maintain thematic emphasis on the place of the library in its direct support of the college curriculum, its role in shaping the interdisciplinary pedagogy of the college, and its own character as a coordinated studies teaching institution within the college. education, history, library and information science, media studies Julianne Unsel Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Fall Fall
Robert Esposito
Signature Required: Spring 
  SOS FR–SRFreshmen - Senior 16 16 Day and Evening S 12Spring This is a full-time, one-quarter program for students ready for intermediate to advanced work in the theory and practice of dance. Student cohorts investigate a variety of dance and theatre forms around themes of cultural empowerment, freedom, belonging, and wellness. Students research the practice, history, and sociocultural forms and functions of their chosen genre, including (but not limited to) modern dance, world dance, ballet, dance theatre, Middle Eastern, Butoh, etc., and create contemporary dance theatre rituals to be shared on a regular basis in studio forums. The content of scholarly research, scores, papers, readings, critiques, and seminars is determined in collaboration between faculty and students. Students design the syllabus for their research topics and choreographic projects in an open, but structured, learning community. Activities include classes in technique, improvisation, composition, learning new and extant modern choreography, field trips, lectures, and multimedia presentations.Expect to work on program assignments 20-30 hours per week outside of scheduled class meetings. Robert Esposito Tue Wed Thu Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Spring Spring
Steve Davis
Signature Required: Spring 
  SOS JR–SRJunior - Senior 16 16 Day and Evening S 12Spring This is an intentionally small, full time program intended for advanced and motivated photography students.  Class sessions are expected to include workshops, lectures, field trips, and above all, rigorous critiques.  Students will be expected to write and present at least one indepth research paper, present in-process work regularly, and finally, create a finished body of work, publicly exhibited. photography, art Steve Davis Tue Thu Junior JR Senior SR Spring Spring
Stacey Davis
  SOS FR–SRFreshmen - Senior 4, 6, 8 04 06 08 Day Su 12Summer Session II Students will work independently, studying the social, political, gender, and intellectual trajectories of the French Revolution from 1789 through the Terror and the Napoleonic Empire.  To understand the origins of the Revolution, students will read philosophy and political theory from Enlightenment authors like Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu.  Students will share a reading list in common and have the option to meet periodically for book discussions as a group and with the faculty member.  Students enrolled for more than 4 credits will complete a library research paper on one aspect of the Enlightenment or the French Revolution.  Stacey Davis Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Summer Summer
Hirsh Diamant
  SOS SO–SRSophomore - Senior V V Evening and Weekend S 12Spring This SOS is ideal for students who want to deepen their studies in art, culture, education, and human development and to apply these studies in the community. In the first week of the quarter, each student will submit, on-line, their project proposal as an individual study contract (via my.evergreen.edu) and then complete that project during the quarter. This proposal will be designed with input from the faculty member.All students enrolled in the program will also participate in two credits of readings, classes and on-line assignments in collaboration with other students.  A weekly class meeting will include seminars, workshops organized by staff, faculty, and students, and opportunities to share learning and project work.  Weekly on-line posts will highlight students' progress and learning. Students must attend and participate in all weekly sessions. Hirsh Diamant Wed Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Spring Spring
Frederica Bowcutt
Signature Required: Spring 
  SOS JR–SRJunior - Senior 16 16 Day S 12Spring This program offers opportunities for well-prepared students to create their own course of study in botany. Priority will be given to students with introductory coursework in botany and a desire to contribute to at lease one of two ongoing efforts: the Puget Prairie Flora project or the Evergreen Teaching Gardens.  Proposals are particularly encouraged from students who want to do one or more of the following:Students will attend weekly research group meetings/seminars, plant identification labs, and as needed computer workshops to support student research.  The labs will be dedicated primarily to learning how to identify vascular plants using a technical dichotomous key.  Students will also hone their polant family recognition skills.  To practice their identification skills, students will attend several day-long field trips to local prairies.While this program is primarily aimed at juniors and seniors, first-year students and sophomores may be admitted if they can demonstrate through the signature process that they are ready for the work. field botany, floristics, environmental education and horticulture. Frederica Bowcutt Mon Tue Junior JR Senior SR Spring Spring
Stephanie Kozick
  SOS FR–SRFreshmen - Senior 16 16 Day W 12Winter This SOS is intended for: individual students who have designed a learning project focused on community development; groups of students interested in working together on a community based project; and students who have an interest in working as an intern in a community agency, organization, or school setting. Interested students should attend the Academic Fair on to meet the faculty, Stephanie Kozick and the Director of the Center of Community Based Learning and Action, Ellen Shortt Sanchez. Stephanie Kozick can also be contacted through her e-mail ( ). Project proposal form can be obtained at the Academic Fair, or an electronic copy found at . Student Originated Studies (S.O.S.): Community Based Learning and Action is a component of Evergreen's Center for Community Based Learning and Action (CCBLA), which supports learning about, engaging with, and contributing to community life in the region. As such, this S.O.S. offers the opportunity for goal oriented, responsible, and self-motivated students to design a project, research study, or community internship or apprenticeship that furthers their understanding of the concept of “community.” The range of academic and community work in the program includes: working with one or several community members to learn about a special line of work or skill that enriches the community as a whole— elders, mentors , artists, teachers, skilled laborers, community organizers all contribute uniquely to the broader community; working in an official capacity as an intern with defined duties at a community agency, organization, or school; or designing a community action plan aimed at problem solving particular community needs. Prior to the beginning of winter quarter, interested students or student groups must have a draft plan in place. Projects will then be further developed with input from the faculty. Students will meet in a weekly seminar setting to share progress reports, discuss the larger context of their projects in terms of community asset building and wellbeing, and discuss readings selected by program students that illuminate the essence of their projects. Small interest groups will meet with the faculty to discuss issues related to their group projects. Stephanie Kozick Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Winter Winter
Arun Chandra
Signature Required: Fall  Winter  Spring 
  SOS FR–SRFreshmen - Senior 2 02 Day F 11 Fall W 12Winter S 12Spring This is an opportunity for individual instruction on a musical instrument with a qualified instructor from the Olympia area. I can help you find an appropriate instructor, assuming one is available.Each student will be expected to bear the cost of the individual lessons. Lessons will most likely occur off-campus, at the instructor's discretion. The instructor will provide a 1-paragraph evaluation of the student's work at the end of the quarter.Each student will be expected to have one lesson a week, of a duration to be determined by the student and the instructor. At the end of the quarter, each student will be expected to perform one or two pieces (demonstrating what they have learned) in a collective, public recital on the Evergreen campus. From observing the performance, I will add my evaluation to the instructor's evaluation.The level of the instruction (beginner, intermediate, advanced) is dependent on the entry level of the student. Intermediate and advanced students will be given preference. performing on a musical instrument is helpful for the mental discipline of many professions. Arun Chandra Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Fall Fall Winter Spring
Peter Bohmer
Signature Required: Spring 
  SOS SO–SRSophomore - Senior 10 10 Day and Evening S 12Spring Students will participate in and study topics related to the Occupy Movement.  As part of their SOS program, students will participate in the weekly Occupy Symposium. We will aanalyze and examine  diverse strategies and perspectives within the Occupy Movement, and develop skills valuable for building the occupy movement. The focus of one's study and participation can be the Occupy Movement in Olympia or in other locales. Studying similar movements in other countries such as "the Indignados" in Spain is also acceptable.  In addition to the Occupy Symposium, we will meet once a week as a group. Most of the work and credit will be based on participation and reflection in the Occupy and related social movements, although there will be some common readings. Peter Bohmer Mon Thu Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Spring Spring
Kabby Mitchell
  SOS SO–SRSophomore - Senior 16 16 Day F 11 Fall W 12Winter This is an opportunity for well-prepared students to do authentic, significant, independent work in dance, theatre, music or film production. Students enrolling in this program should have one or more potential project ideas before the start of fall quarter. Please contact the faculty with any questions regarding your specific ideas. Participants will meet weekly to discuss their projects and to collaboratively work in small groups. Students will be expected to give progress updates, outline challenges, and share ideas for increasing the quality of the work that they are doing throughout the quarter. Specific descriptions of learning goals and activities will be developed individually between the student and faculty to insure quality work. At the end of the quarter students will present their projects to their peers in the most suitable manner for their particular project. performance art, dance, theater, music, and cultural studies. Kabby Mitchell Wed Wed Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Fall Fall Winter
Leonard Schwartz
Signature Required: Spring 
  SOS FR–SRFreshmen - Senior 16 16 Day S 12Spring Poetics involves language as creative functions (writing, poetry, fiction), language as performance, language as image, and language as a tool of thought (philosophy, criticism). Our work will be to calibrate these various activities.Students are invited to join this learning community of culture workers interested in language as a medium of artistic production. This SOS is designed for students who share similar skills and common interests in doing advanced work that may have grown out of previous academic projects and/or programs. Students will work with faculty throughout the quarter; we will design small study groups, collaborative projects and critique groups that will allow students to support one another's work. literature, publishing, writing, and academics. Leonard Schwartz Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Spring Spring
Cheri Lucas-Jennings
Signature Required: Spring 
  SOS JR–SRJunior - Senior 16 16 Day S 12Spring This program is designed to support students interested in internships with public agencies or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) involved in public policy issues. Internship possibilities include but are not limited to: Department of Natural Resources, Department of Transportation, Department of Ecology,  City of Olympia, a Water Resources agency or a Growth Management Board. There are also numerous local NGOs (e.g. Capital Land Trust, various fisheries commissions) that are focused on a variety of public policy.In addition to internship work, students will complete an extensive independent research project focused on a public issue that is related to the internship work. Research topics could include public policy, environmental, land-use, health, education, welfare or other similar issues issues. Program work will include weekly meetings, peer-review groups, research, writing and presentation of the final paper. Final research papers will also be distributed to the relevant organizations or agencies. Cheri Lucas-Jennings Junior JR Senior SR Spring Spring
Zoltan Grossman
Signature Required: Spring 
  SOS SO–SRSophomore - Senior 16 16 Day S 12Spring This program is open to students doing internships and community-based volunteer projects, in collaboration with the Center for Community-Based Learning and Action (CCBLA) at Evergreen. Priority will be given to students registering for internships, particularly if they form groups around particular issues.Students will engage in service learning with self-organized communities that are emerging from historical trauma, and building social and cultural solidarity for a more positive future. One example would be support for the Squaxin Island Tribe in its preparations for hosting the 2012 Tribal Canoe Journey, a key part of Native cultural revitalization in the Pacific Northwest (PaddleToSquaxin2012.org). The Tribe has requested volunteers for craft/giftmaking and environmental sustainability for the late-July event. Another example would be work with Coffee Strong, the veteran-run G.I. coffeehouse outside Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which provides information and resources to soldiers and their families (CoffeeStrong.org). Other students may organize themselves around other internship or volunteer opportunities.The CCBLA can help students explore community and organizational needs (http://www.evergreen.edu/communitybasedlearning). On my.evergreen.edu, students can propose internships with community organizations by filling out an Internship Learning Contract, or propose a service-learning volunteer project by filling out an Individual Learning Contract, with detailed learning objectives, and proposed readings. Students can receive faculty feedback by releasing the draft contract. All students would participate in orientations to the issue background and working respectfully with communities and organizations. Participation in this program means practicing accountability to other communities, interacting as a respectful guest with other cultures, and engaging in constant communication with your own learning community of faculty and fellow students. For more information, please contact Dr. Zoltan Grossman at or (360) 867-6153. Zoltan Grossman Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Spring Spring
Ariel Goldberger
Signature Required: Fall 
  SOS SO–SRSophomore - Senior 16 16 Day and Weekend F 11 Fall This is a program for students seriously interested in study-related or research projects involving an individually designed journey or travel. There is a long and revered tradition of humans embarking on journeys for the purpose of learning to develop self-awareness, get to know the world outside of what is familiar, engage in a spiritual quest, or expand the student's sense of what is possible. Travel has been a powerful academic, experiential and research component in the life of many scholars, artists, writers, mystics and scientists. For thousands of years, humans have developed intercultural awareness, valuable communication skills, resourcefulness, spiritual awareness, cultural understanding, and a sense of the relativity of their personal views by engaging in it. Travel can be deeply transformative. This program is an educational offering designed for self-directed students who desire to benefit from engaging in educational travel as part of their learning at Evergreen. Students interested in registering must have a project in mind that requires travel as a central component of their learning. Individual projects should involve or prepare for some form of travel for the purpose of learning, research, interdisciplinary studies, writing, volunteering, learning languages, studying historical events at their source, studying spiritual quests, understanding or studying other cultures, learning about a culturally relevant artifact or artistic expression at its source, developing a career in the leisure or tourism industry, or any combination thereof. Serious, self-directed and responsible students are encouraged to register. Students will spend the first one or two weeks finishing intensive preparatory research on their specific destinations, to acquaint themselves with the historical and cultural context of their place of destination, understand cultural norms, and study any relevant legal issues. Participants will prepare plans to be ready for emergencies or eventualities as well, since students will be responsible for making all necessary arrangements for their travel, room and board, as well as budgeting for individual expenses related to their projects. Once the initial preparation is completed, participants in the program will embark on their travel-related practicum or project, and report regularly to the faculty using a procedure negotiated in advance. Participants will be required to document their experience effectively in order to produce a final report. Participants will return to Olympia by week 10 to present the final report of their experience and project to the class at the Olympia campus, unless specifically arranged in advance with the faculty by week two. Please Note: This program is a Study Abroad academic offering. Those students who have demonstrated academic progress and who have projects that take more than a quarter are advised to negotiate an ILC with Ariel Goldberger to accommodate their learning needs. the humanities, consciousness studies, cultural studies, arts, social sciences, and the leisure and tourism industry. Ariel Goldberger Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Fall Fall
Evan Blackwell
Signature Required: Spring 
  SOS SR ONLYSenior Only 16 16 Day S 12Spring This program is designed for seniors who are ready for concentrated studies pertaining to the visual arts and visual culture. Students will work closely with faculty and each other to design their own visual art projects as well as related research. The group will meet together weekly for student lectures on research topics, guest artist talks and critiques. Beyond art making and critical studies, this program will provide opportunities for intensive professional development related to the visual arts. visual arts, museum studies, arts administration, public art, arts organizations, art education and design. Evan Blackwell Senior SR Spring Spring
Shaw Osha (Flores)
Signature Required: Fall  Winter 
  SOS JR–SRJunior - Senior 16 16 Day F 11 Fall W 12Winter This is an intensive full-time, two-quarter program designed for students ready for intermediate to advanced work in theory and practice in the visual arts. Students should be ready to work independently in the studio and in their research, but must also be interested in the learning community that a classroom provides. The academic content, lectures, and instruction are a collaboration between the faculty and the students enrolled. Credits are earned through your project and research related to your project and program activities such as seminars, the Artist Lecture Series, field trips, and research presentations.Students will design their own projects including proposed materials and theoretical research, they will write papers, share their research through presentations, work intensively in the studio together, produce a significant thematic body of work, and participate in demanding critiques.Expect to work on program assignments 20 - 30 hours per week outside of class meetings.In the fall, students will begin working on their proposed projects with the understanding that the outcome is not an a priori deal but will come through the process of experimenting and taking risks both materially and intellectually. In winter, students will seminar on art history readings, research and write weekly synthesis papers, work intensively in the studio together, attend the Artist Lecture Series, participate in demanding critiques, and produce a significant thematic body of work for a final exhibition and artist talk. visual art, education, art history, museum studies, aesthetics and humanities. Shaw Osha (Flores) Junior JR Senior SR Fall Fall Winter
Joe Feddersen
Signature Required: Spring 
  SOS JR–SRJunior - Senior 16 16 Day S 12Spring This is an intensive full-time, one-quarter program designed for students ready for intermediate to advanced work in theory and practice in the visual arts. Students should be ready to work independently in the studio and in their research, but must also be interested in the learning community of a classroom. The academic content, lectures, and instruction are collaborations between the faculty and the students enrolled. Credits are earned through your project and research related to your project and program activities such as seminars, the , field trips, and research presentations. Students will work intensively on their proposed projects. They will produce a solid body of work, write papers, present their research to the program, work intensively in the studio together, produce a solid body of work, and participate in critiques. They should expect to work 20 - 30 hours per week outside of class meetings. Joe Feddersen Junior JR Senior SR Spring Spring
Steven Scheuerell
Signature Required: Spring 
  SOS SO–SRSophomore - Senior 16 16 Day S 12Spring This program is designed for students who have the independent drive to deepen their existing knowledge and/or work experience in a profession that works directly with the land. Students will do their independent learning by working with faculty to develop an individual course of study or by completing a previously arranged internship with an organization, agency, or business. This program will support a wide range of student learning goals from land-based professions such as farming, ranching, forestry, tideland aquaculture, landscape architecture, land-use planning, environmental/ecological/natural history studies, parks and conservation area management, and outdoor education and recreation.Students will be expected to participate in weekly forums (both online and in person, depending on student project location) to share their experiences and compare the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in their chosen profession. Students present their independent learning and work collectively during a final multi-day symposium that will focus on the common issues and social values of working with the land given the different student learning experiences.Student work over the quarter will include a written study proposal, submitting weekly learning progress reports, forum participation, self-evaluation of learning, final presentation and symposium participation. natural resource management, agriculture, forestry, land use planning, parks and recreation, and wilderness education. Steven Scheuerell Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Spring Spring
Steven Scheuerell
Signature Required: Fall 
  SOS SO–SRSophomore - Senior 16 16 Day F 11 Fall This program is designed for students who have the independent drive to deepen their existing knowledge and/or work experience in a profession that works directly with the land. Students will do their independent learning by working with faculty to develop an individual course of study or by completing a previously arranged internship with an organization, agency, or business. This program will support a wide range of student learning goals from land-based professions such as farming, ranching, forestry, tideland aquaculture, landscape architecture, land-use planning, environmental/ecological/natural history studies, parks and conservation area management, and outdoor education and recreation. Students will be expected to participate in weekly forums (both online and in person, depending on student project location) to share their experiences and compare the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in their chosen profession. Students present their independent learning and work collectively during a final multi-day symposium that will focus on the common issues and social values of working with the land given the different student learning experiences. Student work over the quarter will include a written study proposal, submitting weekly learning progress reports, forum participation, self-evaluation of learning, final presentation and symposium participation. natural resource management, agriculture, forestry, land use planning, parks and recreation, and wilderness education. Steven Scheuerell Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR Fall Fall
Cheri Lucas-Jennings
Signature Required: Winter 
  SOS JR–SRJunior - Senior 16 16 Day and Evening W 12Winter This program will explore the broad conditions that shape legislation; it will examine models, evidence and debates about the sources, causal connections and impacts of evolving systems of law, regulation, governance and a broad array of community and political responses to wicked social dilemmas facing our state. Students apply to become interns for the 2012 Washington State Legislative session in the fall. Those who are selected work a regular, full week with the legislative office they are assigned to in the winter. Evergreen students also participate in a bi-weekly Seminar with focus on select readings and themes. Journal writings in response to these readings, discussion and experience in the 2012 session are a critically important feature.   This is an upper division internship with a possible 16 credits to be earned, when combined with academic reflection and analysis on your work in the legislature. To receive full credit, each student intern will write about the challenges, learning and implications of this work. Students will also be making public presentations about their learning at the end of the session and participate in workshops with larger intern groups from throughout the state. Focused writings submitted to the faculty sponsor on a regular basis will be reflective, analytic and make use of appropriate legislative data bases and all relevant references. Students will develop and submit a portfolio of all materials related to their work as legislative interns and receive evaluation both from their campus sponsor and a legislative supervisor at the capitol.  Cheri Lucas-Jennings Wed Junior JR Senior SR Winter Winter