In an age of despair overload, we will focus on people and communities that are helping to reclaim and restore small pieces of the earth. From the Nisqually Tribe's Billy Frank to Tanzania chimpanzee heroine Jane Goodall, what do these "eco-heroes" have to teach the rest of us? Who are the eco-heroes that live and work among us? How are non-governmental organizations succeeding in restoration? We will examine particular case studies and stories that may provide templates for other individuals and communities. Students will be expected to participate in projects related to sustainability, either on the campus or community level. We will focus on how optimism and hope-and skillful sharing of both, can provide a meaningful basis for lasting change. Also, students will design a plan for being an eco-hero in their own lives and communities.

Ecology is the study of interactions among organisms and of organisms with their physical environment. We will study ecology from an evolutionary perspective, including physiological ecology, community ecology and biodiversity, and coevolution. The goal of this program is to develop an understanding of the fundamentals of ecological and evolutionary processes, and to be able to analyze and critically read about issues in ecology. Students will write a paper on reviewing an important topic in ecological theory. This is the first course in a series covering a wide range of topics in biology.

This course will explore the interfaces between the human-built environment and ecological systems. Energy, mechanization and specialization brought about by the industrial revolution and modern development and patterns of growth will be examined using sustainability as the key theme of the class. The relationships between policy, building codes, design approaches and green building evaluation tools will be discussed. The final weeks of the course will examine approaches to reintegrating the human-built environment with ecological systems. Students will use web-based technology tools for collaborative writing and research. This course will be structured to offer students in the In Search of Sustainability 8-credit program additional options for extended project work.

Presented in a non-technical and logical manner, this class will introduce the essentials of economics. Principles of Economics examines the use of resources-land, labor and capital-among individuals, companies and nations within the global community. We can apply much of economic theory to our personal lives and to understanding public policy, as well as to decisions influencing the success or failure of a business. Students will develop an understanding of economic terminology, concepts and principles. They will also explore the fundamentals of economic theory and practices, and extend these concepts to real-world applications.

The main objective of this course will be to understand the technical, economic and social aspects of networked digital business and marketing environments. In addition to learning some of the technical aspects of e-marketing, today's changing marketing theories and practices and their socio-economic impacts will be discussed at the level of the individual consumer, communities and governments. New social phenomena and ethical and cross-cultural issues in the networked global market will be discussed as well. Through this course, participants will begin to see both the positive and negative aspects of a global e-market. We will use class discussions and projects as a way to explore real world solutions and to examine changes in socio-economic conditions resulting from the emergence of Internet marketing in today's world.

In this eight-credit program we will study various influences on Spanish culture in both the old and the new worlds. The program title is from the book El Naranjo by Mexican author Carlos Fuentes. In several distinctly different allegorical stories, Fuentes uses the orange tree as a symbol of the transplantation of cultural values from one civilization to another. We are particularly interested in attitudes and practices by which Spanish and Latin American societies related to their environments, and in the mutual exchange of cultural influences between the old and new worlds. Some lectures, discussions, and readings will be in Spanish

Headlines depict today's youth as increasingly violent-from participation in gangs to dramatic schoolyard shootings. This course aims to study laws, regulations, policies and procedures in the juvenile justice arena. We will explore the history of and current trends in juvenile crime, justice, sentencing and incarceration. Social and economic influences will be examined, as will alternative programs. Future directions in juvenile justice will conclude our work.

This course will address the relationship between human health and environmental toxicants from an interdisciplinary perspective. The students will become familiar with a broad range of concepts, including the nature of hazards (e.g., psycosocial, chemical, physical and radioactive factors), epidemiological study design, exposure assessment, toxicology (e.g., threshold/non-threshold dose response relationships, absorption, metabolic transformation and excretion), microbiology, risk assessment, risk perception and risk management. The course will address specific pollutants and their biological effects. Finally, we will also draw the links between human health and sustainability, urbanization, energy production and relevant ethical issues. Course material will include textbook and peer-review articles, and research on websites of governmental agencies, professional societies and on public databases.

This is an introductory course for those interested in exploring environmental and community journalism and will help students to strengthen their critical writing and analysis. What will be the future environmental, economic and cultural health of our community? Who holds the power to decide? How can ordinary citizens have a say? This course will allow students to explore these and related questions as they learn how to find and interview local newsmakers and decision-makers, conduct journalistic research and begin to write clearly about complex subjects. Students may choose to write responsibly about specific stories within the larger topics of sustainability, urban growth, cultural diversity, educational strength and diversity, water resources, energy usage, waste disposal, mass transit, air quality and water quality. As a class, we will begin by writing feature stories about Evergreen's environmental and social "sustainability" initiatives. Students may also choose to write about other topics of importance to their own communities. Finally, we will examine and discuss the changing role of journalism in a democracy, both in mainstream and independent media.