1998-1999 Environmental Studies

1998-1999 Environmental Studies Program Offerings

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Advanced Ecology and Conservation Biology
Applied Geology: Hazards and Resources
Biodiversity and Global Change
Environmental Analysis: Applications of Chemistry, Geology and Biology to a Local Environment
Environmental Change and Community: Regional Policy and Politics
Evolution and the Herpetofauna
Geography of the Pacific Northwest
Introduction to Environmental Modeling
Introduction to Environmental Studies: Land
Introduction to Environmental Studies: Oceans
Introduction To Geology
Introduction To Natural Science
Invertebrate Zoology and Evolution
Landscape Processes: Shaping the American West
Marine Life: Marine Organisms and Their Environments
Natural Histories: Botany, Biography, Community
Practice of Sustainable Agriculture
Seeing the Forest and the Trees
Sustainable Development: Learning From the Past, Creating the Future
Tribal: Reservation Based/Community Determined

Advanced Ecology and Conservation Biology

Winter, Spring/Coordinated Study
Faculty: Peter B. Pearman, Steve Herman
Enrollment: 40 undergraduate students; 10 graduate students.
Prerequisites: Field natural history or ecology or other quantitative science and math at the precalculus level.
Faculty Signature: No
Special Expenses: $100 per quarter for field equipment in addition to books; weekly field trips; optional $450-$550 for Mexico field trip winter quarter and $100 field station fee.
Internship Possibilities: No
Travel Component: Five-day in-state field trip fall quarter; optional two-week trip to Mexico.

Ecology has been called the physics of intract-able systems. It is the scientific discipline that investigates interactions among organisms as well as between organisms and inanimate sur-roundings. Ecological information finds appli-cation in conservation biology, an `emergency science' developed to provide planners, wild-life managers, politicians and the public with biological information that will contribute to the conservation and maintenance of Earth's biological diversity and ecological and evolutionary processes. This program will examine both these fields in depth. We will analyze ecological concepts in detail, including competition, predation, population dynamics, pollination, herbivory, dispersal, food webs and adaptation. Once we have developed our concepts and tools, we will explore the eco-logical basis of conservation by covering the studies that have developed the ideas of edge effects, minimum viable population sizes, habitat fragmentation and extinction deficits (among others). Students will investigate ways to understand ecological systems and pheno-mena by experimenting with ecological models, by taking field data and analyzing it, by analyzing the data of others and by reading and discuss-ing influential studies and essays. Students will conduct a project on a living ecological system by raising populations of plants or small ani-mals and will `adopt' a mathematical model.

Evaluation will be based not on mathematical prowess but on participation, effort, enthusiasm and evidence of improved critical thinking and writing skills as shown on exams and in written work and oral contribution. A five-day field trip will take place at the beginning of fall quarter and an optional two-week field trip to Mexico during winter quar-ter. Short field trips will be held weekly.

**Credit awarded in ecology, conservation biology, applied mathematics, statistics and Latin American studies.**

Total: 16 credits each quarter. Graduate students may take lecture series and seminar as a four-credit option each quarter. Undergraduate students may enroll in four-credit course each quarter with faculty signature.

Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in conservation, wildlife management, ecology and evolution.

Applied Geology: Hazards and Resources

Winter/Coordinated Study
Faculty: Paul Ray Butler, Kenneth Tabbutt
Enrollment: 40 undergraduate students; 12 graduate students
Prerequisites: Introduction to Geology or one course in physical geology; graduate standing for graduate credit.
Faculty Signature: No
Special Expenses: No
Internship Possibilities: No
Travel Component: None

Applied geology focuses on a broad spectrum of possible interactions between people and the physical environment. The Pacific Northwest is situated in a geologically active area, as evidenced by the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens, widespread flooding of the late '80s and '90s, and concern about a large magnitude earthquake. In addition to these obvious hazards, many other more subtle interactions are important here and around the world. The technological advances of the 20th century have made human populations significant agents of landscape modification. These populations also require a resource base that is rapidly being depleted. This coordinated study program affords both graduate students and advanced undergraduates an opportunity to investigate the relationship between humans and the natural world, focusing primarily of geologic hazards and mineral resources. In addition to regular lectures, discussions and problem sets, field trips will be an important component of the class.

**Credit awarded in applied geology-hazards* and applied geology-resources*.**

Total: 8 or 16 credits. Graduate students can enroll for 4 or 8 credits.

Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in earth sciences.

Biodiversity and Global Change

Fall/Coordinated Study
Faculty: John T. Longino, Gerardo Chin-Leo
Enrollment: 50
Prerequisites: Junior and senior standing; at least one year of college study in biology or equivalent.
Faculty Signature: No
Special Expenses: No
Internship Possibilities: No
Travel Component: None

The major characteristics of the biosphere and their role in determining the distribution and diversity of life will be examined through a study of biogeochemistry, evolution and ecology. Topics in biogeochemistry will include: the origin of the Earth, cycling of bioreactive elements (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus), the hydrologic cycle and global climate change. Topics in evolutionary biology and ecology will include: the description of biodiversity at the level of genes, populations, species, communities and ecosystems; local and global patterns of species richness; and the destruction of tropical ecosystems.

**Credit awarded in biogeochemistry, evolution and ecology*.**

Total: 16 credits.

Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in biology, zoology and environmental science.

Environmental Analysis: Applications of Chemistry,
Geology and Biology to a Local Environment

Fall, Winter, Spring/Coordinated Study
Faculty: Jeff Kelly, Clyde Barlow, Jim Stroh
Enrollment: 45
Prerequisites: College algebra, college chemistry and physical geology strongly recommended.
Faculty Signature: No
Special Expenses: $50 for overnight field trip to Eastern Washington.
Internship Possibilities: No
Travel Component: Overnight field trip to Eastern Washington.

This program will engage students in the study of various problems of environmental pollution using both theoretical and experimental methods. Topics in geology and chemistry will be developed that are appropriate to problems of aquatic and terrestrial pollution. The program will connect themes dealing with geology, hydrology and chemistry. Methods of analytical chemistry and instrumental analysis will be applied in an advanced laboratory. Students will participate in research on real problems of environmental significance and engage in reading and discussions related to environmental policy and resource management.

During fall quarter the program will address topics in geohydrology, biogeochemical cycles, analytical chemistry and aquatic chemistry. Students will participate in a class project involving analytical chemical techniques, Geographic Information Systems, and quantitative data analysis methods. Physical geology will be offered to those students without the prerequisite as a lower-division four-credit course.

During winter quarter the focus of the class will shift toward instrumental methods for environmental analysis and the physical chemical basis for geochemical processes and their analysis. Small-group projects will be developed that will carry through spring quarter. Computers will be used extensively for data analysis, simulation and control of analytical instrumentation.

**Credit awarded in instrumentation, environmental geology, geohydrology, analytical chemistry and physical chemistry*.**

Total: 16 credits each quarter.

Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in geology, chemistry, environmental analysis and environmental fieldwork.

This program is also listed under Scientific Inquiry.

Environmental Change and Community: Regional Policy and Politics

Spring/Coordinated Study
Faculty: Lin Nelson, Jovana Brown
Enrollment: 25 undergraduate students; 18 graduate students
Prerequisites: Graduate standing or junior and senior standing; Introduction to Environmental Studies, Political Economy or equivalent program.
Faculty Signature: No
Special Expenses: Approximately $50 for possible field trip.
Internship Possibilities: Yes, four credits only (undergraduates).
Travel Component: Possible field trip.

This coordinated study will involve an examination of communities in the Northwest facing substantial and interrelated changes in environmental, public health and economic conditions. We will be analyzing the emergence of relevant public policy, especially at the intersection of natural resources, environmental health and community sustainability. As changes occur in forestry, fishing and farming, communities, including tribal communities face many serious challenges. Likewise, communities dependent on the industrial sector face many hazards ranging from toxic exposure to labor dislocation. Much of our work will involve selected regional case studies, such as the following: tribal communities addressing off-reservation salmon habitat (involving both water quantity and quality); urban neighborhoods dealing with pollution sites; the destabilization and rebounding of timber towns; communities of color facing inequitable environmental health risk and economic instability; and the emergence of eco-tourism and other regional strategies. Environmental justice, tribal sovereignty, sustainability and public interest science are concepts central to our analysis; linkages between environmental, labor, tribal sovereignty and social justice advocates will be explored. Our work will encompass both theory and practice. For undergraduates, this is a full-time program, including an independent research project.

**Credit awarded in natural resource policy, environmental studies, environmental health policy, community development, political ecology* and environmental organizations*.**

Total: 16 credits. Graduate students may enroll for 4 credits.

Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in public policy, community development, environmental health, natural resources and environmental sustainability.

Evolution and the Herpetofauna

Fall/Group Contract
Faculty: Peter B. Pearman
Enrollment: 20
Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing. Biology or natural history or other lower-division biological science, some college math.
Faculty Signature: Yes. Students must submit a letter of interest, list of relevant academic and/or work experience and one letter of recommendation from someone familiar with the applicant's work in organismal biology or field work. Applications are due April 29, 1998. Signature code will be provided at the Academic Fair, May 13, 1998.
Special Expenses: Approximately $550 for two- to three-week field trip to the desert Southwest.
Internship Possibilities: No
Travel Component: Two- to three-week field trip to the desert Southwest.

Participants in this contract will examine a number of phenomena in both the fields of evolution and herpetology. We will cover the evolutionary history of the reptiles and amphibians, patterns of their biological diversity, life history strategies, ecology, reproduction, behavior and conservation. Weekly lectures will present major themes in evolutionary ecology that are applicable to the study of the reptiles and amphibians. Participants will engage in field sampling to collect data for analysis and will analyze the data of others as well. Seminal papers in herpetology and evolution will be addressed in weekly seminars. Participants will write two short review papers utilizing the primary scientific literature on a topic agreed on with the faculty. There will be numerous short field trips and a two- to three-week field trip to deserts in the southern United States to examine various herpetological communities. Evaluation will be based on participation, effort, enthusiasm and evidence of improved critical thinking skills as shown in written work and oral contributions.

This contract will prepare students for careers in wildlife management and for further study in herpetology, evolution and ecology. Upper-division credit will be awarded in herpetology, evolution and statistics. The contract is for students with a background in biology, natural history or other natural science. In addition to books, field expenses will run approximately $550 (including field trip costs; a six volt miner's headlamp is required; contact instructor). Participants should have access to camping equipment and appropriate outdoor gear.

**Credit awarded in herpetology, evolution and statistics*.**

Total: 16 credits.

Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in wildlife management, herpetology, evolution and ecology.

Geography of the Pacific Northwest

Fall/Group Contract
Faculty: Martha Henderson
Enrollment: 25
Prerequisites: Graduate standing or junior and senior standing; one year regional studies such as community development or geographic information systems; general understanding of natural history or geology and interest in field work. Graduate students can take four credits.
Faculty Signature: Yes
Special Expenses: Up to $200 for overnight field trips.
Internship Possibilities: No
Travel Component: Four-day Washington field trip and a ten-day trip to Washington, Idaho and Oregon.

This program will explore the physical and social geography of the Pacific Northwest, a region that includes the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The program will begin with an introduction to regional science, physical and ecological processes, and themes and interpretations of society and culture from a geographic perspective. We will also examine forms of communication and representation utilized by geographers, including mapping and geographic information systems, spatial data analysis and writing. Field methods and reporting will also be emphasized. We will explore the Pacific Northwest from a variety of perspectives including American Indian, colonial expansion, agricultural and resource development, urbanization and ex-urbanization. Our focus will include cultural landscapes, specific and special places and events, and social constructions of nature. Specific attention will be paid to identifying environmental and social conditions of subregions, including the Puget Sound, Cascade Mountains, Columbia River Basin, Rocky Mountains and High Desert of Oregon and Idaho. Finally, we will explore how the region defines itself versus how the region is defined by external forces such as U.S. federal land policies and export trade with Pacific Rim countries.

The learning environment will include lecture, seminar and field trips. Evaluation will be based on student progress in defining the Pacific Northwest as a region, technical skill ability and writing experience. Map skills, essay writing and field methods will be evaluated.

**Credit awarded in geography*.**

Total: 16 credits. 4 credits for graduate students.

Program is preparatory for additional work in Pacific Northwest studies, environmental studies and geographic information systems.

Introduction to Environmental Modeling

Spring/Group Contract
Faculty: Robert Cole
Enrollment: 25
Prerequisites: Reasonable facility with second-year algebra or readiness to take calculus.
Faculty Signature: No
Special Expenses: No
Internship Possibilities: No
Travel Component: None

This program will investigate introductory mathematical models of environmental and ecological systems. We will explore several dynamical systems in an effort to discover relationships between constituent parts and to develop critical insights into issues of ecological and social sustainability. Topics will include population dynamics including harvesting models in fisheries and forestry, predator-prey interaction models, epidemic models and the dynamics of infectious diseases, and the diffusion of pollutants in the environment.

In workshops we will develop many of the mathematical tools and computer skills necessary to understand the models we'll investigate. Students should be ready to take calculus, which will be offered as a modular part of this program. No prior background in computing or biology is assumed.

Credit awarded in calculus I, environmental modeling and project work.

Total: 4 or 12 or 16 credits. Students may enroll in the Calculus I component (four-credits); students who have completed Calculus I may enroll in another four-credit course.

Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in environmental sciences, medicine and physical and biological science.

This program is also listed under Scientific Inquiry.

Introduction to Environmental Studies: Land

Fall, Winter/Coordinated Study
Faculty: Ralph Murphy, Oscar Soule, TBA
Enrollment: 50
Prerequisites: One year of college. This program will accept up to 25 percent first-year students.
Faculty Signature: No
Special Expenses: $100 for possible overnight, in-state field trips.
Internship Possibilities: No
Travel Component: Possible overnight, in-state field trips.

Understanding the principles of ecology, political economy and public policy are essential to doing good work in the environmental arena. Work in this program will help us think about how we might best understand and create appropriate conditions for sustaining both human and natural communities. We will take a terrestrial ecosystem approach to understand the ecological, social and political challenges posed by human utilization and impact on land resources. Ecology, public policy, social values and ethics, biology, economics and natural history are all considered and integrated in our approach.

Because this is an introductory program, emphasis is given to developing a sound understanding of key concepts and methods used in environmental studies at the advanced level. The program uses lectures, labs and workshops, field trips, seminars, field assignments and research projects throughout both quarters. Case studies of land use and natural resources are developed in depth during the two quarters. Students are expected to do field work and library research on their own and in group projects.

In the spring quarter, students will select from a variety of courses, contracts, internships and programs offered by the faculty teaching this program and Introduction to Environmental Studies: Oceans.

Credit awarded in environmental studies, ecology, political economy and public policy.

Total: 16 credits each quarter.

Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in environmental studies, community development, environmental planning, political economy, law and natural sciences.

Introduction to Environmental Studies: Oceans

Fall, Winter/Coordinated Study
Faculty: Tom Womeldorff, Erik Thuesen
Enrollment: 48
Prerequisites: None. This all-level program will accept up to 25 percent first-year students.
Faculty Signature: No
Special Expenses: $60 for overnight, in-state field trip.
Internship Possibilities: No
Travel Component: Overnight, in-state field trip.

This program will introduce the foundations of environmental studies through an examination of ocean life and human reliance on oceans as a source of natural resources. In the process, students will be introduced to general biology, marine biology, microeconomics and fisheries economics.

Fall quarter will introduce general biology and economics, the natural history of the marine world and how oceans have shaped humans through time. Students will learn general biology skills through laboratory and field exercises with an emphasis on marine life.

The central focus of winter quarter will be independent research projects on economically important marine organisms. Each student will complete a library research project focusing on one marine organism. The research will consider the organism's ecological/biological characteristics and the economic aspects that make it a resource, and suggest policy guidelines consistent with future sustainable use of the resource. Library research skills will be emphasized. Lectures will focus on marine biology and fisheries economics.

Credit awarded in environmental studies, general biology, marine biology, microeconomics and fisheries economics.

Total: 16 credits each quarter.

Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in life sciences, social sciences and environmental studies.

This program is also listed under First-Year Programs.

Introduction To Geology

Fall/Coordinated Study
Faculty: Paul Ray Butler, Kenneth Tabbutt
Enrollment: 50
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing.
Faculty Signature: No
Special Expenses: $75 for five-day, in-state field trip.
Internship Possibilities: No
Travel Component: Five-day, in-state field trip.

Geology is the study of the origin and structure of the Earth and the processes that have formed it over time. These processes are intimately connected to physical, chemical and biological events that have occurred during the 4.6 billion years of our planet's history. This program investigates the nature of these connections and thus provides students an opportunity to explore and integrate topics in chemistry, physics and evolutionary biology with an in-depth study of physical and historical geology.

Physical geology concentrates on geologic processes and Earth materials. Historical geology focuses on the changes in Earth environments over time, especially the evolution of life. Plate tectonics is the unifying theme for building this geologic framework. In addition, topics in chemistry, physics and biology will be introduced as they apply to our study of geology. Our goal is to provide students with a firm scientific basis for future work in all aspects of environmental studies.

Credit awarded in introduction to physical geology, historical geology, geochemistry and geophysics.

Total: 16 credits. Students may enroll in a four-credit course with faculty signature.

Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in earth science and environmental studies.

Introduction To Natural Science

Fall, Winter/Coordinated Study
Faculty: Michael W. Beug, Robert Cole, Jude VanBuren
Enrollment: 75
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing and high school algebra; well-prepared first-year students allowed after interview with faculty.
Faculty Signature: No
Special Expenses: $120 for possible retreat.
Internship Possibilities: No
Travel Component: Possible four-day retreat during winter quarter.

This program is designed to develop an integrated understanding of chemistry, biology and mathematics. We will learn sciences and mathematics via textual study in biology and chemistry while attempting to understand the scientific implications of regional and global environmental problems.

We recognize science as one of the most powerful cultural forces in modern society. The world of the 21st century will be largely shaped by the scientific and technological advances of the past, which hold the possibility of long, fulfilling lives for the world's people, alongside the possibility of worldwide ecological disaster due to overpopulation, pollution and habitat destruction. Which possibility becomes reality will depend on widespread education and understanding of scientific issues, as well as complex social and economic issues; yet the people who must make the critical decisions are increasingly ignorant of science and apathetic about the issues. A major theme of the program will be to address these problems of science in modern society through a weekly seminar and lecture series. We will explore issues through reading, discussion and writing.

Each week students in the program will spend four hours in chemistry lecture and workshop, four hours in biology lecture and workshop, four hours in special topics lecture and seminar, two hours in math lecture/workshop, three hours in math lab and three hours in chemistry/biology lab.

The chemistry will focus on general chemistry and will be designed for students whose only previous chemistry was in high school. The biology is general college biology. The mathematics will focus first on algebra and precalculus math skills and then move to statistics and modeling. The math labs will introduce students to the use of computers, first via Excel and later via computer modeling. In special topics lectures and seminars we will examine our ecological footprint, examine major global environmental issues and then move on to environmental health issues.

The program is designed for scientific inquiry and environmental studies students about to take their first year of college science. Students with a strong math background who have already completed precalculus math should be looking at a program like Matter and Motion. Students who simply want to see what science is like will find this program exceptionally demanding and should consult with the faculty before the program begins.

Students should expect an exciting and challenging year, averaging 18 hours per week in lecture, seminar, workshops and laboratory. Homework will be significant. At the end of the winter quarter students should expect to be well-prepared in general chemistry, general biology and mathematics with science prerequisites (except physics) needed for junior and senior offerings in both the Scientific Inquiry and Environmental Studies areas. Students desiring to study physics should consider the calculus-based Matter and Motion program, which includes physics but not biology.

Credit awarded in general chemistry, general biology, algebra or precalculus mathematics, statistics, modeling and environmental issues.

Total: 16 credits each quarter. Students who have completed chemistry or biology may enroll in a four-credit course each quarter with faculty signature.

Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in laboratory and field biology, chemistry, environmental/earth/marine science, health sciences and education.

This program is also listed under Scientific Inquiry.

Invertebrate Zoology and Evolution

Spring/Group Contract
Faculty: Erik V. Thuesen
Enrollment: 25
Prerequisites: General biology or Introduction to Environmental Studies.
Faculty Signature: No
Special Expenses: $60 for overnight field trips.
Internship Possibilities: No
Travel Component: Overnight field trips.

This course will examine all the invertebrate phyla with particular regard to functional morphology, phylogeny and ecology. The evolution of invertebrates will be an underlying theme throughout the course, and students will study the science of evolution through seminar readings and oral presentations. Evergreen's proximity to various marine, freshwater and terrestrial habitats provides excellent opportunities to study many diverse groups of local organisms, and emphasis will be placed on learning the regional invertebrate fauna. Fundamental laboratory and field techniques in zoology will be learned, and students will be required to complete a research project utilizing the available microscopy facilities (light and SEM). A strong time commitment to work both in the field and in the lab is expected.

**Credit awarded in invertebrate zoology, invertebrate zoology field methods, invertebrate zoology lab*, microscopy and evolution.**

Total: 16 credits.

Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in zoology, life sciences and marine science.

Landscape Processes: Shaping the American West

Spring/Coordinated Study
Faculty: Paul Ray Butler, Kenneth Tabbutt
Enrollment: 50
Prerequisites: Introduction to geology or a class in physical geology and good quantitative skills (calculus not required).
Faculty Signature: Yes, submit letter of application. Interview will be conducted.
Special Expenses: Depends on which, if any, field-trip options are selected. Grand Canyon River trip approximately $1,500; Death Valley trip approximately $250.
Internship Possibilities: No
Travel Component: Grand Canyon River trip; Death Valley trip; or Washington trip.

Process geomorphology (the processes that make and modify physical landscapes) is often considered a subfield of geology. In reality, this discipline is based on applications of a host of other overlapping physical and biological sciences, including physics, chemistry, hydrology, soil science, geography, meteorology, climatology and biology, among others. This class will combine text discussion and lab exercises with the opportunity for separate field studies at selected sites in the Grand Canyon and Death Valley to gain an understanding of the evolution of the Earth's surface.

NOTE: Students planning to take this program should contact the faculty no later than December 1, 1998 to obtain application criteria and to identify preferences in field-study locations.

**Credit awarded in process geomorphology*, geology and related field studies.**

Total: 8, 12 or 16 credits. Students may enroll in a four-credit course.

Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in the earth sciences.

Marine Life: Marine Organisms and Their Environments

Winter, Spring/Group Contract
Faculty: Dave Milne, TBA
Enrollment: 50
Prerequisites: Junior and senior standing; at least two quarters of college chemistry and two of biology with labs; an ability to work easily with numbers and equations; experience using a personal computer.
Faculty Signature: No
Special Expenses: $80 ($40 per quarter) for overnight field trips.
Internship Possibilities: No.
Travel Component: Field trips.

Marine Life focuses on marine organisms, the sea as a habitat, relationships between the organisms and the physical/chemical properties of their environments, and their adaptations to those environments. Students will study marine organisms, biological, chemical and physical features of marine environments, elements of oceanography, field sampling techniques with associated statistics and laboratory techniques. Concepts developed will be applied via experiments designed by the faculty and research projects designed by the students.

During winter quarter, the class will study physical features of marine water, nutrients, biological productivity and planktonic organisms. Students will begin design of research projects for spring and will read appropriate literature for background material for their projects. The faculty will facilitate identification of research projects, which may range from studies of trace metals in local organisms and sediments to investigations of vertical migrations by local estuarine animals. During spring quarter, the class will focus on the identification of organisms, aspects of the ecology of selected species and their physiological adaptations to diverse marine environments. Individual work will also be conducted on projects designed during the winter. Data analysis will be facilitated through the use of Excel spreadsheets.

During both quarters, seminars will analyze appropriate primary literature on class topics. Each student will analyze several papers for presentation to the others.

Credit may be awarded in ecological physiology, biological oceanography, organismal biology, biostatistics and marine ecology. Although circumstances may change, we anticipate that all credit will be designated upper-division science.

Total: 16 credits each quarter. Students may enroll in a four-credit course with faculty signature.

Program is preparatory for careers and future study in marine sciences, certain other environmental sciences and policy formulation relevant to aquatic systems.

Natural Histories: Botany, Biography, Community

Fall, Winter, Spring/Coordinated Study
Faculty: Frederica Bowcutt, Sam Schrager, Matthew Smith
Enrollment: 72
Prerequisites: None. This all-level program accepts up to 25 percent first-year students.
Faculty Signature: No
Special Expenses: Approximately $200 for fall- and spring-quarter overnight field trips.
Internship Possibilities: Yes, spring quarter.
Travel Component: Overnight field trips.

This program uses the naturalist approach to explore patterns of people's lived experience of place, especially in our region. Natural histories are accounts of the lives of humans and other organisms, described in detail and situated in a time and place. They take the form of species accounts, life histories and the stories of a place. We will study stories people tell about themselves, their communities and nature. We will examine how collective prac-tices shape and are shaped by local landscapes and institutions. We will assess current social and environmental conflicts in light of prospects for a sustainable future.

During the fall, students will study a piece of land, inventorying plant species, documenting changes and recording oral history of people who've lived there. In winter, the research will involve conversation with practitioners of crafts that can help ground communities in place. Library research skills will be a significant focus in winter. In spring, students will do field projects. Natural Histories will pay close attention to cultural dimensions of inhabitation, including Native American outlooks, bioregionalism, gender, class and religious consciousness. Readings will span community studies, environmental studies, literature and social thought.

This program offers students (1) training in ethnographic and ecological research meth-ods; (2) experience writing in journal and doc-umentary forms; (3) a foundation in social theory and communitarian philosophy with concern for morally responsible action. Work will be challenging and time demanding. We welcome first-year students who are ready for intensive engagement in their studies. Natural Histories is ideal for upper-division students who want to specialize in humanistic or ecosystemic inquiry while studying both as an integrated whole.

Credit awarded in social theory, community and cultural studies, botany, literature, oral history and environmental history.

Total: 16 credits each quarter. Students may enroll in a four-credit course each quarter with faculty signature.

Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in teaching, natural resource management, community planning, social work, history, environmental policy and the humanities.

This program is also listed under First-Year Programs and Environmental Studies.

Practice of Sustainable Agriculture

Spring, Summer, Fall/Course
Faculty: Pat Moore
Enrollment: 20
Prerequisites: Junior standing; students must have good writing skills.
Faculty Signature: Yes, students must submit a letter of application including a description of college courses taken, related work experience, plus letters of recommendation to the faculty by March 3, 1999. Interviews will be conducted at the Academic Fair on March 10, 1999.
Special Expenses: $80 for tools and a three-day, instate field trip.
Internship Possibilities: Yes
Travel Component: Three-day, in-state field trip.

This program will provide upper-division students with direct experience in the practices of sustainable agriculture. There will be weekly lectures, occasional field trips and an emphasis on practical skill development in intensive food production at the Organic Farm. Students can expect instruction in soils, plant propagation, greenhouse management, composting, green manures, the use of animal manures, equipment operation, small farm economics, pest control, livestock management, weed control strategies, irrigation system design and management, basic horticulture, machinery maintenance, vegetable and small fruit culture, marketing, orchard systems and more.

Continuing students wishing to apply for this program must schedule an interview to assess motivation, maturity, communication skills and background in environmental studies between February 8 and 22, 1999. Prior to March 3, 1999, transfer students must mail a description of college courses taken and related work experience, plus letters of recommendation to: Pat Moore, The Evergreen State College, Organic Farm, Lab I, Olympia, WA 98505. He will then conduct a phone interview; be sure to send him a phone number where you can be reached.

Credit awarded in horticulture, soils, pest management and sustainable agriculture.

Total: 8 credits each quarter.

Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in agriculture, state, county and city planning and natural resource management.

Seeing the Forest and the Trees

Fall, Winter, Spring/Coordinated Study
Faculty: Nalini Nadkarni, Martha Henderson, Judy Cushing
Enrollment: 50
Prerequisites: Junior and senior standing. Students must have one of the following pre-requisites with preference given for two or more.Three quarters of whole-organism biology (e.g., natural history, ecology); two quarters of social science and one quarter of regional studies (e.g., geography, GIS, community studies); three quarters of computer science (any computer science program).
Faculty Signature: Yes. Prior to the Academic Fair on May 13, 1998 students must submit a one-page letter to a faculty member that states relevant course work and work experience.
Special Expenses: $150 for field trips to the Olympic Peninsula and Eastern Washington.
Internship Possibilities: No
Travel Component: Overnight, in-state field trips.

Trees and forests are dynamic, three-dimensional, living entities that interact in complex ways with the physical environment and with human societies. Understanding forests and human interactions with them requires us to gather and interpret quantitative, qualitative and symbolic information.

Our upper-division program will emphasize forest ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest, with a focus on forests of The Evergreen State College campus. We will focus on the relation-ships between forests and humans. Lectures, workshops, seminars and small- group research projects will help us develop skills in the contributing disciplines of forest ecology, geography and database and computer science to: 1) explore ways of visually representing trees and forests; 2) assess factors that describe and affect tree architecture and forest structure; and 3) measure and interpret the relationships between trees, forests and humans within local and regional perspectives.

We will do readings and writing exercises to compare United States/Pacific Northwest-based concepts of forests with those of other cultures through study of regional geographies around the world. Students will work in teams to map, describe and understand a forested area of the Evergreen campus, collect data using tools developed at other field research stations and prepare representations of these forests for presentations. Throughout the program, we will visit other Pacific Northwest forests to place our findings within a broad geographical and ecological perspective.

Credit awarded in forest ecology, social and regional geography, computer imagery and databases and visual arts.

Total: 16 credits each quarter.

Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in forestry, community development, geography and computer sciences.

This program is also listed under Scientific Inquiry.

Sustainable Development: Learning From the Past, Creating the Future

Fall/Group Contract
Faculty: Pat Labine
Enrollment: 25
Prerequisites: Junior and senior standing; previous academic work in environmental studies and/or political economy.
Faculty Signature: No
Special Expenses: No
Internship Possibilities: No
Travel Component: None

An upper-division program for students interested in working for development, either at home or abroad. The program will have both a theoretical and practical focus. In lectures and seminars, we will explore the meanings and history of "development," examine the forces that shape relationships between the North and South and the rich and poor, and consider prospects for sustainability and progressive change in the 21st century. We will make extensive use of case studies material, as well as fiction and nonfiction narratives. Case studies will reflect faculty interest in rural development, agricultural improvement and grassroots social change movements.

Workshops will develop skills to help students function with sensitivity in culturally diverse settings and to assist in self-directed community development. Student work will involved critical reading, expository writing and collaborative research projects.

Credit awarded in sustainable development, colonial and neo-colonial history, agriculture and rural development, participatory research methods, group skills and group dynamics.

Total: 16 credits. Students may enroll in a four-credit language course with faculty signature.

Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in development work, international studies or community planning.

Tribal: Reservation Based/Community Determined

Fall, Winter, Spring/Coordinated Study
Faculty: Paul Tamburro, TBA
Enrollment: 50
Prerequisites: Consult coordinator
Faculty Signature: Yes
Special Expenses: No
Internship Possibilities: Yes
Travel Component: None

This community-determined program seeks students who work or live on a reservation and are tribal members or Indian.

The program emphasizes community building within the Native American communities in which classes are held. The curriculum is a direct result of students and tribal officials determining what an educated member of an Indian nation who wants to contribute to the community needs to know. The interdisciplinary approach provides opportunity for students to participate in seminars while also studying in their individual academic interest areas.

Development of the curriculum for the academic year begins with community involvement the previous spring. Students and tribal representatives work to identify educational goals and curriculum topics for the program. A primary goal of this process is the development of students' ability to be effective inside and outside the Native community. After the suggestions are received, the faculty develop an interdisciplinary curriculum and texts, methods and resources to assist the learning process. Students play a major part in making the learning appropriate to them in their community.

Within the framework of the identified curriculum is the overall premise that an "educated person" needs to have skills in research, analysis and communication. Material is taught using a tribal perspective, and issues related to tribal communities are often the topics of discussion.

For program information, contact Paul Tamburro, program director, The Evergreen State College, LAB I, Olympia, WA 98505.