The language of law plays a large role in our everyday lives. This is true not only in the courtroom when we are called for jury duty, in the law books that report court decisions, and in legal documents such as wills or mortgage contracts, but also in our daily routine and behavior. For example, we agree to certain rules of the road when we drive to and from work. We undertake numerous law-based transactions, from buying goods with a credit card to downloading software. We subscribe to a code of conduct that can carry severe criminal or civil sanctions if we breach it.

Despite this ubiquitous presence of the law, we frequently are unable to understand the ordinances, statutes, court opinions and legal documents that affect us. We look to the newspapers to interpret the latest court rulings. We hire lawyers to see us through the legal thicket, where one linguistic misstep can nullify an important document or further complicate our lives. Indeed, massive law dictionaries that define legal terms suggest that legalese is a lingua in itself. To gain an understanding of the relationship of law to language, we will study sociolinguistic principles, particularly linguistic variations such as ebonics, code-switching, conversational style and rhetorical devices such as metaphors. Some of the case studies we will examine will focus directly on linguistic issues such as bilingualism in the schools, Lau v. Nichols and the Official English movement.

Throughout the two quarters, we will study the many controversies over the use of language that have required legal intervention to resolve. For this, we will focus on the First Amendment right to free speech as we also explore freedom of the use of language from a sociolinguistic point of view. For example, we will consider court testimony to discover the ways in which people express power, solidarity and identity within the strict guidelines of legal settings and legal briefs.

By winter quarter, we will be able to put our newly acquired knowledge into practice. Working in legal teams, students will develop appellate briefs on real free-speech cases and will present oral arguments before the "Evergreen Supreme Court." Students will also rotate as justices to read their peers' appellate briefs, to hear arguments and to render decisions.

This exciting program will expose students to a full range of skills, activities and ideas that lie at the core of the outdoor leadership process. The outdoors will serve as a backdrop to introduce both the technical and the human relations skills needed to lead adventure programs. Class activities will include lectures, seminars, workshops, day trips and overnight field trips. Each student will participate in at least one expedition, planned by the students, either into the backcountry or sailing on Puget Sound. The destinations and mode of travel will depend on the weather, student interest and access to those resources suitable for each activity. The expeditions will provide orientation and training in wilderness travel and minimum-impact camping. They will also provide an excellent opportunity to experience and foster the human relations skills that are necessary to effectively lead groups of any size. Students interested in planning a backcountry expedition including rafting and hiking should sign up for the "backcountry CRN: 30507 (reserved for freshmen); 30508 (reserved through priority registration for sophomores); 30509 (reserved for sophomores, juniors or seniors). Those interested in a maritime expedition using chartered sailboats should sign up for the "sailing" CRN: 30050 (reserved for freshmen); 30051 (reserved through priority registration for sophomores); 30052 (reserved for sophomores, juniors or seniors). Each student may register for only one CRN.

We will explore theoretical and applied perspectives on individual roles and group development, communication and appropriate feedback, conflict management, leadership theory and ethics-all of which will help students develop a foundation upon which to build their skills as outdoor leaders and instructors. Students should expect to read and write extensively throughout the expeditions, as well as at home. Successful students will leave the program trained as Ropes Course facilitators and certified as Wilderness First Responders. While parts of this program may be physically strenuous, all motivated students are welcome regardless of age or skill level.

Since the founding of the Republic, Americans have seen themselves as blessed with a bountiful environment. Abundance of land, water, forests, farmlands, wildlife and wilderness defined America until the westward expansion concluded in the early 20th century. Capitalism transformed the country from an agrarian society into an industrial power. Democracy adapted to changing demands and expectations, and the Constitution proved to be a framework of governance capable of accommodating dramatic changes in society. The American dream became a beacon that continues to attract new immigrants to this country. These images of being American have been popularized and communicated by the various forms of media throughout our history.

Yet, America also contained awkward tensions and contradictions. Native Americans were conquered and displaced. African Americans were brought in bondage and began receiving freedom only after 1865. Other immigrants often faced poverty and discrimination upon arrival. Women were denied suffrage until 1920. Many Americans-of all races, ethnicities and national origins-historically, and to this day, have neither achieved equality nor escaped poverty.

Nature has been subjected to intense exploitation in the search for riches. Natural resources and the environment have often been trampled. Agricultural lands have lost productivity from poor farming practices, and industrial pollution has fouled waterways, soil and the air. Pollution has most often affected the people who are least able to afford the protections used by the prosperous, leaving a legacy of concerns about environmental health. Critical habitats have been destroyed, species face extinction, and important resources such as wetlands have been undervalued and destroyed. Social inequality and the intense over-exploitation of nature have always created great controversy in American politics.

This program will explore how America created a system of abundance and environmental protection, and a system of inequality and environmental destruction. Central questions include: What were the patterns of development in the nation's first two centuries? What are the prospects and challenges in our third century?

Our exploration of these themes will focus on the interactions of humans and nature and how we historically and presently understand these interactions. We will specifically examine the various forms of media and the messages they convey about the relationships between humans and the environment. In doing this, we want to develop a critical understanding of how various forms of media will define the debate on the demands for a livable environment, and how effective the media is in transmitting ideas and information about the environment. Nature writing, newspaper reporting, film, electronic media, technical reports, maps, environmental impact statements, legislative initiatives and analyses will be examined to understand the debate. Our analysis will be assisted by political science, economics, environmental history, biology, ecology and physical and cultural geography.

Written and verbal communication skills will be emphasized, as well as qualitative and quantitative reasoning and environmental problem solving. This program is intended for freshmen and provides a basis for further work in the natural and social sciences, as well as the humanities.

What can be gained by locating queer studies scholarship with specific reference to time and place? Historical, ethnographic, and some scholarly work in visual representation is strongly invested in such specificity, and we will explore some of the conventional and unconventional uses made of those disciplines in queer studies. We will also consider what can be gained by approaching spatial and temporal location as a problem, for example by studying gender and sexuality in relation to transnational movement of capital, culture, and people.

Readings may include Boyd, Wide Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco, Duggan, Sapphic Slashers, Kulick, Travesti, Manalansan, Global Divas, and Halberstam, In a Queer Time and Place, among others.

The United States began the 20th century as a second-rate military and naval power, and a debtor country. The nation ended the century as the last superpower with an economy that sparked responses across the globe. In between, we invented flying, sent men to the moon and began to explore our place in space. Many observers have characterized the 20th century as "America's Century" because, in addition to developing as the mightiest military machine on the face of the earth, the United States also spawned the central phenomenon of "the mass." Mass culture, mass media, mass action, mass destruction and amassed fortunes-all are significant elements of life in the United States, especially after the national participation in World War I.

Looking Backward will be a retrospective, close study of the origins, development, expansion and elaboration of "the mass" phenomena and will place those aspects of national life against our heritage to determine if the growth of the nation in the last century was a new thing or the logical continuation of long-standing, familiar impulses and forces in American life. While exploring these issues, we will use history, economics, sociology, literature, popular culture and the tools of statistics to help us understand the nation and its place in the century. At the same time, students will be challenged to understand their place in the scope of national affairs; to read closely; to write with effective insight; and to develop appropriate research projects to refine their skills and contribute to the collective enrichment of the program. There will be a program-wide symposium at the end of each quarter. Each symposium will provide a means of rounding out each term's work and will provide students with valuable experience in public speaking and presentation.