We will read, discuss and write about diverse topics in physics, astronomy, mathematics and related areas. We will explore observations and ideas about the nature, history and philosophy of science, as well as the methods of physics and mathematics. We will investigate questions such as: What are the newest ideas in physics and astronomy? How is knowledge created or discovered? How can new ideas develop into testable theories? How does scientific understanding change? Topics will include string theory, relativity, chaos, quantum mechanics, infinity and cosmology. Readings and themes vary each quarter. Program details are available online at http://192.211.16.13/z/zita/scisem.htm.

Our learning goals include improved critical thinking, deeper qualitative understanding of science, and improved communication skills, both oral and written. Quantitative investigations are possible for interested students, but are not required. Science Seminar students will work with students who are enrolled in Physical Systems to discuss key points and questions before each seminar. Students can earn four or eight credits each quarter by participating in one or two seminars each week and completing short essays and online assignments. Students are encouraged to work with the Writing Center tutors and to attend occasional writing workshops.

“The history of China is as rich and strange as that of any country on earth, and its destiny as a nation is now entwined with all others in the search for scarce resources, the exchange of goods, and the expansion of knowledge. Yet for a long time China was a completely unknown quantity to those living in the West, and even today seems set apart by differences of language, custom and attitude. China’s story is an astonishing one. We can see how often the Chinese people, operating in difficult or even desperate circumstances, seized their own fate and threw themselves against the power of the state. We can see how in 1644, again in 1911, and yet again in 1949, disillusion with the present and a certain nostalgia for the past could combine with a passionate hope for the future to bring the old order crashing down, opening the way for an uncertain passage to the new.”

Thus begins Jonathan Spence’s The Search for Modern China (1990), a magisterial history that explores major themes in Chinese cultural history from around 1600 to the present. These themes include the conquest and consolidation of the Empire of China, social fragmentations and reforms due to confrontations with the West, competing modern visions of the Chinese state and society, wars, disasters, and revolutions, and China’s increasing engagement with the rest of the globe. While using Spence’s themes as organizing principles, we will reach further back into Chinese philosophy and belief, studying Daoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. We will explore the literature and arts of ancient and modern China, learn poetry and folk songs by heart and practice the arts of tai ji (a movement discipline), calligraphy and brush painting. We will also study Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Chinese Diaspora, especially the Chinese-American experience. We will study artworks exploring Chinese subject matter and forms made by both Chinese and non-Chinese artists, including novels, poetry, memoirs, plays, operas and instrumental music. Students may engage in informal performances of music, movement and dramatic scenes fall and winter quarters as well as workshops designed to build skills in these areas. Writing assignments will include analytical essays, dialogues in Chinese and English and research projects.

We will critically analyze selected literary texts from ancient times to the present. Every week will include seminars on readings in English translation, Chinese language classes, workshops in recitation/song, tai ji , calligraphy and a film in Chinese. Our work during the fall will center on explorations of Chinese history and culture from around 1600 to 1911, including studies of philosophy, belief systems and artistic modes and styles in various dynasties. During winter quarter, we will explore 20th-century Chinese history, including the history of the Chinese in America and other new lands. Spring quarter may offer opportunities to study abroad in Beijing, China, and studies of travel writing by Chinese and non-Chinese authors, as well as internships with local cultural organizations for those who stay on campus.

It is often said that American and Japanese cultures represent the mirror images of human values. For instance, while American culture emphasizes the importance of individuals over groups, Japanese culture dictates group cohesion. Certainly, the reality is not as simple as these stereotypes indicate; nevertheless, this dichotomized comparative cultural frame presents an interesting context in which we can explore many human issues. Thus, in this program, we explore the concept of self through the critical examination of American and Japanese literature, cinema and popular media.

At the beginning of the quarter, students will be introduced to the major literary theories in order to familiarize themselves with varied approaches to literature. Next, students will examine representations of individuals and cultures in American and Japanese literature through seminars and critical writings. Weekly film viewing and film seminars will accompany study of literature in order to facilitate a deeper exploration of the topics and issues presented in the literary works. Students will also be introduced to the rudiments of film analysis in order to develop a more analytical and critical attitude towards the film-viewing experience.

Senior thesis, student originated studies, and independent humanities contracts are encouraged by faculty in the Culture, Text and Language planning area. During the fall, Marianne Bailey will sponsor student independent learning. Marianne specializes in French, Francophone Caribbean and Canadian literature, German philosophy and literature, studies in symbology, ritual, mythology and comparative religions. She will gladly consider other project work in the humanities. Students should expect to complete a substantitive research paper or a senior thesis. Each student will engage in research and writing in support of their individualized study.

In France today, there are growing tensions as people reconsider what it means to be French. The notion of French identity has been challenged by many things, including immigration, consumerism, mass media and France’s changing role in Europe and the world. This is true throughout Europe, but the challenges are greater in France with its large population of Muslims. By looking back to Enlightenment principles, we will explore the origin of long-held beliefs that have formed the underpinnings of French social organizations and to which writers, thinkers and artists have been reacting for centuries.

The Enlightenment, an 18th-century phenomenon, rejected tradition and underscored the importance of reason and science. The philosophes were convinced that civilization was advancing and that rapid human progress was both obtainable and desirable. In Paris, salon writers critiqued existing social, political and cultural structures, and they created surveys, classifications and dictionaries in all fields of knowledge for a growing literate public. To understand the principles, context, and long-lasting impact of these beliefs, our readings will include works by Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau, Mme. De Stael, Hugo and Sand and contemporary authors such as Chamoiseau, Beauvoir, Cisoux, Ernaux, Beckett, Camus and Gide, among others.

We will draw upon history, literature, sociolinguistics and art in order to better understand the notion of identity in contemporary France. Our major themes will be secularism and religion, democracy and political participation, equality and racism, language and power, and gender relations, and we will follow these threads through major social and aesthetic events including the French Revolution, romanticism, colonialism and the social upheavals of Mai ‘68 . Although our focus will be on France, we will include some exploration of European and American intellectual currents as well.

French language study will be an integral component of our program, so that students can read some texts in the original or begin their study of French.

A word, a flag, a regional accent, a novel, a bumper sticker slogan, an emblem, a piece of art-we may find meaning in these things that extend well beyond the boundaries of their literal or direct significance in the world. How do these layers of meaning arise? How do they lead people to engage in impassioned debate or even violence over some issues of low material impact, while ignoring others which may be on the level of a national or global disaster? In this program, we will seek to understand the nature of meaning in language, literature and symbols. We will examine a series of contemporary social and political issues, for example marriage, immigration, hate speech, the English Only movement, and more, with the goal of understanding how objects, debates, images, and words can gain significance that exceed their immediate real-world impact.

We will use several approaches in our investigation of meaning as it relates to the framing of prominent social issues. We will use literature to familiarize ourselves with the individuals caught up in the situations we're studying, to arouse empathy with them. Furthermore, we will consider the ways literature complements, journalistic or private responses to social injustice. We will look at linguistic theories of semantics and pragmatics, which seek to uncover the properties of language as well as context that contribute to the overall meaning of an expression. We will also investigate communication through signs and symbols, analyzing the extent to which meaning is basic to the symbol itself, versus independent of the symbol and attributable to the experience and mind of the interpreter. These approaches to meaning are linked to the broader question of the arena in which dialogues take place, and who gets to participate in framing issues to the broader public.

In the course of our investigations, we will read authors ranging from Jane Austen to Immanuel Kant to Noam Chomsky to Gloria Anzaldua. We will read newspapers and novels, examine advertisements and bumper stickers, and watch films in our search to understand the sources of meaning. Our class discussions will explore links between abstract concepts and concrete effects, and in our activities we will explore ways to link theory to practice. While on the theoretical end we will focus on sorting out the elements of meaning that shape our positions on matters of current debate, on the practical end students will be encouraged to engage mindfully in individual community work projects.

Students will investigate theories and practices of psychologists to enhance their understanding of counseling, social services and the science of psychology. Students will explore careers in psychology and the academic preparations necessary for these career choices. We will cover the typical activities of psychologists who work in academia, schools, counseling/clinical settings, social work agencies and applied research settings.

Among our studies will be ethical quandaries in psychology, as well as the ethics of human and animal experimentation. We will cover history and systems of psychology. Students will read original source literature from the major divisions of the field, covering both classic and contemporary journal articles and books by well-known psychologists. Library research skills, in particular the use of PsycINFO and Science and Social Science Citation Indexes , will be emphasized. Students will gain expertise in the technical writing style of the American Psychological Association (APA). The class format will include lectures, guest speakers, workshops, discussions, films and a field trip.

There’s no better way to explore the range of activities and topics that psychology offers, and to learn of cutting edge research in the field, than to attend and participate in a convention of psychology professionals and students. To that end, students will attend the annual convention of the Western Psychological Association, which is the western regional arm of the APA. This year’s convention will be held in Vancouver, B.C. on May 3-6, 2007. This may prove to be the single most important learning experience of the program!

The first four decades of the twentieth century saw two world wars and a great depression. These tumultuous years also produced a golden age of our literature, the extent of its wealth dictating the "some" in the seminar's title.

We will read a novel a week, gaining the pleasure of distinguishing among the voices of Conrad, Wells, Lawrence, Lewis, Joyce, Hemingway, Faulkner and Fitzgerald. We will also achieve the satisfaction of "knowing" five poets by reading most of their works: Yeats, Frost, Eliot, Stevens and Auden. Three fourths of our seminar time will be devoted to discussing the poetry and papers on the poetry presented by seminar members.

We will also read a history of the period, and during the quarter each student will read some aspect in more detail, summarized in an end-of-quarter paper.

The book list and syllabus will be available after Thanksgiving break in Communications 302 and in Academic Advising, or call (360) 867-6492 and leave your name and address.

Student Originated Studies (SOS) offers opportunities for juniors and seniors to create their own course of study and research. Prior to the beginning of spring quarter, interested individual students or small groups of students consult with the faculty sponsor about their proposed projects. The faculty sponsor will support students to do research in American literature, American history and American philosophy, as well as other areas of the humanities.

Previous SOS projects by Evergreen students have explored such topics as Utopian schemes in art and life, comedy, George Orwell, the sense of place in American fiction, the Blues past and present, the concept of ideology, American pragmatism, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Emerson-Ellison axis in American thought.

Student Originated Studies (SOS) offers opportunities for advanced students to create their own course of study and research. Prior to the beginning of fall quarter, interested individual students or small groups of students must consult with the faculty sponsor about their proposed projects. The project is then described in an Independent Learning Contract. The faculty sponsor will support students to do research in environmental studies (preference given to projects centered in the Pacific Northwest), biology, ecology and marine science. Students wishing to conduct laboratory-based projects or environmental fieldwork should have the appropriate skills needed to carry out the work.

Student Originated Studies: Media offers advanced media students the opportunity to design their own curriculum in media production, design, writing, history or theory and to develop a learning community with others who share artistic and academic goals that may have grown out of previous projects and programs. It accommodates small groups of students dedicated to producing a single collaborative work, as well as those developing individual projects. Students are expected to assist each other with productions and to participate actively in regular work-in-progress critiques. This is not the place to do beginning media studies or production.

Students will work with faculty during the first weeks of fall quarter to design collaborative or individual projects by researching and writing treatments, abstracts and/or other supplementary documents. Students and faculty will also collaborate to develop other program activities that will support pre-production and production work throughout the year. These may include readings, screenings, discussions, presentations and workshops to strengthen conceptual and production skills. In addition to the student-centered curriculum, we will explore different themes each quarter. In fall, our focus will be building media communities. The theme for winter will be sustaining creative processes. In spring, we will focus on issues and practices of exhibition and distribution and on creating contexts for yourself and your work beyond Evergreen.

Student Originated Studies (SOS): Performance, Theatre, Dance and Technical Theatre, offers opportunities for students to do advanced work in performance or technical theatre. Students will work independently on their own creative and research projects. This SOS will be made up of individual students and small groups that will devise projects and meet in the weekly forum. In the forum, students will present works-in-progress to get feedback and advice. The forum is intended to provide a sense of community and support to students. All other contract obligations will be worked out individually with the faculty. Students will enroll for SOS, then design their quarter-long, contract-style work plans using input from the faculty member.

Student Originated Studies have a rich history at Evergreen and offer opportunities for students to create their own course of study. Working with the faculty sponsor, individual students or small groups of students design projects and then meet, weekly or bi-weekly, to discuss and reflect upon their work.

The sponsor will support Tacoma campus students who wish to do community and public service, research and/or creative production. Some examples of projects are: an internship at a local law firm, social service agency, non-profit or education organization, creating a documentary or public service announcement, and researching the origins and contemporary issues around a current social problem such as hunger, homelessness, access to health care, unemployment, public health epidemics or combating violence.

Student Originated Studies (SOS) offers opportunities for advanced students to create their own individualized course of study and research. Prior to the beginning of spring quarter, interested individual students or small groups of students will consult with the faculty about their proposed projects. The project is then described in an Independent Learning Contract.

Under the SOS umbrella, the faculty will sponsor individual and/or small groups of students who are interested in research and reading in political economy, U.S. history (especially the “founding period”), various topics in globalization, historical capitalism and contemporary India. The faculty will also sponsor internships and travel abroad contracts.

How do we shape the Earth, its resources and its living systems to meet our own human needs and aspirations? How can we do that shaping in ways that are ethical, sustainable and beautiful? Sustainable design imagines landscapes, buildings and objects of use that are responsive and responsible to environments and communities, that reuse and renew materials and energy, that draw lessons from natural systems and forms, and that use and build on the native design intelligence of human cultures.

This program pays special attention to materials—their origins, design potentials, modes of working and production and their ultimate disposal—within a general introduction to sustainable design. Students will read, attend lectures, engage in hands-on workshops and do field research addressing ecological impacts, materials science, graphics and design process (including computer methods) and environmental design history. They will bring lessons from these disciplines to an integrative design studio—the pivotal activity of the program. Studio projects will address drawing and design fundamentals, thinking in three dimensions, programming, user involvement, ecological design responses, materials choices and construction systems, energy use and presentation skills. Projects will cover both informational graphics and physical design, emphasizing objects for use in buildings and landscapes. Readings, seminars and writing assignments will ground students in current issues and ideas in sustainability and underpin their design efforts. These projects will involve students in real-world processes, the constraints and trade-offs—essential experience for those who wish to make a difference.

This program will use a systems approach to explore emerging technologies, social behaviors, and alternative practices that will lead us towards a sustainable future. Our premise is that the end of inexpensive petroleum is at hand and that this will have a huge impact on the current activities of humans all over the world. We will examine renewable energy alternatives, ‘green’ building methods, low-impact industrial processes, new approaches to food production and less toxic methods of producing, using and disposing of products from clothing to computers.

We will investigate the elements and systems that support our current lifestyle and explore several measures of the sustainability of that lifestyle. We will examine a number of indicators of regional, national and global sustainability, survey what is being done in countries more advanced than the United States, and develop quantitative methods to compare different approaches. Students will do an intensive audit of their own consumption practices and will have the opportunity to research alternatives.

In the workshops and class presentations, students can expect to sharpen their critical reasoning skills, their writing and speaking ability, and their ability to work with quantitative methods and to interpret quantitative data from a variety of sources. We will visit sites where sustainable practices are being used in the region during an overnight field trip.