This program examines the dynamics of settler colonization and Native decolonization in a comparative framework, using the Pacific Rim as a geographic focus. By concentrating on a larger region, students will have an opportunity to broaden Indigenous studies beyond the 48 states, and show common processes of Native decolonization in different settler societies.

We will be studying decolonization through treaty relationships, sovereign jurisdiction, and the cultural revitalization of First Nations. In this context, the program will explore the qualitative interaction of human beings and the natural environment. In order to examine the central role of Indigenous peoples in the region's cultural and environmental survival, we will use the lenses of geography, history, art and literature.

In the fall quarter, we will emphasize the complexities and intricacies of Native decolonization by concentrating on a particular region, in this case the First Nations of western Washington and British Columbia. Aboriginal (indigenous) nations in British Columbia did not sign treaties with the Canadian state, and are today in the forefront of defining and mapping their land base.

In the winter quarter, we will expand the focus to appreciate the similarities and differences of Indigenous experiences in other areas of the Pacific Rim. These may include Maori in New Zealand (Aotearoa), Aborigines in Australia, Pacific island peoples, Alaskan and Siberian Natives, among others. We will be focusing on common Pacific Rim concerns such as climate change, natural resource control, and the impacts of trade, tourism, militarization and cultural domination.

Students will engage the issues through lectures, book seminars, guest speakers, films and field trips. The program will include a range of research and presentation methodologies such as the production of thematic maps (cartography) and other computer graphics. Students will be expected to integrate readings, lecture notes, and other sources in writing assignments.

This program examines the political, economic, geographical, cultural and ecological foundations of the Pacific Northwest regional economy. The region's unique mix of natural resources, agriculture, energy, military, industry and finance have created a diverse cultural and economic base. In the 20th century, this economy has served the Northwest well, creating a variety of sources of employment and opportunities for families to achieve a quality of life many consider unique in the United States.

In the early 21st century, however, new and unique challenges threaten the traditional composition of the regional economy. As we explore these changes, our goal is to define a concrete vision of what a sustainable economy could be in the Pacific Northwest, the role public policy can play to ensure it is achievable, and why it is important to begin the transitions to a sustainable future sooner rather than later.

Topics covered will include: how to understand the key relationships of a regional economy; how natural resources, agriculture, industry and finance have defined the Pacific Northwest in the past, and what the future holds for these traditional sectors of the economy; how economy, governance and ecology are now at critical points and junctures; toxic clean up, restoration of wetlands and other critical environmental issues; the challenge of creating a vision of a sustainable economy in the increasingly dynamic context of a global economy; and what will be the essential role of democracy and government in defining the Pacific Northwest's future.

Program activities will include lectures, guest speakers, seminars, at least three one day field trips, research and presentation of findings. At the end of the quarter, students will prepare a legislative briefing paper. It is anticipated that some students will use this briefing paper to provide testimony and information to the Washington State Legislature during next year's biennial legislative session.

Our program work will span academic disciplines such as regional economics, political science, geography, environmental studies, ecology and sustainability. Specific academic skills emphasized in the program include critical reading and writing, research, field work, briefing paper composition and public presentation. Students must be willing to work hard, engage in team projects and meet deadlines to be successful in this program.

This studio-intensive visual art program is designed for beginning art students who would like to combine the close observation of nature and visual art. In a series of lectures and readings, we will explore how artists, in different time periods and cultural traditions, have expressed their relationship with nature. In the studio portion of this program, we will gain skills in making art from natural materials, learn how to draw from observation, and learn how to abstract from our experiences in nature. In addition, we will explore how to sequence text and images in artist books and in three-dimensional objects.

This program will include field trips to view public art, environmental projects and museums, as well as other locations for drawing.

What is Space? Time? Are space and time relative or absolute? What is the relationship between space, time and the mind? What does a study of space and time tell us about the natural world, and about human nature? In this 8 credit program, we'll explore the historical, philosophical, and scientific development of these concepts and our understanding of them.

Philosophers and physicists including Aristotle, Galileo, Descartes, Newton, Kant, and Einstein, have struggled with the complicated and fascinating concepts of space and time. From Aristotle's consideration of the relationship between space, time and the soul to Kant's argument that space and time are the pure forms of sensible intuition under which we perceive all possible objects of experience to Einstein's conclusion that space and time are intertwined as a unified space-time where duration and distance are relative to the observer, the search to understand space and time has driven philosophical and scientific inquiry. We'll deduce from first principles some of the mind-blowing consequences of the intertwined nature of space-time: time itself can pass differently for different observers, moving objects can shrink, and different observers can observe the same events occurring in different orders.

What is the geometric connection between space and time? How is the Pythagorean Theorem (known to ancient civilizations) generalized in modern physics to lead to invariant quantities upon which all observers can agree? We'll explore how motion, acceleration, and gravity are unified through the geometry of space-time. We will study time-keeping devices from ancient sun dials and water clocks through Harrison's Longitude Prize-winning clock and modern atomic clocks. Hands-on in class inquiries will supplement our primary source readings. A study of space and time inevitably leads to studying motion and light. Possible additional areas of inquiry, based on student interest and time, may include quantum theory, cosmology, and non-western cultural and philosophical conceptions of space and time.

Readings will include selections from the philosophers and physicists above, along with Kuhn's Copernican Revolution.