What is all the fuss about fat in our diets? In what ways is fat a necessary nutrient and how is it harmful to us? What's the difference between a saturated fat and a trans fatty acid and why should we care? How do researchers use data to create dietary recommendations for the public?

In this program, we will investigate the role of fat in our diets from a chemical perspective, and study how to use statistics to draw conclusions from data about health and diet. With chemistry and statistics as disciplinary backbones, we will investigate what types of fat we should eat as well as whether fat replacements such as Olestra are a healthy alternative. Seminar texts will discuss a range of issues including healthy diets, causes of obesity, perceptions and stereotypes about fatness, and media presentation of diet and health issues. Students will also undertake a significant research project on a topic related to the content of the program, culminating in a scientific poster and presentation.

How do buildings stand up? How do you design buildings for earthquakes, solar energy, or good indoor air? How do basic services like electricity or plumbing actually work? What do natural organisms, like plants or animals, have to teach us about good ways to build? These are some of the questions this program will consider. The emphasis will be on sustainable designs that have been proven in real-world projects. The work will cover the basic scientific concepts that affect the structure and operation of buildings and the basic techniques by which they are used in designing or analyzing buildings. The program should be useful both to students considering further study of architecture or engineering, and equally to students who want to learn some college-level science with important real-world applications.

We will study both new and old approaches to building design. Since both high technology and traditional indigenous methods have important insights and examples to contribute, we will try to understand the natural forces and processes at work in all of them. Most topics will include an introduction to the basic estimating techniques used by professionals in this area. We will also consider the values embodied in the various approaches we study, as expressed in the symbolism, aesthetics and political economy associated with them. For example, we may try to understand and evaluate the ways in which southwest England's Eden Project has been shaped by a mix of commercial and environmental values.

Topics will include structures, heating, light, sound, solar and other forms of energy and sustainable materials, and we will use illustrated lectures, skill workshops, site visits and book seminars to address them. There will be assignments to make daylight models, measure household energy use, practice with design estimating techniques and do research on a significant recent building, in addition to weekly readings in a background text as well as related books and articles. Students can expect to build skill in quantitative reasoning, descriptive writing, architectural drawing and sustainable design methods. There will also be some attention to model-building and computer-based graphics.

In Science Seminar, we read popular books and sometimes journal articles on compelling topics in science, generally without math. Student teams prepare for and sometimes facilitate seminars. Individually, students write and respond to short essays. In fall and winter quarters, we will meet with students from Energy Systems to discuss readings on topics such as global warming, alternative energy, and/or new possibilities for future energy systems.

In spring quarter, we will meet with students from the Astronomy and Cosmologies program to discuss readings on topics such as mythology, cosmologies (how humans have understood the heavens, throughout history and across cultures), and/or modern scientific understanding of the universe.

Learning goals include improved critical thinking, deeper qualitative understanding of science, and improved communication skills, both oral and written. Students must be willing to work in teams and to use computer-based learning tools, including the Internet. We may have some online seminars using chat-room software.

Look for program details and updates on the Academic Program Web page, linked to the professor's homepage.

We all eat to live, but how often do we stop to ask where our food comes from? How was it grown? Who cultivated and harvested it? How did it arrive at our tables? Do we all have the same access to food? How have the migration of workers to harvest food, as well as their movements for social justice, created new forms of culture, from protest songs to teatro campesino (farmworkers' theater)? This program seeks to address these questions by examining the intersections of food ecology, labor history and cultural change. Fall quarter will focus on three specific commodities: apples, bananas and sugar. In each case, we will explore a given crop as it has impacted environmental, economic, social and cultural relationships over time. For example, apples are a crop that symbolizes Washington state nationally and internationally. We will study the ecological conditions for cultivating this crop, its environmental impact, the ways it is harvested and traded, how workers have attempted to organize themselves, and the literature and art that have aided their social movements. We will explore how systems of power-involving race, class and gender, among others-shape work, access to food, governmental policy and environmental sustainability. During a field trip to Eastern Washington, we hope to talk with workers during the fall apple harvest, and hear from local artists and poets about their cultural work relating to agricultural life and social change.

During fall quarter, a typical week will involve lectures, seminar discussions, films and workshops on quantitative reasoning and expository writing. Students will write frequent essays about readings in environmental science, social science and the humanities. Basic concepts in these fields will emerge from our case studies. In addition to the field trips, there will be a few organized opportunities for putting our learning into action through volunteer work with local non-profit groups focusing on food issues.

In winter quarter, we will further develop our understanding of concepts introduced in the fall, moving from specific crops to a larger view of intersecting social and environmental systems. Throughout winter quarter, we will continue to have seminars, lectures and field trips as a program. In addition, students will research crops of their own choosing, developing case studies along the lines we explored together in the fall. During the quarter, there will be workshops in qualitative and quantitative research methods to support students' projects. Students will have the opportunity to present their learning to the larger community, first in the form of posters or short skits about food issues, and later in a more formal research presentation at the quarter's end.

During the spring, students will bridge theory and practice by combining their continuing studies on campus and through field trips with internships at community organizations. Students will focus on specific topics with faculty and will meet together to discuss their community-based learning.

The major goal of the program is to link theory and practice. Students will have opportunities to understand abstract theories by applying them to projects and activities and by putting them into practice in real-world situations. This three-quarter program involves learning psychological and sociological perspectives in fall quarter, applying them to field work in winter quarter, and returning to the classroom in spring quarter to assess what worked and to suggest future improvements.

During fall quarter, students will study psychological and sociological perspectives on identity, society, social problems and human service work. Students will examine questions such as where do I fit within my community? How does my society influence me? How can I have a positive impact on my community and society? Students will explore the reciprocal relationship between self and community through program readings, class activities and fieldwork exercises.

During winter quarter, students will make meaningful service contributions to local, national, or international organizations by participating in an internship or volunteer work for 40 hours a week, the equivalent of 16 credits. Students will communicate electronically with the faculty during winter quarter to ask questions and discuss their learning. In addition, they may meet with faculty and colleagues for seminar discussions.

Students will return to the classroom in spring quarter to reflect on, critically examine and integrate their fall quarter theoretical learning with their winter quarter practical experience. The major project this quarter will be a synthesis paper that details this integration, proposes how to more effectively prepare students for community work and develops effective guidelines for serving the community. In the spring, students may continue their community work for four of the 16 credits.

Studies will encompass lectures, workshops, seminar discussions, reading, writing, research, small group collaboration and student presentations about topics related to self and community. Students who successfully complete this program will gain considerable experience with applied work in the social sciences and human services and with independent scholarly research and writing.

Sculpture is profoundly physical and spatial in character. A sculptor creates forms that activate space and engage viewers, from discrete objects for serene contemplation to whole environments for kinesthetic experiences. This two-quarter program is for students who are interested in and prepared for focused work in sculpture and related three-dimensional art forms. Topics to be explored include the character of sculpture as object and experience, interactions with sites and environments, objects for use that function as sculpture, and the sculptor's work in the studio and the community.

Students will be asked to make a daily commitment to sculpture and drawing practice in the studio, to develop strong technical and conceptual skills, and to produce a cohesive body of three-dimensional works over the course of the program. This work will be supported by technical demonstrations in wood, metals and other media, workshops on site selection, environmental concerns, and community engagement, as well as regular critiques. Seminars and readings will address contemporary sculpture and design, scale, craft and technologies, place making, art and environmental issues, public art and professional practice. Students will be asked to write short stance papers as well as artist's statements clarifying their thinking about their own work and process, and to author research papers and presentations on contemporary artists working in sculpture, installation, craft or environmental art.

The goals of the program include understanding and mastery of selected materials and processes in making sculpture, experience in conceiving and developing a personal body of sculptural work, three-dimensional expression, and a well informed, reasoned, and rigorous approach to personal sculptural expression.

This program will explore the business aspects of producing an event, which are often overlooked by artists. This will include, for example, how to set up a calendar that meets the need for rehearsals and incorporates important deadlines. So You Want to be a Producer? offers musicians, dancers, artists, and theater students an opportunity to learn more about contracts, copyright law, grant writing, space rentals, budgets, publicity and technical needs, all vital to successful productions.

In order to receive credit, students will undertake a significant independent project, which will involve the creation of a concert with all the necessary facets of a professional production. In addition to the program texts, student will need to conduct independent research to complete this project. Faculty and guests will help facilitate student learning about the business components of producing a concert. We will also explore different venues to discover how events are produced behind the scenes. Although we will specifically focus on concert production, many of the production skills and details covered are applicable to a range of events.

Students will investigate theories and practices of psychologists to enhance their understanding of counseling, social services, and the science of psychology. 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. 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 and clinical settings, social work agencies and applied research settings.

Among our studies will be ethical quandaries in psychology, and the ethics of human and animal experimentation. 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 Irvine, Calif. on April 10-13, 2008.

Spain was formed as a nation by militant Catholicism, and, during the Franco dictatorship (1939-1975), ruled by Catholic-supported Fascism. Thirty-two years after the death of Franco, though, Spain is a modern, progressive European democracy whose citizens passed the most liberal same-sex marriage law in the world and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 4% last year. How are we to understand this transformation? What are its limitations?

This program will help us discover the texture of life in Spain today, looking briefly at the Spanish Civil War and the ensuing dictatorship of the winners as background, but focusing on the last thirty years of Spanish democracy. Our materials will be drawn from literature, history, contemporary social criticism, and print journalism, as well as current Spanish films and television series. All readings, writing assignments and seminars will be in Spanish, so the program will provide an excellent opportunity for beyond-intermediate students looking for intensive development of their Spanish.

El País, a national newspaper begun as Spain's current democratic system was being developed, celebrated its 30-year anniversary recently by giving out reproductions of its front pages on the days of historic events. Each student will choose a research topic from one of these front pages or other material from the newspaper, conduct research using materials written in Spanish, write a research paper in Spanish on his or her chosen aspect of contemporary Spanish life, and present it in Spanish orally to the class.

Although written early in his career, the history plays demonstrate Shakespeare's highly developed talent for defining, and undermining, the structures of power that operated in his society. We will consider these plays as documents of "performance" in every sense of the word. On the one hand, the plays expose the ways in which the aristocracy performs its authority-as when Henry V, rallying his troops at Agincourt, promises to make every man his brother, knowing full well that the common foot soldiers will suffer the heaviest casualties and will return to their homes richer only in scars. They also demonstrate that gender itself is a performance, as in the case of the dangerously powerful women who figure prominently in Richard III and Henry VI. On the other hand, these scripts are unique theatrical performances based on existing historical narratives. Shakespeare was careful to depict only events that happened hundreds of years before his birth, but at the same time, his own act of reshaping the chronicles gave the actors a chance to comment upon existing conflicts and controversies. Similarly, theater companies in the 20th and 21st centuries have come to appreciate the searing political relevance of these plays-the histories consistently emphasize what Cornel West has called "the knife side of history," the blade that threatens to obliterate anyone who ends up on the wrong side of a conflict.

The syllabus will include plays such as Richard II, Richard III, and Henry V, as well as film adaptations of these scripts by directors such as Welles, Olivier and Branagh. We will also question the generic category of "the history" by considering other Shakespearean texts such as King Lear or The Merchant of Venice. To help us sort out questions of genre and ideology, we will read the work of influential literary critics, but we will also learn to make our own informed decisions about Shakespeare's interpretations of history by reading primary documents, historical monographs and biographies. Most importantly, students will engage directly with the plays as scripts by performing short scenes every week. For us, as for the generations of Shakespearean actors who have reimagined and reinvented these plays, performance will serve as our most powerful tool for interpreting the text.

Students will develop skills in critical thinking, literary and historical analysis, film studies, performance and writing.

The writer John Steinbeck created a uniquely American literature in his depiction of individuals caught up in and struggling with the conflicting tensions and situations that characterize American society. There was always a strong social consciousness and voice in his novels, short stories, and nonfiction writings that was specifically cited in awarding him the Nobel Prize for literature in 1962. In this program, we will examine major works of fiction and nonfiction by this important writer, from such works as Cannery Row, Of Mice and Men, To a God Unknown, The Pearl, The Red Pony, In Dubious Battle, The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, Sweet Thursday, The Wayward Bus, The Winter of Our Discontent, The Long Valley and Travels with Charley. In addition, we will read literary criticisms of and commentary on Steinbeck's work and biographical material about the life and times of the writer. Students will write responses each week to the readings and will produce a longer expository paper on some chosen aspect of Steinbeck's writing. In our work, we will pay attention to the structure and aesthetic qualities of the writings and to their meaning and relevance, responding always to the question: What is the writer doing, and how does he do it? We will read and discuss with the aim of understanding and assessing Steinbeck's contribution to and place in American literature. Classes will be seminars and recitations in which students will be responsible for presenting their own writing and work.

The successful completion of large software systems requires strong technical skills, good design and competent management. Critical problems with software systems remain despite the best efforts of many very smart people over the last 50 years. Software is often late, over-budget, socially irresponsible, unable to perform according to user needs, poorly designed, poorly implemented, difficult to maintain or some combination of these. In addition, many applications require substantial domain knowledge. While some of these problems and goals have technical solutions, the art of using these solutions and putting together a large system requires a variety of skills and experiences. Student Originated Software is intended to help students gain the technical knowledge required to build software in application domains, as well as support students as they develop a substantial project.

Domains of past successful projects include: the sciences, music, visual arts, automobile tuning, education, computer security, databases for small business and local and state agencies. The technical topics covered will be selected from: data structures, algorithm analysis, database systems, object oriented design and analysis, verification techniques and applications architectures. The program seminar will address the history and culture of the software industry-writing verifiably correct programs, programming languages, ergonomics and human-machine interaction and the psychology of computer programming-and other topics as relevant.

Student Originated Studies: Community Development offers opportunities for advanced or well-prepared students to create their own course of study and research. (See Prerequisites and Faculty Signature information above.) In addition at least two credits of each student's work will be in collaboration with other students in the program. Options will include seminars, workshops organized by staff and faculty working at the Center for Community-Based Learning and Action, and on-line discussions of topics relevant for students interested in planning and community development. Student project work will be presented in a symposium at the end of the quarter.

Groups of students working together on community-based projects will be given priority. So will groups of students who are interns at the same organization or who are interns at similar organizations (such as at several small farms or at several organizations working on housing issues). The faculty has extensive knowledge of local organizations and resources, particularly in Thurston County, as well as experience working with students from across the curriculum who are interested in integrating and applying their learning through community-based research, learning and activism.

Student Originated Studies (SOS) offers opportunities for advanced students to create their own course of study and research. Prior to the beginning of winter 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 student research in environmental studies that focuses on the physical environment of the Pacific Northwest. Project proposals for work outside this area will be considered on a case by case basis. Students wishing to conduct environmental fieldwork need to demonstrate that they have the appropriate skills.

Students are invited to join this learning community of media artists who are interested in media production, design, writing, history, and theory, and want to collaborate with media faculty. This program is designed for students who share similar skills and common interests to do advanced work that may have grown out of previous academic projects and/or programs. Students will work with faculty during the first few weeks of fall quarter to design small study groups, collaborative projects, or critique groups that will be supported by this year's SOS program.

In addition to the student-centered curriculum, we will explore different themes each quarter. In fall, our focus will be building media communities. We will also study Web design in order to create artist's Web sites by the middle of fall quarter, and develop skills in DVD authoring to create portfolio and proposal documentation pieces. The themes for winter and spring will be developed collaboratively with program members.

This Student Originated Studies (SOS) group contract will give students the guidance and opportunities to pursue serious theatre and performance work through progressive stages of critical reflections and hands-on experiments in a supportive learning community. Students are expected to work independently on their own creative and research projects related to and culminating into a final production at the end of winter quarter. Faculty and students will spend the first few weeks of fall quarter sharing interests and exploring possible directions, at the same time studying critical theories and performance work of established artists from a variety of traditions. Based on this series of discussions and explorations, students will design their individual and collaborative projects, form critique groups, devise responsibilities and formulate the plan for their final performance.

While a full-fledged production/performance will be expected of students interested in theatre and dance performance and technical theatre, students who are interested in research-only projects in theater and dance history and theory are also encouraged to join the learning community to get academic support and bridge theoretical studies with practical experiences. Throughout the two quarters, students and faculty will meet every week to engage in thematic seminars, work-in-progress presentations, critique sessions and workshop exercises until the last few weeks of winter quarter, which will be taken over by intense rehearsal and production work leading to the final performance open to public.

This program is designed for students who are thinking of graduate school or professional work in the visual arts and who want to join a learning community of visual artists who are interested in doing advanced work in drawing, painting, photography, printmaking or sculpture.

Students will design their own projects, complete visual research and write papers appropriate to their topic, work intensively in the studio together, produce a significant thematic body of work and participate in demanding weekly critiques.

Studio Projects: Painting is an intermediate to advanced-level program focusing on the development of studio skills and methods in painting. Students will have the opportunity to expand their technical skills in the use of acrylics and oils, explore mixed media and contemporary approaches to both drawing and painting and learn about the history of painting.

During winter quarter, students will address weekly studio projects in class designed to improve their understanding of color, composition, thematic research and studio methodology. Through winter and spring quarters, each student will create a series of paintings on an individual theme and will research topics in art history related to their work in painting. We will study texts on contemporary art theory and criticism, make visits to galleries and museums and view the works of visiting professional artists.

This program is designed for students who already have a strong work ethic and self-discipline, and who are willing to work long hours in the art studio, on campus, in company with their fellow students.

Water is one of the most important chemical compounds in our lives. It is the presence of water on our planet that has allowed life to develop here. We could not live without freshwater, but everyday, all over the world people are doing things that degrade the quality of our water resources and reduce the quantity of it that is available for our needs and the needs of other organisms. In Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems we will study the needs of organisms, including ourselves, for water and how we can act today to assure future generations of humans, fishes, frogs and dragonflies sufficient amounts of high-quality water.

This program will look at a variety of concepts centered on freshwater biology, human impacts on aquatic systems and the sustainable use of our freshwater resources. The primary learning goals for students in the program include the development of a solid grounding in the biology of aquatic organisms and their ecology and evolution, an understanding of the basic hydrological and geological processes at work in watershed structure and function, the development of good writing and observational skills, and an understanding of how humans use and impact water resources and how we can modify that use to provide future generations with safe and plentiful water.

In fall quarter, we will adopt a systems approach to the hydrological cycle, and will focus on watershed structure and function. We will examine the structure, physiology and taxonomy of aquatic organisms through lectures and labs. Students will be introduced to the foundational concepts of field ecology including observations, sampling and measurement. Seminar readings will provide examples of how humans view aquatic ecosystems and how those views impact their interactions with those systems. In winter quarter, we will continue to study the interactions of aquatic organisms and the structure of aquatic communities through ecology and evolutionary biology and learn more advanced field techniques in freshwater biology. We will explore introductory topics in limnology. In spring, we will look at the human-aquatic system interaction in more detail. We will study the major concepts of sustainability and how these can be applied to watershed management and restoration ecology and its role in rescuing degraded aquatic habitats.

Sustainability is an umbrella term that now encompasses a range of things from alternative energy to architectural design, and from food to fashion. In this program, we will critically examine the history of the sustainability concept, including cross-cultural examples of sustainable development which were at the heart of sustainable efforts of a few decades ago. We will explore contemporary applications of the sustainability idea as it moves increasingly from the margins to the mainstream. We will consider links between rising awareness of global climate change and increasing interest in sustainability and ecopsychology. We will also look at some of the theoretical underpinnings of sustainability work, and consider various practices both in theory and application.

We will focus on the concept of practice as a way to ground our work in our own localities and in our own lives. Using a variety of experiential approaches incorporating somatic and expressive arts languages, we will explore the relationship between perception and behavior in areas such as consumption and transportation. We will experiment with behavior changes that may be necessary for a more sustainable future. Student projects will focus on existing organizations or efforts in the Olympia area directed toward sustainability issues.

The program will include a variety of approaches to learning such as field trips to sustainable community projects, expressive arts laboratories, open space learning, lectures, film and video, and student presentations. Readings for the program will include a range of selections from a fast-growing body of literature, focusing on the history of the concept, contemporary applications, and sustainability as personal practice.