2010-11 Undergraduate Index A-Z
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American Studies [clear]
| Title | Offering | Standing | Credits | Credits | When | F | W | S | Su | Description | Preparatory | Faculty | Days of Week | Multiple Standings | Start Quarters |
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A People's Geography of American Empire
Lawrence Mosqueda and Zoltan Grossman American studies community studies geography international studies |
Program | SO - SRSophomore - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | SSpring | This program will look at U.S. expansion -- from "Manifest Destiny" and overseas imperial expansion, to present-day resource wars. It will focus on the place-making processes inherent in each stage of expansion, and on the imprints they have left on the human and physical landscape. It will examine "imperial places" that have been shaped by each era of expansion, and in turn have shaped each era. In addition to the origins and rationales underlying each stage of expansion, we will examine how and to what extent the world's landscape reflects and helps to (re)produce imperial power. The program will aim to interconnect global and local scales, "foreign" and "domestic" policies, and past histories and present-day legacies. It will examine the lasting effects of imperial control on real local places, in particular the expanding network of U.S. military bases around the world. Fort Lewis and other Northwest military installations will be examined as local case studies of military land acquisition, place-making, and internal G.I. dissent (including a possible one-day field trip). The program will identify the disproportionate role of small places such as Wounded Knee (Lakota Nation), Subic Bay (Philippines), Vieques (Puerto Rico), Okinawa (Japan), Diego Garcia (Indian Ocean), Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), Cabanas (El Salvador), Fallujah (Iraq), Bagram (Afghanistan), and Khuzestan (Iran), and locate them within a typology of imperial places. Such a typology could include internal colonies, emptied or erased places, ground zeros, poisoned places, places of resistance, and places of justice. As their class project, students will focus on a single local-scale case study, writing separate papers on its past history, present-day landscape, and a resident interview (of activists, refugees or veterans). Students will also turn in a discussion page on the readings--with specific questions or comments--in each seminar. The program will make a geographical contribution to the study of American Empire, by examining the making and remaking of "imperial places," and using place-based approaches to learning about imperialism. Book and article authors could include Cynthia Enloe, Catherine Lutz, Michael Klare, Arundhati Roy, Howard Zinn, Patricia Limerick, Dahr Jamail, Richard Drinnon, Jean Bricmont, Michael Ignatieff, and Barack Obama. | community studies, geography and international studies. | Lawrence Mosqueda Zoltan Grossman | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Spring | ||||
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Age of Irony: 20th Century America
Susan Preciso, John Baldridge and Sarah Ryan American studies cultural studies geography history literature writing |
Program | FR - SRFreshmen - Senior | 8, 12 | 08 12 | Evening | FFall | WWinter | SSpring | What is history for? This year-long investigation of 20th Century American history and culture will be organized around the pivotal roles of wars and social movements as shapers of American life and thought, especially the development of our sense of irony as reflected in politics and culture. Fall quarter's work will focus on World Wars I and II and the Vietnam War. During winter quarter, we will study three key movements for social change: the Progressive movements of the early 20th century, the African American Civil Rights Movement of the mid-century, and the second wave of feminism of the 1960s and 1970s. Students will write articles based on their own historical research and will publish them in a program web-zine. During spring quarter's study of culture as history, we will see how these turning points were and are reflected in our cultural lives.This is an all-level program, ideal for returning and transfer students, especially those pursuing the "Upside Down" BA degree. It is a broad liberal arts program designed for students who want to improve their historical knowledge, research skills and (multi)cultural literacy. We especially encourage those who would like a supportive atmosphere for senior-level project work to attend. | education, library science, geography, history, and literature. | Susan Preciso John Baldridge Sarah Ryan | Mon Wed Thu | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | |
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Cities: Real and Imagined
Steven Hendricks and Stephanie Kozick American studies cultural studies history literature sociology visual arts Signature Required: Winter |
Program | SO - SRSophomore - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | FFall | WWinter | The city, however, does not tell its past, but contains it like the lines of a hand, written in the corners of the streets, the gratings of the windows, the banisters of the steps, the antennae of the lightening rods, the poles of the flags, every segment marked in turn with scratches, indentations, scrolls. -Italo Calvino Students who select this program must have a passion for a variety of literature and writing about the topic of cities. This program takes on stories that form a literary map of urban centers. Works such as Tulli’s engage city imagery as metaphor, while Auster’s places us squarely in the streets of New York City. Learning activities will also include responding to narratives with visual representation work in the field of book arts. Students will consider the city through literature rich in historical and cultural contexts, practice creative and non-fiction city writing, create urban visual representations, and become familiar with important urban studies. What does it mean to know a city? Urban studies writers such as William Whyte and Jane Jacobs tell us that cities have distinctive landscapes, movements and sounds. Sociologists and literary writers give form to the abstract patterns of city work, consumption, growth and collapse and seek to link these patterns to the unique lives of individual city dwellers. Cities abound with layered stories that, through the imaginative lens of literature, make up a modern mythology and allow us to locate, within the urban tumult, quarters of quietude, woven communities, and patterns of migration and change. Cities have provoked fantasies of heavens and of hells—utopias and dystopias—and provided a modern image of the monolithic impenetrability of history and civilization against which or within which the individual must carve out a meaningful life. Through an aesthetic exploration of the order and chaos of cities, we’ll ask how narratives in literature, film and art construct our sense of place and sense of self. During fall quarter, we’ll study the concept of sense of place, employing works such as (Harmon) to guide us in determining how a sense of place emerges in city writing. Fall will illuminate USA and European cities, deepening our inquiry through partnered fiction and nonfiction readings, such as (Toole) coupled with (Codrescu). In winter quarter we’ll move on to narratives that come out of Africa, Japan, and beyond. Naguib Mahfouz’s , part of his Cairo Trilogy, coupled with Golia’s offer a look at the largest city in Africa, one preserved with a medieval cityscape. Students who wish to continue their study of cities during spring quarter are invited to enroll in the field-based program, . | literature, writing and social studies. | Steven Hendricks Stephanie Kozick | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | |||
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Constructing the Individual/Deconstructing Education
Laura Citrin and Leslie Flemmer |
Program | FR - SRFreshmen - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | FFall | WWinter | How do kids learn about our social world? How are individuals constructed to be members of society? In an interdisciplinary exploration of social constructionism and socialization, with a primary focus on the interconnections between developmental psychology, social psychology, education, and learning theory, we will examine how children develop as individuals in their social-cultural context. We will explore a range of changes that shape early learning-advancement in motor skills, cognitive development, language acquisition, moral stages, and emotional growth-with an interest in how these are historically and culturally interpreted and patterned. We will consider education as a complex field of knowledge and practice intertwined with psychological theories about the self and society. The contradictions of creating critically minded individuals in the context of assessment-based educational institutions will offer a productive realm of inquiry into the philosophy, purpose, and structure of educational systems. Specifically, we will look at the institutional mechanisms and psychological processes for teaching kids how to be "good" members of society-individualistic, competitive, and "civilized"-via parenting and formal education. We will also explore radical pedagogical approaches and social psychological theories that understand individuals as enmeshed within dominant relations of power. We will have weekly films, lectures, workshops, and seminars, as well as opportunities to observe educational contexts in the community. Some of the theorists we will read and study include Albert Bandura, Jean Piaget, Carol Gilligan, Sandra Bem, Lev Vygotsky, Paulo Freire, Peter McLaren, Barbara Rogoff, and Henry Giroux. | psychology, education, social work, and social justice. | Laura Citrin Leslie Flemmer | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | |||
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Gateways: Popular Education, the Arts, and Activism
Chico Herbison African American studies American studies community studies cultural studies education Signature Required: Fall |
Program | SO - SRSophomore - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | FFall | WWinter | SSpring | This program is part of the Gateways for Incarcerated Youth program. A fundamental principle of Gateways is that every person has talents given to them at birth; it is our job to encourage each other to search out and find our passions and gifts. Our work is guided by ideas of popular education. We recognize and value the knowledge and experience of each participant. The program works to strengthen notions of self and community through cultural awareness and empowerment. In connecting and building with people from other cultures and class backgrounds, each person becomes empowered to share their knowledge, creativity, values and goals. This program offers Evergreen students the opportunity to be peer learners with incarcerated young men in a maximum-security institution. Students will address issues of diversity, equality and critical thinking, along with other issues that are chosen by the young men who are incarcerated. At the same time, the Evergreen students will deepen their understanding of the theory and practice of popular education. Students in this program will have the opportunity to reflect on how they themselves learn as well as how others learn, as they gain experience in the facilitation of discussions and workshops. Students will work on designing, implementing and assessing the workshops. In the process of collectively shaping the Gateways seminar, students will also learn how to organize productive meetings and work through conflict. Each week the Evergreen students will visit one of two institutions for a cultural diversity and equality workshop, and a college class book seminar. Through the workshops we will explore various aspects of culture in order to understand ourselves and others as an important part of analyzing contemporary society and building egalitarian relationships. In preparation for the workshop, each week the Evergreen students will meet to organize the workshop’s activities. We will also take time each week to reflect on the previous workshop to assess how it worked and draw lessons for the next one. Throughout our work we will read, share and learn about various kinds of relative advantage ("privilege"), while also exploring cultural diversity and continually working to foster a space committed to equality. We will begin fall quarter with an examination of the history, forms, and functions of popular education. We then will explore the complex ways in which popular education intersects with the arts and how that intersection has been, and continues to be, often at the heart of both personal activism and social movements. In winter and spring quarters, we will continue to deepen our understanding of the intersections among popular education, the arts, and activism, culminating in a capstone project and presentation at the end of spring quarter. Building on our experiences, reflections and studies, each quarter students will take increasing responsibility for designing, implementing, and assessing the program, workshops and seminars. This program requires that all participants be ready to fully commit themselves to our common work and show a willingness to help build a community of learners. Students should expect to spend approximately 11 hours per week in class on campus and 5 hours per week off campus (including time at, and travel to and from, the institutions). | cultural studies, the humanities, the arts, education, law, community work, social work, and American studies. | Chico Herbison | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | ||
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The Human Element
Charles Pailthorp, Trevor Speller and Nancy Koppelman American studies history literature philosophy physiology writing Signature Required: Winter |
Program | FR - SOFreshmen - Sophomore | 16 | 16 | Day | FFall | WWinter | In the early seventeenth century, the philosopher René Descartes chronicled his reflections on how little he actually knew, when he looked closely. He found he even had to ask, “How do I know I myself exist?” His answer, “I think, therefore I am,” became a keystone of Western philosophy. When he asked further, “What then am I?”, he answered, “A thing that thinks,” not just a body, but an . To be human, he concluded, is to be a compound of two elements: mind and body. His contemporary, Thomas Hobbes, argued this was wrong, that we humans, however mind-ful, are entirely material. The debate continues to this day. In concluding that the human element is our immaterial mind, Descartes reasoned that non-human animals differ from us by being only material, that they are completely mindless. Are animals then, only machines, without thought, even without feeling? (This was Descartes’ conclusion!). What about machines that mimic rational conversation (surely a very strong indicator of thought)? Couldn’t they be as mind-ful, and therefore as human, as we? Or from Hobbes’s materialist point of view, if we humans are only machines, how can we justify, for example, punishing a human who has caused some harm? Would we punish a car that has broken down and gone out of control? These questions remain with us today: consider the force of arguments concerning animal rights by organizations such as PETA, or the tangle of human-machine interactions evident in programs such as Second Life. What makes us different from other animals? What makes people different from the machines we create, or envision? To ask the question more broadly: what are the qualities that make humans different and unique – if there are any at all? Is there a “human element,” or are we just made up of those found on the periodic table? Questions about the ‘unique’ nature of humanity will be this program’s driving force. We will consider what makes us different from our animal, vegetable, mineral, mechanical and spiritual peers on planet earth, and how we might or might not live in symbiosis with them. We will consider shifts in our understanding of human nature, shifts that have been shaped by developments in science, from mechanics to evolution, and by developments in how we lead our daily lives, from hunting and gathering to browsing the internet. Fields of study may include the history of technology, epistemology, and the traveler’s tales of the Romantic period. Texts may include Descartes: Hobbes: Shakespeare: John Milton: Mary Shelley: Jonathan Swift: ; and works by Kant and by historians of science and technology. The program will include significant attention to writing and reading well. | American studies, humanities, literature, philosophy, social sciences, and the sciences. | Charles Pailthorp Trevor Speller Nancy Koppelman | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO | Fall | |||
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Individual Study: Legislative Processes, Regulatory Agencies and Environment
Cheri Lucas-Jennings American studies communications community studies computer science cultural studies economics environmental studies gender and women's studies government health law and government policy law and public policy leadership studies media studies political science sustainability studies Signature Required: Spring |
Contract | JR - SRJunior - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day and Weekend | SSpring | Individual studies offers important opportunities for advanced students to create their own course of study and research. Prior to the beginning of the quarter, interested individuals or small groups of students must consult with the faculty sponsor to develop an outline of proposed projects to be described in an Individual Learning Contract. If students wish to gain internship experience they must secure the agreement and signature of a field supervisor prior to the initiation of the internship contract. This faculty wecomes internships and contracts in the areas of environmental health; health policy; public law; cultural studies; ethnic studies; the arts (including acrylic and oil painting, sculpture, or textiles); water policy and hydrolic systems; permaculture, economics of agriculture; toxins and brownfields; community planning, intranational relations. This opportunity is open to those who wish to continue with applied projects that seek to create social change in our community (as a result of work begun in fall 2010 and winter 2011 "Problems to Issues to Policies;" to those begining internship work at the State capitol who seek to expand their experience to public agencies and non-profit institutions; and to those interested in the study of low income populations and legal aid. | American studies, art, communications, community studies, cultural studies, environmental field studies, gender and women's health, history, law and government and public policy leadership | Cheri Lucas-Jennings | Junior JR Senior SR | Spring | ||||
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Law and Literature: Equality, Citizenship and Democracy in the United States
Jose Gomez and Greg Mullins |
Program | FR - SOFreshmen - Sophomore | 16 | 16 | Day | FFall | WWinter | Democracy in the United States, as a social practice and political ideal, has been a work in progress since the Revolution. Given the linguistic, religious, ethnic and regional diversity of the U.S. population, and given differential hierarchies assigned to race, gender, sexuality and social class in this country, institutions that aspire to promote democratic ideals have become sites of debate and struggle around such questions as how to define citizenship, how to define equality, how to protect minority populations against majority prejudices, and how to promote individual liberties while safeguarding the common good. In this program we will study U.S. Constitutional history and U.S. literature, from the Constitutional Convention to the Civil Rights Movement. Our studies will focus on how the law defines, and how literature represents, national belonging and exclusion. During fall quarter we will focus on the origins and framing of the Constitution, American Indian sovereignty, slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. During winter quarter we will focus on women’s suffrage, school segregation and desegregation, internment of Japanese Americans, Critical Race Theory, and migrant workers’ struggle for justice. Central themes will include the political factors the Supreme Court considers in making its decisions, competition between sectors of society in wielding effective political citizenship, the gradual expansion of formal citizenship and voting rights over the course of the nation’s history, and forms of social discrimination. We will complement our analysis of Constitutional history by reading literature that represents and illuminates the struggle for equality and national belonging. | American studies, education, government, law and literature. | Jose Gomez Greg Mullins | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO | Fall | |||
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Law and Literature: Revolution to Reconstruction
Jose Gomez and Greg Mullins |
Program | FR - SOFreshmen - Sophomore | 16 | 16 | Day | SSpring | Democracy in the United States, as a social practice and political ideal, has been a work in progress since the Revolution. Given the linguistic, religious, ethnic and regional diversity of the U.S. population, and given differential hierarchies assigned to race, gender, sexuality and social class in this country, institutions that aspire to promote democratic ideals have become sites of debate and struggle around such questions as how to define citizenship, how to define equality, how to protect minority populations against majority prejudices, and how to promote individual liberties while safeguarding the common good. In this program we will study U.S. Constitutional history and U.S. literature, from the Constitutional Convention to Reconstruction. Our studies will focus on how the law defines, and how literature represents, national belonging and exclusion. We will focus on the origins and framing of the Constitution, American Indian sovereignty, slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. Central themes will include the political factors the Supreme Court considers in making its decisions, competition between sectors of society in wielding effective political citizenship, the gradual expansion of formal citizenship and voting rights over the course of the nation’s history, and forms of social discrimination. We will complement our analysis of Constitutional history by reading literature that represents and illuminates the struggle for equality and national belonging. | American studies, education, government, law, and literature. | Jose Gomez Greg Mullins | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO | Spring | ||||
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Looking Backward: America in the Twentieth Century
David Hitchens, Julianne Unsel, Thomas Rainey and Tom Maddox American studies economics government history international studies law and government policy literature sociology |
Program | FR - SRFreshmen - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | FFall | WWinter | SSpring | The United States began the 20th century as a minor world power and a debtor country. The nation ended the century as the last superpower with an economy and military that sparked responses across the globe. In between, Americans invented flying, created atomic weapons, sent men to the moon and began exploration of the physical underpinnings of our place in the universe. Many have characterized the the 20th century as "America's Century" because in addition to developing the mightiest military machine on earth, the United States also spawned the cultural phenomenon of "the mass:" mass culture, mass media, mass action, massive destruction, massive fortunes—all significant elements of life in the United States. This program 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 political, social, and economic growth of the nation in the last century was a new thing or a 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 other tools to help us understand the nation and its place in the century. Simultaneously, students will be challenged to understand their place in the scope of national affairs, read closely, write with effective insight, and develop appropriate research projects to refine their skills and contribute to the collective enrichment of the program. There will be workshops on economic thought, weekly student panel discussions of assigned topics and program-wide discussion periods. Each weekly panel will provide a means of rounding out the term's work and provide students with valuable experience in public speaking and presentation. | American history, American literature, the humanities and social sciences, law, journalism, history, economics, sociology, literature, popular culture, cultural anthropology and education. | David Hitchens Julianne Unsel Thomas Rainey Tom Maddox | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | ||
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Making American History
Nancy Koppelman |
Course | FR - SRFreshmen - Senior | 4, 8 | 04 08 | Day | SuSummer | Students will learn about key people in US history and central themes in the development of American society and culture. They will also learn how history is written—“made”—by historians. Well-known figures will be studied alongside accounts of obscure people who made American history. Themes will include reform, radicalism, rights, privileges, freedom, individualism, identity, entrepreneurship, and dissent. Students will learn to appreciate the craft and challenge of historical understanding. All students will write responses to the texts; those who enroll for 8 credits will also produce a substantive research prospectus. Credit will be awarded in American history. | Education, social work, government, law. | Nancy Koppelman | Tue Thu | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Summer | |||
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Native Decolonization in the Pacific Rim: From the Northwest to New Zealand
Kristina Ackley and Zoltan Grossman American studies Native American studies cultural studies geography international studies Signature Required: Winter |
Program | SO - SRSophomore - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | FFall | WWinter | Maori scholar Linda Tuhiwai Smith asserts, “Our communities, cultures, languages and social practices – all may be spaces of marginalization, but they have also become spaces of resistance and hope.” In this program we will identify and contextualize these spaces and the politics of indigeneity and settler colonialism. We will use the Pacific Rim broadly as a geographic frame, with a focus on the Pacific Northwest Native nations and the Maori in Aotearoa (New Zealand). A comparative study of the role of treaties in Washington state and New Zealand—in natural resources, governance, the arts, education, etc.--will provide a key framework for the program. By concentrating on a larger region, students will have an opportunity to broaden Indigenous studies beyond the Lower 48 states, and explore common processes of Native decolonization in different settler societies. We will be studying decolonization through cultural revitalization and sovereign jurisdiction of First Nations. 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 fall our focus will be on familiarizing students with the concept of sovereignty, working with local Native nations, and preparing to travel to Aotearoa or elsewhere. The concept of sovereignty must be placed within a local, historical, cultural and global context. Through theoretical readings and discussion, we will move from state-building in the U.S. and Canada to Native forms of nationalism. We will stress the complexities and intricacies of colonization and decolonization by concentrating on the First Nations of western Washington and British Columbia. We will later expand the focus to appreciate the similarities and differences of Indigenous experiences in other areas of the Pacific Rim, such as Native Alaskans, Aboriginal peoples in Australia, and South Pacific island peoples. We will emphasize common Pacific Rim concerns such as climate change, tourism, and cultural domination. For up to five weeks in winter quarter, many of us will travel to Aotearoa, where we will learn in a respectful and participatory way how the Maori have been engaged in revitalizing their language, art, land, and politics, and their still unfolding, changing relationships with the Pakeha (non-Maori) people and society. Other students in the program may fulfill their Study Abroad work in other Pacific Rim Indigenous regions, such as British Columbia, Australia, the Philippines, Hokkaido, Siberia, western Mexico, Central America, Ecuador, Peru, or Chile. Students will challenge post-colonial theory that merely deconstructs and move to a consideration of decolonizing practices. We will take as our basic premise in this program that those wishing to know about the history of a particular Native group should write it with a purpose to be in solidarity with these people today. Students will develop skills as writers and researchers by studying scholarly and imaginative works and by conducting policy research and fieldwork with Native and non-Native communities, and to compare community and government relationships in the U.S., Canada and New Zealand. Students will be expected to integrate extensive readings, lecture notes, films, interviews, and other sources in writing assignments. | Native American studies, geography, cultural studies and world Indigenous peoples studies | Kristina Ackley Zoltan Grossman | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | |||
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New Zealand: Maori and Native Decolonization in the Pacific Rim
Zoltan Grossman and Kristina Ackley American studies Native American studies cultural studies geography study abroad Signature Required: Winter |
Program | SO - SRSophomore - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | FFall | WWinter | Maori scholar Linda Tuhiwai Smith asserts, “Our communities, cultures, languages and social practices—all may be spaces of marginalization, but they have also become spaces of resistance and hope.” In this program we will identify and contextualize these spaces and the politics of indigeneity and settler colonialism. We will use the Pacific Rim broadly as a geographic frame, with a focus on the Pacific Northwest Native nations and the Maori in Aotearoa (New Zealand). By concentrating on a larger region, students will broaden Indigenous studies beyond the lower 48 states, and show common processes of Native decolonization in different settler societies. We will be studying decolonization through cultural revitalization, treaty relationships, and sovereign jurisdiction of First Nations. 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 fall, our focus will be on familiarizing students with the concept of sovereignty, working with local Native nations, and preparing to travel to New Zealand. The concept of sovereignty must be placed within a local, historical, cultural and global context. Through theoretical readings and discussion, we will move from nation building in America to Native forms of nationalism. We will stress the complexities and intricacies of colonization and decolonization by concentrating on the First Nations of western Washington and British Columbia. In winter, we will examine the similarities and differences of Indigenous experiences in other areas of the Pacific Rim, including Aboriginal peoples in Australia, Pacific island peoples, and Tribal Filipinos. We will emphasize common concerns such as climate change, natural resource control, and the impacts of trade, tourism, militarization and cultural domination. For five weeks in winter quarter, most of us will travel to Aotearoa (New Zealand), where we will learn in a respectful and participatory way how the Maori have been engaged in revitalizing their language, art, land and politics. Through guest speakers and visits to Maori (communal social, spiritual, political centers), education centers, historical and contemporary public sites, and a Köhanga Reo (preschool Maori language program) we will build on our knowledge and work with Native nations. Students will challenge post-colonial theory that merely deconstructs and move to a consideration of decolonizing practices. Our basic premise in this program is that those wishing to know about the history of a particular Native group should write with a purpose to be of support to these people today. Students will develop skills as writers and researchers by studying scholarly and imaginative works and by conducting policy research and fieldwork. There will be films and guest speakers that reflect important aspects of Indigenous experiences. 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 extensive readings, lecture notes and other sources in writing assignments. | cultural studies, geography, Native American studies and world Indigenous peoples studies. | Zoltan Grossman Kristina Ackley | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | |||
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Political Problems and Controversies (online)
Jose Gomez |
Program | FR - SRFreshmen - Senior | 12 | 12 | Day, Evening and Weekend | SuSummer | This online program will use a point-counterpoint approach to examine key issues that motivate public policy but interminably divide Americans who support divergent values, goals, and strategies. Topics will include government secrecy, civil liberties and security in wartime, same-sex marriage and adoptions, the death penalty, affirmative action, gun control, workfare as welfare reform, and privatization of public schools. We will use Moodle, a virtual learning environment hosted on an Evergreen server. | public policy, government, law, political science | Jose Gomez | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Summer | ||||
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Reading Between the Lines: Women of Color in the 20th Century
Frances V. Rains |
Program | FR - SRFreshmen - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | SSpring | The 20th century has not been the exclusive domain of Euro-American men and women in the U.S. Yet it often requires reading between the lines to realize that women of color have also existed at the same time. Repeatedly, women of color [e.g., African American, Native American, Asian American, Latina/Chicana] have been stereotyped and have endured multiple oppressions, leaving them seemingly voiceless and invisible. Such circumstances have hidden from view how these same women were active agents in the context of their times, who worked to protect their cultures, languages and families. These women of color often resisted the passive victimization associated with them. Gaining an introduction to such women of color can broaden and enrich our understanding of what it has meant to be a woman and a citizen in 20th century North America. Drawing upon autobiographies, poetry, short stories, essays and films, we will explore the ways in which women of color defied the stereotypes and contributed to the economic, social, political and cultural life of the contemporary United States. We will critique how feminist theory has both served and ignored these women. We will analyze how 20th century U.S. women of color survived, struggled, challenged barriers, and forged their own paths to make life a little easier and better for the next generation of women and men. Students will develop skills as writers and researchers by studying scholarly and imaginative works and conducting research. Through extensive reading and writing, dialogue, films and guest speakers, we will investigate important aspects of the life and times of women of color in the 20th century. | women's studies, 20th century U.S. history, literature and cultural studies. | Frances V. Rains | Mon Wed Thu | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Spring | |||
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Rethinking the Suburbs
Jennifer Gerend, David Muehleisen and Matthew Smith American studies community studies environmental studies government history political science sustainability studies Signature Required: Winter Spring |
Program | FR - SRFreshmen - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | FFall | WWinter | SSpring | This program takes as a starting point that suburbs as they have evolved in the United States need rethinking. We invite students who want to work, read challenging books, learn skills in writing and social analysis, and consider complex social issues ranging from land use policy and the preservation of farmland to the design of new city centers and engaging public space to join with us in research and service to communities locally or across the country. This program provides opportunities for advanced students to undertake engaging internship work in urban/surburban studies and agricultural policy in the context of a program and supported by strong academic texts. Suburbia evokes images of ticky-tacky boxes spread across the hills of Daly City, grotesque faux-French chateaus on five acre plots, sprawling malls, a world without sidewalks dominated by mothers in Chevy Suburbans spewing gas to drive five miles to the nearest grocery, a world with perfect lawns but no parks, places about which Gertrude Stein would say there is "no there, there." Yet today America has more suburbanites than city or rural inhabitants. Today's suburbs are also diverse, as more suburbs are now dominated by non-family and childless households than ever before. More suburbs are multi-racial or non-white than ever before. Clearly the suburbs have evolved beyond the role of a destination for families fleeing the city or a refuge for the Anglo-American middle class. Today's suburbs still attract residents for many of the reasons they initially developed, yet they are at a critical juncture. Many of them have in recent years become new cities or have been incorporated into neighboring cities. In recent decades, new population, employment and cultural centers have emerged. Assumptions about transportation, public and private space, and the gender relations of work and home are drawn into question. Many suburban places face new challenges, as they strive to create public gathering spaces, "town centers", a socially inclusive culture, pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods, viable mass transit options and other traditional "urban" amenities. What does it mean to live in a new city, and how do these fledgling communities observe their own limited histories? How has the development of suburbs threatened agriculture and the security of their food supply, forests and fisheries? Students will be engaged by texts that examine the history, land use, sociology and public policy, as well as the literature of the suburbs. We will prepare for our field experiences during the fall and the first half of winter quarter. We will examine the history of choices that shaped the built environment in the Pacific Northwest and the U.S. over the past century, thereby radically influencing today's options for sustainable living and community development. We will develop skills in writing, research, economic and social analysis that will allow us to participate in the work of planning, public policy, and sustainable food systems. We will visit sites in Portland, OR, Thurston County, and the Seattle-Tacoma area. Guest lectures, films and presentations will supplement our readings. In the first half of winter we will focus on developing internships and projects for individuals and groups. Projects can be local, regional or potentially international in their location and scope. Students will work on developing effective ways of documenting their experience and observing their surroundings. Students may work on their research in internships, volunteer settings, and through library resources. Students will work on their research until the middle of spring quarter, when they will return to campus to share experiences and develop polished final presentations and documented research materials. This program provides an opportunity for students to undertake their own exciting, potentially sophisticated work in a well-supported program-based structure. | American history, architecture, land use planning, urban planning, government, politics, law, community development and environmental policy. | Jennifer Gerend David Muehleisen Matthew Smith | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | ||
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Student Originated Studies: Community Based Learning, Practice and Theory
Peter Bohmer African American studies American studies anthropology community studies cultural studies economics education gender and women's studies government health history international studies law and government policy law and public policy leadership studies media studies political science sociology Signature Required: Fall |
SOS | SO - SRSophomore - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | FFall | This is an opportunity for serious, responsible and self-motivated students to create their own courses of study and research which should include working with the broader community. Prior to the beginning of the quarter, interested students or student groups need to consult with the faculty about their proposed projects. The faculty sponsor will support student research, learning and practice in a cluster of areas linking economic justice and global justice with local, national and global social movements. There will be especially strong support for students developing projects that are connected to local communities, groups and organizations. Although students will register for this program, you will be primarily doing independent study and/or an internship. I will host this Student Originated Studies (SOS) through Evergreen's Center for Community Base Learning and Action (CCBLA). The CCBLA will serve as the center and support for this study-for learning about, engaging with and contributing to community life in the region. Students, through individual or group projects, will be able to link with social movements, non-profits, community groups, and economic and social justice organizations that focus on the issues listed above. I have substantial knowledge of and experience with local organizations, and experience working with students across the curriculum who are interested in learning through community based research, learning and activism. So does the CCBLA! We will meet weekly, either as the entire group or as subgroups interning at similar organizations or studying similar issues. At these meetings, there will be relevant presentations and workshops as well as time for problem-solving and sharing learning and experiences. During week 10, each student will make a presentation to the entire group on what he or she havs learned. | anarchism, anti-poverty, anti-racism, anti-war, building social movements, community or youth organizing, community development, economic justice, education, healthcare, homelessness and affordable housing, immigrant rights, international solidarity, labor, Latin American studies and solidarity, law, Marxism, political economy, popular economics, popular education, public policy, sociology, and unemployment. | Peter Bohmer | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | ||||
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Student-Originated Studies: Creative Writing (Narrative Memoir and Short Story)
Eddy Brown American studies consciousness studies cultural studies literature writing Signature Required: Spring |
SOS | SO - SRSophomore - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | SSpring | This SOS supports students doing individual projects in creative writing. Students will enroll for SOS, then design their quarter-long, contract-style work plans using input from the faculty member. In the first week of the program, each student will prepare a project proposal, and then complete that project during the quarter. The program will have weekly class sessions where students will report on their progress, share work-in-progress, conduct peer reviews, get advice and guidance, and take in faculty and guest lectures on related topics. Students must attend and participate in these sessions. There will also be book seminars with weekly reader responses to both assigned and self-selected texts. Students will maintain and submit a process portfolio and reading journal. We will have in-class student readings of their work at the end of the quarter. The weekly meetings are intended to provide a sense of community and support to students. All other student obligations will be worked out individually with the faculty member. Students may select and propose nonfiction and/or short fiction projects for the program; however, the faculty member has expertise in the following topics: creative writing (particularly the narrative memoir), modern and contemporary American literature (particularly creative nonfiction), literary critique, cultural studies, and intrapersonal psychology (self-awareness). | creative writing, cultural studies, literature and teaching. | Eddy Brown | Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Spring | ||||
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"Tea Party" Histories and Politics: 1773-2011
Michael Vavrus |
Course | FR - SRFreshmen - Senior | 4 | 04 | Day | SuSummer | From the vantage point of the 1773 Boston Tea Party to 21st century “tea parties,” this survey course examines U.S. history and politics and the relation of the past to the present. This course is also about : a history of government with attention to the meaning of citizenship. Students analyze the question of who is the “we” in “We the People of the United States” along with historical and contemporary interpretations of the Constitution. This question is raised in relation to the American Revolution, the Civil War, the 1976 Bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence, and political events of 2008-2011. During the final 4 weeks of the course, students will work independently or in small groups on a particular era or aspect of U.S. history, government, and/or civics in lieu of regular class meetings. In collaboration with their faculty, students will determine their respective area of focus. | history, law, teaching | Michael Vavrus | Fri | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Summer | |||
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U.S. Women of Color in the 20th Century: Reading Between the Lines
Frances V. Rains American studies cultural studies gender and women's studies political science |
Program | FR - SRFreshmen - Senior | 16 | 16 | Day | FFall | The 20th century has not been the exclusive domain of Euro-American men and women in the U.S. Yet it often requires reading between the lines to realize that women of color have also existed at the same time. Repeatedly, women of color [e.g., African American, Native American, Asian American, Latina/Chicana] have been stereotyped and have endured multiple oppressions, leaving them seemingly voiceless and invisible. Such circumstances have hidden from view how these same women were active agents in the context of their times, who worked to protect their cultures, languages and families. These women of color often resisted the passive victimization associated with them. Gaining an introduction to such women of color can broaden and enrich our understanding of what it has meant to be a woman and a citizen in 20th century North America. Drawing upon autobiographies, poetry, short stories, essays and films, we will explore the ways in which women of color defied the stereotypes and contributed to the economic, social, political and cultural life of the contemporary United States. We will critique how feminist theory has both served and ignored these women. We will analyze how 20th century U.S. women of color survived, struggled, challenged barriers, and forged their own paths to make life a little easier and better for the next generation of women and men. Students will develop skills as writers and researchers by studying scholarly and imaginative works and conducting research. Through extensive reading and writing, dialogue, films and guest speakers, we will investigate important aspects of the life and times of women of color in the 20th century. | women's studies, 20th century U.S. history, literature and cultural studies. | Frances V. Rains | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Fall | ||||
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The Western Film Genre and the American Frontier Myth
Mark Harrison |
Program | FR - SRFreshmen - Senior | 8 | 08 | Weekend | SuSummer | The Western is the richest and most enduring genre of American film. It is both formula film and a source of great innovation. This program will examine the important connections between the Western and the tale of expansion (economic, geographic, ecological, cultural) and violent conquest that is the American frontier myth. This is a hybrid-online program. Students will need access to a comprehensive source for DVD rentals (such as Netflix, Amazon.com, Deep Discount DVD, etc.) and will be using Moodle for online seminars. For more information, see . | Mark Harrison | Wed Sat | Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR | Summer |