Salish Sea and the Pacific Northwest: Lives and Landscapes

REVISED

Fall 2011 quarter

Faculty

Nancy Anderson community and international health , Frances V. Rains Native American studies, history, women's studies , John Baldridge geography

Fields of Study

Native American studies, cultural studies, ecology, environmental studies, geography, health and natural history

Preparatory for studies or careers in

advocacy, policy, environmental studies, social sciences, Native American studies, public health, education

Prerequisites

Students will need to be able to produce writing that meets the standard of college level scholarship and must be prepared for a program that will require extensive reading and analysis of sophisticated theoretical texts.

Description

How much do you really know about the Salish Sea/Puget Sound region, its peoples, its landscapes, and its natural inhabitants?  Come join us as we explore the intersection of place, culture, and health and how these factors reflect inequity in access to—and degradation of—resources in and around the Salish Sea.  Central elements of this thematically based program will include the history of colonization and decolonization of Native peoples of the Salish Sea that accompanied European settlement, Indigenous rights, a critique of current policies and practices that have not promoted the achievement of social or health equity, the effect of industrialization on the health of the Salish Sea and non-human life forms, and the public health policies that may intervene to improve overall health and wellness in the surrounding communities.  Both quarters will examine these themes through multiple lenses including political ecology, political economy, public health, and Native Studies. Our readings will include current case studies, empirical research, and counter-narratives.

The learning community will work on understanding the consequences of privilege on an individual basis—how our individual behavior contributes to environmental degradation and social injustice, specifically the attempted genocide of Native Peoples.  Students will learn about the fundamental relationships between our focus themes, as well as strategies that may more successfully address social justice and environmental issues.  Learning will take place through writing, readings, seminars, lectures, films, art, and guest speakers.  Students will improve their research skills through document review, observations, critical analysis, and written assignments. Oral speaking skills will be improved through small group and whole class seminar discussions and through individual final project presentations. Options for the final project will be discussed in the syllabus and in class with proposals that aim to improve community health, the sustainability of the Salish Sea, and for Native Communities many of whom have lived at its edge for thousands of years before European settlement.

This program is a combined offering of Evening and Weekend Studies and the full-time, daytime curriculum.  All students will meet in the evenings on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Students registering for 12 credits will complete a 4-credit in-program internship (10 hours per week). Students registering for 16 credits will meet in both the afternoons and evenings on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Advertised Schedule

6-9:30p Tue/Thu for all students; 16-credit students also meet 1-5p Tue/Thu; and there will be occasional Saturday field trips

Location

Olympia

Online Learning

Enhanced Online Learning

Books

Greener Store

Required Fees

$650 for travel and expenses for students who choose to attend a conference in Vancouver, BC. (optional)

Internship Required

Students registering for 12 credits must arrange and complete an internship involving an average of 10 hours of work per week.

Offered During

Day and Evening

Program Revisions