In the fall, we will address the fundamental question:
"What is trash?" Given that "trash" is relative, the definition is open
for debate. At its most basic level, trash is worthless or discarded
material. Yet "one person's trash is another one's gold" and what we
choose to keep is as important to who we are as what we discard. We
prize that ratty t-shirt we've had for years and give away the brand
new one. Our beat up junker is someone else's dream car. On a deeper
level, trash is more than material objects. The word permeates many
levels of our existence, including literary and artistic material as
well as people and cultures who are regarded as ignorant or contemptible.
Much of the fall will revolve around a research project
where you will explore your relationship to trash. How much trash do
you produce? What does your trash tell you about your life? What does
it tell you about your values? Would you want to change anything about
your trashing behavior?
Winter quarter we will turn our attention to the question
"What do we do with our waste?" We will look at the infrastructure of
trash-where is it produced and where does it go? How have people adapted
their behaviors to changes in waste management such as the introduction
of recycling programs? What is the impact of a flushing toilet and garbage
pick-up on our relationship to and behaviors around waste? What are
the environmental impacts of our society's waste? Do we act as responsible
inhabitants or temporary residents in the places we live? We will explore
these questions both as a large class and in smaller groups where students
will investigate the waste produced by a business or institution of
interest to them.
Finally, in the spring we will debate "What should we
do with our garbage?" synthesizing and applying issues we have investigated
throughout the year. What sort of individual or societal changes, if
any, do we propose? What are the mechanisms through which these changes
could happen? A significant portion of the work in the spring will be
focused on projects students choose according to their own interests.
Real-life case studies will provide a context for exploring
the year's questions. Highlights of the program include guest speakers,
retreats, field trips and community service projects. Throughout the
year we will develop a set of skills, including library research, information
technology, quantitative reasoning, oral and written communication,
leadership and group dynamics. A significant portion of the program
will be spent working collaboratively.
Credit will be awarded in areas such as: economics,
environmental science, ethics, psychology, information technology, statistics,
leadership and group dynamics, and writing. Total of 16 credits each
quarter.