Environmental Studies

• Director, Fall 2012: Aaron Bobrow-Strain, Politics
• Director, Spring 2013: Philip D. Brick, Politics
• Jesse Abrams, Sociology and Environmental Studies
• Nicholas Bader, Geology
• Ellen Bishop, Geology and Environmental Studies
• Robert J. Carson, Geology and Environmental Studies
• Amy Molitor, Environmental Studies
• Tim Parker, Biology
• Kathleen Shea, Environmental Humanities/Classics
• Donald Snow, Environmental Humanities

Environmental studies courses deal with a wide range of contemporary problems associated with the interactions between humans and nature. Coursework is designed to meet the needs of two groups of students: those who choose to major in environmental studies and those who desire knowledge in this area as part of their general education. A primary objective of the program is to aid the student in understanding that environmental problems are multicausal phenomena, and to develop skills necessary for effective environmental citizenship and leadership.

The environmental studies major develops a common core of knowledge through extensive interdepartmental coursework, complemented by a concentration in a specific area in either the environmental humanities, sciences, or social sciences. The student may elect one of eight areas of concentration — biology, chemistry, economics, geology, humanities, physics, politics, sociology, or an individually planned major (psychology, for example) in the environmental studies major.

The following course of study is required of all environmental studies majors. Students earn a minimum of 25 credits in environmental studies (including foundation courses), and combine these credits with an area of concentration. No more than eight transfer credits may be applied to the environmental studies requirements. Semester in the West and Whitman in the Wallowas are programs run by Whitman College and count as credit earned on campus. Courses taken P-D-F may not be used to satisfy requirements for the environmental studies major.

Introductory coursework: Take the following: Environmental Studies 120 Introduction to Environmental Studies; Environmental Studies 207 Methods of Environmental Analysis.

Foundation coursework: Satisfy requirements in the two areas listed below that are outside the area of your declared environmental studies major. Course substitutions for foundation area courses must be approved by the Environmental Studies Committee.

Humanities area coursework: Take a minimum of two of the following: Classics 217/Environmental Studies 217 Classical Foundations of the Nature Writing; Classics 226/Environmental Studies 226 Concepts of Nature in Greek and Roman Thought; Environmental Studies 247 The Literature of Nature; Environmental Studies 340 Environmental Radicals in Literature; Environmental Studies 347 The Nature Essay; Environmental Studies 349 Regional Literatures of Place: The West and the South; Environmental Studies 358 Ecocriticism; Environmental Studies 360 Environmental Writing and the American West*; Environmental Studies 368 ST: Mothers, Witches, and Nymphs: Concepts of Women and Nature in the Ancient World; Geology 338 Pages of Stone: The Literature of Geology; Philosophy 120 Environmental Ethics; Philosophy 207 Foundations of American Romanticism; Philosophy 208 Ethics and Food: What’s for Dinner?; Philosophy 209 Contemporary American Romanticism; Philosophy 212 Environmental Thinking; Philosophy 241 Environmental Aesthetics; Philosophy 345 Animals and Philosophy; Spanish 437/World Literature 339 Green: Eco-Literature in the Americas; World Literature 319 Environmentalism and Nature in German Culture; World Literature 328 Haiku and Nature in Japan.

Natural/physical science area coursework: Take a minimum of two of the following courses from different departments, including at least one course with a laboratory: Biology 115 Regional Natural History; Biology 130 Conservation Biology; Biology 177 Ecology of the American West*; Chemistry 100 Introduction to Environmental Chemistry; Geology 210 Environmental Geology (or Geology 110 The Physical Earth or Geology 120 Geologic History of the Pacific Northwest); Geology 229 Geology and Ecology of Soils; Physics 105 Energy and the Environment.

Social science area coursework: Take a minimum of two of the following courses from different departments: Economics 177 Principles of Microeconomics and the Environment; History 262 People, Nature, Technology: Built and Natural Environments in U.S. History; Politics 119 Whitman in the Global Food System; Politics 124 Introduction to Politics and the Environment; Politics 228 Political Ecology; Politics 287 Natural Resource Policy and Management; Politics 309 Environment and Politics in the American West*; Politics 339 Nature, Culture, Politics; Rhetoric Studies 247 Environmental Communication; Sociology 309 Environmental Sociology; Sociology 349 Environmental Social Movements.

Interdisciplinary coursework: Take a minimum of one of the following courses. Course substitutions for interdisciplinary coursework must be approved by the Environmental Studies Committee. Environmental Studies 327 Biodiversity; Environmental Studies 353 Environmental Justice; Environmental Studies 367 ST: Land in America; Environmental Studies 367 ST: Raw Geographies; Environmental Studies 369 Food, Agriculture, and Society; Environmental Studies 387 Sustainability; Environmental Studies 408 SW Western Epiphanies: Integrated Project*; Environmental Studies 459 Interdisciplinary Fieldwork.

* Offered only to students admitted to Semester in the West

Senior coursework: Take Environmental Studies 479 Environmental Citizenship and Leadership.

Additional senior year requirements vary by major. For majors where a thesis is required, students must complete an interdisciplinary research project with a grade of C- or better. In addition, all environmental studies majors must pass an oral examination within their area or department of concentration. For majors that do not require a senior thesis, or if a student’s senior thesis is deemed insufficiently interdisciplinary by the Environmental Studies Committee, an oral examination in Environmental Studies also is required.

Environmental Humanities

• Tom Davis, Philosophy (on Sabbatical, Fall 2012)
• Rebecca Hanrahan, Philosophy, Chair, Division II
• Kathleen Shea, Environmental Humanities/Classics
• Donald Snow, Environmental Humanities

Inquiry in environmental humanities is guided by two questions: What is the relation between nature and culture? What should this relation be? These questions have become ever more important in the face of growing environmental problems. The environmental humanities major is governed by a subcommittee of the Environmental Studies Committee. The environmental humanities major uses the traditions of nature writing, environmental philosophy, and the classics to give direction and focus to inquiry into the values and concepts that may govern our relation to nature. In order to insure an intellectually cohesive program, the student’s faculty adviser will review and approve each major’s plan for coursework leading to a senior thesis.

In addition to the courses required of all environmental studies majors, the following are required for the environmental humanities major:

Foundation coursework: Take two foundation courses from the following list (courses satisfying this requirement cannot also satisfy the elective requirement): Classics 217/Environmental Studies 217 Classical Foundations of the Nature Writing; English 339 ST: Romantic Literature: Romantic Poetry; English 348 The American Literary Emergence, 1620-1920; Environmental Studies 247 The Literature of Nature; Environmental Studies 349 Regional Literatures of Place: The West and the South; Environmental Studies 358 Ecocriticism; Environmental Studies 368 ST: Mothers, Witches, and Nymphs: Concepts of Women and Nature in the Ancient World; Geology 338 Pages of Stone: The Literature of Geology; German Studies/World Literature 319 Environmentalism and Nature in German Culture; Philosophy 207 Foundations of American Romanticism; Philosophy 209 Contemporary American Romanticism; Philosophy 300 Emerson.

Writing requirement: To fulfill the writing requirement take either Environmental Studies 347 The Nature Essay; or Environmental Studies 360 Environmental Writing in the American West*.

Critical thinking requirement: To fulfill the critical thinking requirement take one course from: Classics 226/Environmental Studies 226 Concepts of Nature in Greek and Roman Thought; Philosophy 107 Critical Reasoning; Philosophy 117 Problems in Philosophy; Philosophy 120 Environmental Ethics; Philosophy 127 Ethics; Philosophy 208 Ethics and Food: What’s for Dinner?; Philosophy 212 Environmental Thinking; Philosophy 230 History and Philosophy of Science; Philosophy 345 Animals and Philosophy.

Electives: Take three elective courses, two of which must be 300 or above, from: Art History/Philosophy 241 Environmental Aesthetics; Art History 248 Ways of Seeing: Japanese Art and Aesthetics; Classics 217/Environmental Studies 217 Classical Foundations of the Nature Writing; Classics 226/Environmental Studies 226 Concepts of Nature in Greek and Roman Thought; English 339 ST: Romantic Literature: Romantic Poetry; English 348 The American Literary Emergence, 1620-1920; Environmental Studies 247 The Literature of Nature; Environmental Studies 340 Environmental Radicals in Literature; Environmental Studies 349 Regional Literatures of Place: The West and the South; Environmental Studies 358 Ecocriticism; Environmental Studies 360 Environmental Writing and the American West*; Environmental Studies 368 ST: Mothers, Witches, and Nymphs: Concepts of Women and Nature in the Ancient World; Philosophy 120 Environmental Ethics; Philosophy 207 Foundations of American Romanticism; Philosophy 209 Contemporary American Romanticism; Philosophy 212 Environmental Thinking; Philosophy 300 Emerson; Philosophy 345 Animals and Philosophy; Spanish 437/World Literature 339 Green: Eco-Literature in the Americas; World Literature 328 Haiku and Nature in Japan.

Senior Assessment: Take Environmental Studies 488 Senior Project or Environmental Studies 498 Honors Project. The senior assessment will also include an hour-long oral examination of the senior thesis.

*Offered only to students admitted to Semester in the West

Environmental Sciences

• Nicholas Bader, Geology
• Mark Beck, Physics
• Ellen Bishop, Geology and Environmental Studies
• Robert J. Carson, Geology and Environmental Studies
• Frank Dunnivant, Chemistry (on Sabbatical, 2012-13)
• Delbert Hutchison, Biology
• Tim Parker, Biology

The natural and physical sciences provide foundational theories for understanding environmental phenomena in the physical world and support environmental studies by gathering and analyzing baseline data to inform policy decisions. Issues ranging from the effects of pollution, optimal land- or water-use practices, protections of biodiversity, and effective energy consumption all benefit from insights provided by the natural and physical sciences. Available majors and required courses appear below.

These requirements are in addition to courses required of all environmental studies majors.

Biology-Environmental Studies:

Biology 111; 112; 205; three credits from the Molecular/Cell category; four credits from the Organismal Biology category; eight credits from the Ecology/Evolution category (see Biology Department course descriptions for courses in each category); 489; 490 or 498; 499; Chemistry 125, 126, 135, 136, (or 140), 245; Mathematics 125 or a statistics course (Mathematics 128 or 247, Biology 228, Economics 227, Psychology 210, Sociology 208). Courses in physics are recommended.

Chemistry-Environmental Studies:

Chemistry 125, 126; 135, 136 (Note: Chemistry 140 is equivalent to Chemistry 125, 126, 135 and 136); Chemistry 240; 245; 246; 251 and 252; 346; 388 or 320. Also required are Mathematics 125, 126, and Physics 155 or 165, 156 or 166; Chemistry 490 or 498.

Geology-Environmental Studies:

Geology 210 (or 110, or 120), 227, 358, 343, 346, 350, 420, 470, plus one other three- or four-credit geology course numbered 250 or above; Chemistry 125, 126, 135; Biology 115, 130, 177, or a substitution approved by the geology department. Strongly recommended are Geology 480 and courses in meteorology, physics, calculus, and statistics, and additional courses in biology and chemistry.

Physics-Environmental Studies:

Physics 155 or 165, 156 or 166, 245, 246, 255, 256, 325, 339, and one additional physics course numbered from 300-480 or BBMB 324. Also required are Mathematics 125, 126, 225, 235, and 244.

Environmental Social Sciences

• Jesse Abrams, Sociology and Environmental Studies
• Aaron Bobrow-Strain, Politics
• Philip D. Brick, Politics
• Jan P. Crouter, Economics

Human activities are at the root of most aspects of environmental degradation from global climate change to toxic waste to habitat loss. Applying social science theories and methods, environmental social science majors explore how human systems affect the natural environment, how decisions to utilize natural resources are made, and how various political strategies might address environmental concerns. Available majors and required courses appear below.

These requirements are in addition to courses required of all environmental studies majors.

Economics-Environmental Studies:

Economics 177 Principles of Microeconomics and the Environment or Economics 101 Principles of Microeconomics; Economics 102 Principles of Macroeconomics; Economics 227 Statistics for Economics (Mathematics 128 Elementary Statistics or Mathematics 247 Statistics with Applications, while not ideal, would be acceptable substitutes); Economics 307 Intermediate Microeconomics; Economics 308 Intermediate Macroeconomics (Note: Mathematics 125 Calculus I is a prerequisite for Economics 307 and Economics 308); Economics 477 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics; and one additional course in economics. Additional relevant coursework in other social sciences is strongly recommended (see social science area of the environmental studies major requirements). A minimum requirement of C (2.0) is required in Economics 307 and 308. Economics 493, 494 Directed Reading and other economics courses taken P-D-F may not be used to meet the 27-credit requirement. The senior assessment consists of the Major Field Test (MFT) and an oral exam in economics and (for those not writing a suitably interdisciplinary honors thesis) an oral exam in environmental studies.

Politics-Environmental Studies:

Introductory courses: Take at least one of the following: Politics 119 Whitman in the Global Food System; Politics 124 Introduction to Politics and the Environment; Politics 228 Political Ecology; Politics 287 Natural Resource Policy and Management.

Political economy: Take at least one of the following: Economics 177 Principles of Microeconomics and the Environment; Politics 363 Genealogies of Political Economy.

Global politics: Take at least one of the following: Politics 147 International Politics; Politics 232 The Politics of Globalization; Politics 331 Politics of International Hierarchy; Politics 338 North-South Relations; Politics 378 Transnationalism.

Electives: Take 12 additional credits in politics. At least eight of these must be 300- and 400-level courses.

Senior year requirements: Take the following: Politics 490 Senior Seminar; Politics 497 Senior Thesis or Politics 498 Honors Thesis; Environmental Studies 488 Senior Project or 498 Honors Project.

No more than eight credits earned in off-campus programs, transfer credits, and/or credits from cross-listed courses may be used to satisfy major requirements. Of these eight credits, no more than four may count toward 300- and 400-level courses. Courses taken P-D-F may not be used to satisfy the course and credit requirements for the major.

Sociology-Environmental Studies: Sociology 117 Principles of Sociology; Sociology 207 Social Research Methods; Sociology 309 Environmental Sociology; Sociology 367 History of Sociological Theory; one course chosen from either Sociology 348 Technology and Society, or Sociology 349 Environmental Social Movements, or Sociology 353 Environmental Justice; one course chosen from Economics 177 Principles of Microeconomics and the Environment; or Politics 119 Whitman in the Global Food System, or Politics 124 Introduction to Politics and the Environment, or Politics 228 Political Ecology, or Politics 309 Environment and Politics in the American West*; one additional four-credit course in sociology; Sociology 490 Current Issues in Sociology; and Sociology 492 Thesis or Sociology 498 Honors Thesis; Environmental Studies 488 Senior Project or 498 Honors Project.

* Offered only to students admitted to Semester in the West

Environmental studies majors are encouraged to study for a semester or a year in a program with strong environmental relevance. Particularly appropriate are Whitman College’s field program in environmental studies, Semester in the West; and the School for Field Studies. See the Special Programs section in this catalog. Also, consider the University of Montana’s Northwest Connections Field Semester.

120 Introduction to Environmental Studies
4, 4 Carson, Bishop

An introduction to interdisciplinary themes in environmental studies, including perspectives from the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Emphasis is placed on understanding local and regional environmental problems as well as issues of global environmental concern. Students enrolling in this course also will be required to enroll in Environmental Studies 120L Environmental Studies Excursions. The weekly afternoon excursions cover the length of the Walla Walla drainage basin, from the Umatilla National Forest to the Columbia River. Excursions may include the watershed, the water and wastewater treatment plants, energy producing facilities, a farm, a paper mill, different ecosystems, and the Johnston Wilderness Campus. This course is required of all environmental studies majors. All environmental studies majors must pass this course with a minimum grade of C (2.0). First-year students and sophomores only or consent of instructor.

207 Methods of Environmental Analysis
3, 3 A. Molitor

An introduction to analytic methods and tools utilized to address environmental issues and problems. Building on a basic understanding of elementary concepts in statistics (variables, descriptive and inferential statistics, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, effect sizes, etc.), students will learn to read, interpret, and critically evaluate environmental data and literature. Additionally, students will become familiar with environmental analysis procedures and surveys such as environmental assessment (Environmental Impact Statements); environmental risk assessment; land, soil, water, wildlife, agricultural, and mineral surveys. Lastly, given the inherent spatial nature of environmental data, students will utilize Geographic Information Systems software to assess spatial relationships between variables. Two hours of lecture per week plus one three-hour laboratory. Prerequisites: Environmental Studies 120; declared environmental studies major, or consent of instructor.

217 Classical Foundations of the Nature Writing Tradition
x, 4 Shea

The Western nature writing tradition is deeply rooted in models from classical antiquity. In order to appreciate more fully the tradition we will explore the relationship between ancient literature and the natural environment. In our literary analysis of ancient works, we will examine approaches to natural description in several literary genres, which may include the poetic genres of epic, lyric, pastoral, and elegiac, as well as the prose genres of ethnographic history, natural history, and travel-writing. Authors may include Homer, Herodotus, Theocritus, Vergil, Ovid, and Pliny. We will consider how these ancient approaches influenced the development of natural description in the modern period and may read works by later authors such as Shakespeare, Milton, and Thoreau. May be elected as Classics 217.

220 Internship Project
1-2, 1-2 A. Molitor

Engage in an internship with a college, local, regional, national, or international environmental organization. Prior to the beginning of the semester, students must present an internship proposal outlining specific goals, responsibilities, and time commitment. From this proposal, the internship coordinator, along with input from the student’s internship supervisor, will determine the appropriate number of credit hours. In addition to the internship proposal, students are required to maintain an internship journal, submit a midterm and final internship report, and present their intern experience in a poster or oral presentation. May be repeated for a maximum of four credits. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

226 Concepts of Nature in Greek and Roman Thought
4, x Shea

The Greek term “physis” and the Latin word “natura” refer to what has come to be, as well as to the process of coming into being. This course will consider a broad range of texts which develop important concepts of Nature. Philosophic texts may include the pre-Socratics, Aristotle, the Stoics, and Lucretius. Literary texts may include Theocritus, Virgil, and the early-modern European pastoral tradition. In addition, we will encounter other texts in various genres that contribute some of the ideas which inform the complex and changing concepts of Nature. This course may be used by environmental studies-humanities students toward their critical thinking requirements in the major. All other environmental studies students may use this course to fulfill humanities requirements for their combined majors. May be elected as Classics 226.

247 The Literature of Nature
4, x Snow

Students will examine the tradition of nature-writing and literary natural history. Readings will be drawn from classics in the field (Gilbert White, Darwin, Emerson and Thoreau, Burroughs and Muir, Leopold, Rachel Carson, Loren Eiseley, Mary Hunter Austin), and from the best contemporary nature-writers (Terry Tempest Williams, Ed Abbey, Annie Dillard, Ellen Meloy, Wendell Berry, David Quammen). Lectures and discussions will trace how nature-writing has mirrored the evolution of social, cultural, political, and scientific perspectives on nature.

260 Regional Studies
1-3

A study of a specific geographical region using a multidisciplinary approach. Regions covered may include Alaska, western Canada, the northwest or southwest U.S., Hawaii, or Latin America. Lectures, readings, and discussions in various disciplines, concentrating mainly in the natural and social sciences, will precede a one- to three-week field trip. One or more examinations or papers will be required. May be repeated for credit with focus on a different region. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Any current offering follows.

260W Regional Studies: Northwestern Wyoming
x, 1 Carson

A seminar on and field trip to the greater Yellowstone ecosystem in northwestern Wyoming and adjacent Montana. Focus on forests, wildlife, and the geologic record from Precambrian through the Cenozoic, including glaciation and volcanism. Field trip in late May/early June. Corequisite: Geology 158W. Fee: $725, possible scholarships available.

327 Biodiversity
4; not offered 2012-13

This class will place the concept of biodiversity in historical, ethical, biological, and social context. Students will trace the history of the concept of biodiversity from before the coinage of the term through today. They will learn about different biological definitions of diversity, and the ecological and evolutionary factors responsible for controlling diversity. Students will then consider the scientific evidence for an anthropogenic biodiversity decline, and they will identify components of biodiversity most at risk. The class will evaluate, from ethical, social, and scientific perspectives, various arguments that have been advanced to justify the conservation of biodiversity. We will assess government and nongovernmental actions that serve or strive to protect biodiversity. Students also will come to understand social implications of biodiversity conservation, including both convergence and divergence between the perspectives of local people and those of conservationists and managers. Prerequisites: Environmental Studies 120 and 207.

340 Environmental Radicals in Literature
4; not offered 2012-13

Much contemporary environmental thought provides a radical critique of industrial and post-industrial society, but in earlier times the first true environmental thinkers challenged systems of agriculture, market economics, land ownership, and urbanism. What was once radical moved toward the center. In this course, students will examine the radical tradition of environmental thought as it has been expressed in literary and other texts. Bioregionalism, ecofeminism, agrarian communalism, Luddism, Deep Ecology, eco-centrism, and other radical environmental expressions will be examined critically. Works by Hawthorne, Thoreau, Ed Abbey, Kirk Sale, Gary Snyder, Susan Griffin, Barbara Kingsolver, Paul Shepard, David Abram, and others may be included. Offered in alternate years.

347 The Nature Essay
x, 4 Snow

The class will be conducted as a nonfiction prose writing workshop in which students read and comment on each other’s writing. After examining published works chosen as models, students will write essays in the nature-writing tradition, selecting approaches from a broad menu. Nature-writing includes literary natural history; “science translation writing”; essays on current environmental issues; personal essays based on engagement with land, water, wildlife, wilderness; travel or excursion writing with a focus on nature; “the ramble”; and other approaches. Students will learn how contemporary nature-writers combine elements of fiction, scientific descriptions, personal experience, reporting, and exposition into satisfying compositions. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

349 Regional Literatures of Place: The West and the South
4; not offered 2012-13

The literatures of both the American West and the American South often reflect political struggles. Issues of federalism and states’ rights, economic dependency on the land, the rapid and radical transformation of an indigenous economy and ecology, and the stain of history stand in the foreground. This seminar will examine literary regionalism by focusing on southern and western writers whose works emanate from and reinforce the ethic and spirit of place. Several of the “Southern Agrarians” may be included along with William Faulkner, Eudora Welty and Flannery O’Connor. Western writers may include Bernard DeVoto, Wallace Stegner, Mary Clearman Blew, John Nichols, Larry Watson and William Kittredge. In addition, films may be used to illustrate the peculiar burden of the contemporary western writer. Offered in alternate years.

353 Environmental Justice
4; not offered 2012-13

How are environmental problems experienced differently according to race, gender, class and nationality? What do we learn about the meaning of gender, race, class, and nationality by studying the patterns of environmental exposure of different groups? Environmental justice is one of the most important and active sites of environmental scholarship and activism in our country today. This course integrates perspectives and questions from sciences, humanities, and social sciences through the examination of a series of case studies of environmental injustice in the United States and worldwide. Biology and chemistry figure centrally in links between environmental contaminants and human health. Systematic inequalities in exposure and access to resources and decision making raise moral and ethical questions. Legal and policy lessons emerge as we examine the mechanisms social actors employ in contesting their circumstances. This course will be reading, discussion, and research intensive. May be elected as Sociology 353, but must be elected as Environmental Studies 353 to satisfy the interdisciplinary course requirement in environmental studies. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

358 Ecocriticism
 4, x Snow

This course explores the emergence of ecocriticism in the 1990s and its subsequent evolution as a recognizable school of literary and social criticism. Students will analyze foundational texts underpinning ecocritical theory, beginning with Joseph Meeker’s The Comedy of Survival, then move on to more recent texts that seek to expand ecocriticism beyond the boundaries of nature-writing. Students will discuss, present, and write ecocritical analyses of various literary works. Offered in alternate years.

360 Environmental Writing and the American West
4, x Brick

This course explores how writers and others conceptualize and portray various aspects of the American West. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of a variety of genres, including nature writing, political journalism, creative writing, poetry, and writing for interdisciplinary journals in environmental studies. We will write daily, and we will often read aloud to one another from our work. Goals include developing a voice adaptable to multiple audiences and objectives, understanding modes of argument and effectiveness of style, learning to meet deadlines, sending dispatches, reading aloud, and moving writing from the classroom to public venues. The course will be sequentially team-taught in the eastern Sierra Nevada region of California and southeastern Utah. Required of, and open only to, students accepted to Semester in the West. This course can be used by environmental studies majors to satisfy environmental studies-humanities credits within the major. Prerequisites: acceptance into the Semester in the West Program.

367, 368 Special Topics
1-4

An investigation of environmentally significant issues centered on a common theme. The course may include lectures by off-campus professionals, discussions, student presentations, and field trips. Any current offerings follow.

367 ST: Raw Geographies
4, x Acuff and Bobrow-Strain

This course sits at the intersection of critical social theory and art practice. Its subject is the relentless making and remaking of diverse spaces—from the built environments of cities, to the geographies of “natural” landscape, to the often invisible, but still highly material, routes in which migrants, information, money, and ideas flow—by forces of neoliberal globalization. Its focus is on artists, activists, and academics who illuminate, contest, or resist these spatial processes through performance, site specific installations, and other means that might be called “art.” Its methods are diverse: students will be asked to engage in a traditional reading-intensive theory seminar, case studies of particular artists, several field trips, and individual or group art practice. For a final project, students will complete a piece of performance or site-specific art that engages with course themes. May be elected as Art 301 or Politics 400. Distribution area: social sciences or fine arts. Fee: $75.

367B ST: Global Water Scarcity
4, x Staff

Water is simultaneously priceless and worthless.  Water’s conservation is vital yet unsustainable. We purify water to drinking quality, only then to blend it with our feces. We destroy clean water  in order to produce useless items; meanwhile 5,000 kids die each day without it. This course reframes our modern decisions – trade, aid, food, work, freedom, democracy – through the timeless lens of scarce water.  It tackles the political and economic paradoxes of water that so confounded even Galileo, Adam Smith, Alexander Hamilton and Ben Franklin, and drives our modern world to require 40% more water by 2030 than the earth can physically provide. Some say water stress triggered the Arab Spring, and believe that uprising to be the dawn of increasingly fatal, thirst-driven conflicts. Are we bound for a global water-constrained ‘Armageddon,’ as otherwise optimistic leaders predict? Or is there a new virtual key that may reverse scarcity and reveal water’s true value for all species, especially our own? May be elected as IDSC 300A. Distribution area: none.

367 ST: Land in America
x, 4 Abrams

The concept of land as a form of property occupies a central place in American ideals of liberty and nationality, yet the precise nature of this concept is continually contested and renegotiated within society. This interdisciplinary, seminar-style course will explore the history, politics and sociology of land ownership and land use in the United States of America. Emphasis will be placed on the complexities of domestic land tenure scenarios, relationships between land and communities of place, and definitions of landowner rights and responsibilities. We will pay particular attention to the contributions of various property and land use regimes to environmental conservation and restoration. Students will be responsible for leading and participating in class discussions, conducting original research and participating in regional field experiences. May be elected as Sociology 294 but must be elected as Environmental Studies 367 to satisfy the interdisciplinary requirement in environmental studies. Prerequisite: Environmental Studies 207. Distribution area: none.

368 ST: Mothers, Witches, and Nymphs: Concepts of Women and Nature in the Ancient World
x, 4 Shea

In this course we will explore the status of women in the ancient world as intermediaries to nature. We will examine a range of representations of the feminine in literature and art, as well as in ritual and social practice, studying the female role in negotiating society’s interactions with nature. On the positive end of the spectrum, we will consider representations of this function as supportive to culture and society. On the negative end, we will consider the demonization of that same function, such as in the depiction of woman as the witch, privy to the dangerous and uncontrollable forces of nature, her status as intermediary thus used to disenfranchise and exclude her. Works that we will read and discuss may include the Homeric Hymns to Demeter and to Aphrodite, plays by Aeschylus and Euripides, and the novel, The Golden Ass, by Apuleius. May be elected as Classics 200. Distribution area: humanities or cultural pluralism.

369 Food, Agriculture, and Society
4; not offered 2012-13

Why does the food system work the way it does, and how can it be changed? This advanced reading seminar draws together classic texts from political theory, geography, literature, sociology, anthropology, history, political economy, and agroecology to explore the workings of the global food system. It builds on Politics 119, but previous completion of this course is not required. May be elected as Politics 369, but must be elected as Environmental Studies 369 to satisfy the interdisciplinary course requirement in environmental studies. Prerequisite: Environmental Studies 207.

387 Sustainability
4; not offered 2012-13

In this discussion and research seminar we will explore both critical and practical approaches to the concept of sustainability. What is being sustained, why, and for whom? Students will engage in individual and collaborative research on topics associated with sustainability, including energy, climate, development, water, design, agriculture, and natural resources. Our objective will be to link our critical discussions with our empirical research, resulting in a more nuanced understanding of sustainability and the wide range of environmental claims made in its name. May be elected as Politics 387, but must be elected as Environmental Studies 387 to satisfy the interdisciplinary course requirement in environmental studies. Prerequisite: Environmental Studies 207.

390 Independent Study
1-4, 1-4 Staff

A series of readings or a program of individual research of approved environmental topics. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

408 SW Western Epiphanies: Integrated Project
4, x Brick

In this course students will be responsible for developing a final project based on Semester in the West experiences with the objective of integrating knowledge from courses in politics, ecology, and writing. Each student will produce a final project that sheds light on a substantive issue addressed on Semester in the West. Students must also present their project in a public forum and publish it as an audiovisual podcast on the Semester in the West website. Required of, and open only to students accepted to Semester in the West. Prerequisites: acceptance into the Semester in the West Program.

459 Interdisciplinary Fieldwork
4

Students may earn credit for interdisciplinary fieldwork conducted on programs approved by the Environmental Studies Committee. Fieldwork must integrate knowledge from at least two areas of liberal learning, including the sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. This course may be used to satisfy the interdisciplinary coursework requirement for environmental studies majors. The current offerings follow. Prerequisite: admission to field program approved by the Environmental Studies Committee for interdisciplinary credit. Any current offerings follow.

459 Interdisciplinary Fieldwork: Whitman in the Wallowas
4; Summer 2012 Bishop and Brick

A month-long exploration of the diverse natural and human communities of Wallowa County, located in northeastern Oregon. Students will begin with an intensive course on community-based conservation, followed by a natural science field seminar, followed by an opportunity for writing and structured reflection. This course will integrate learning within living laboratories of community-based conservation (politics and economics), science and natural history, and environmental writing. Prerequisite: admission to Whitman in the Wallowas Program.

479 Environmental Citizenship and Leadership
2, 2 Fall: Abrams and Bishop; Spring: Abrams and Brick

An intensive course in environmental problem-solving, with an emphasis on developing skills necessary for effective environmental citizenship and leadership. Students will first engage in readings and discussions to enhance their understanding of environmental decision-making processes and institutions. Then they will work individually and in teams to study active environmental disputes, with the ultimate aim of recommending formal solutions. This course is required of, and open only to, environmental studies majors in their senior year. Field trips and guest presentations may be included.

488 Senior Project
1-3, 1-3 Staff

The student will investigate an environmental issue of his or her own choice and prepare a major paper. The topic shall be related to the student’s major field of study and must be approved by both major advisers.

498 Honors Project
1-3, 1-3 Staff

An opportunity for qualified environmental studies senior majors to complete a senior project of honors quality. Requires the student to adhere to application procedures following the guidelines for honors in major study. Students enrolled in this course must also participate in and meet all requirements of the Environmental Studies 488 course.

The following are course titles of required and/or recommended environmental studies courses. See detailed descriptions under the relevant departmental heading in this catalog.

• Biology 115 Regional Natural History
• Biology 122 Plant Biology
• Biology 125 Genes and Genetic Engineering
• Biology 127 Nutrition
• Biology 130 Conservation Biology
• Biology 215 Plant Ecology
• Biology 277 Ecology
• Biology 327 Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles
• Biology 350 Evolutionary Biology
• Chemistry 100 Introduction to Environmental Chemistry
• Chemistry 388 Environmental Chemistry and Engineering
• Economics 177 Principles of Microeconomics and the Environment
• Economics 277 Global Environmental and Resource Issues
• Economics 347 Transportation and the Environment
• Economics 477 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
• Geology 130 Weather and Climate
• Geology 210 Environmental Geology
• Geology 250 Late Cenozoic Geology and Climate Change
• Geology 301 Hydrology
• German/World Literature 319 Environmentalism and Nature in German Culture
• History 262 People, Nature, Technology: Built and Natural Environments in U.S. History
• Philosophy 120 Environmental Ethics
• Philosophy 127 Ethics
• Philosophy 241 Environmental Aesthetics
• Philosophy 345 Animals and Philosophy
• Physics 105 Energy and the Environment
• Politics 119 Whitman in the Global Food System
• Politics 124 Introduction to Politics and the Environment
• Politics 147 International Politics
• Politics 287 Natural Resource Policy and Management
• Politics 309 Environment and Politics in the American West
• Politics 339 Nature, Culture, Politics
• Religion 227 Christian Ethics
• Sociology 309 Environmental Sociology
• Sociology 348 Technology and Society
• Sociology 349 Environmental Social Movements
• Sociology 353 Environmental Justice
• Spanish 437/World Literature 339 Green: Eco-Literature in the Americas