Evergreen State College, The
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

The Sustainability and Justice program and course offerings address such issues as climate change, food systems, cultural survival, meaningful and equitable work, racial and economic justice, applied ecology, green business and more. We examine the historical conditions that have given rise to particular constructions of social systems and structures, and the long trajectory of capitalism. We are interested in the sites and intersections of inequality through various understandings of race, class, gender, and sexuality. We explore possibilities for reinventing social, economic and physical structures, and reinvigorating the natural world that supports us all.

The Environmental Studies planning unit offers broadly interdisciplinary academic studies within and across three distinctive thematic areas, Human Communities and the Environment, Natural History and Environmental Sciences. Programs emphasize interdisciplinary, experiential study and research primarily in the Pacific Northwest with additional work in other areas of the North and South America. Repeating programs are regularly offered, typically every other year or every third year. These programs include Ecological Agriculture, Practice of Sustainable Agriculture, Animal Behavior, Vertebrate Evolution, Marine Life, Plant Ecology and Taxonomy, Temperate Rainforests and Field Ecology.

The Native Programs planning unit faculty encompass a wide range of liberal arts disciplines, including cultural studies, politics, social sciences, art, and environmental studies. The faculty are drawn from Native American and World Indigenous Peoples Studies (NAWIPS) which includes Olympia daytime academic programs and courses, the Master of Public Administration - Tribal Governance program, Graduate Program on the Environment (offering the Master of Environmental Studies Degree), the Longhouse Education and Cultural Center, First Peoples Advising Services, and the Reservation-Based, Community Determined Program. Since the early 1970s, Evergreen has developed a unique combination of Native programs, both academic and public service, enhanced through collaboration with local tribes. In keeping with Washington State’s Centennial Accord, Evergreen works on a government-to-government basis with tribes to jointly develop programs that respond to the needs of tribal people in the Northwest. Because of Evergreen’s unique relationship to the tribes, the Native Programs planning unit faculty have approaches to learning and research that enrich Evergreen and draw diverse students, staff and faculty. We welcome allies in staff and faculty who have Native Studies as a priority, to be part of our social community and planning discussions. We see this integration of Native Programs as supporting ongoing College-wide conversations about curriculum development, student engagement, and other cross-campus initiatives.

Do you want to know what it talks to produce food for yourself, your family, and others in your community? In the Practice of Organic Farming Program, students learn what it takes to grow food and feed yourself and others every day throughout the year? This three-quarter program will explore sustainable food production practices through an entire growing season, beginning in spring, through the summer and ending in the fall quarters), and how those practices are tailored for the Pacific Northwest climate in order to maximize production. Our focus will be on small-scale organic production, but we will compare and contrast that system to other production systems. This program focuses on the scientific underpinning of sustainable and organic food production, with an emphasis on theory to practice, critical thinking, and observation skills necessary to grow food using ecologically informed methods. In addition, we will explore the farm management and business skills necessary to operate a small-scale farm. We will be studying and working at the Evergreen Organic Farm through an entire growing season, from seed propagation to harvest, and on to market. The farm includes a small-scale direct market stand and CSA, as well as a variety of other demonstration areas. All students will work on the farm every week to gain practical experiential learning. This program is rigorous physically and academically and requires a willingness to work outside in adverse weather on a schedule determined by the needs of crops and animals. Spring quarter we will focus on soil science, nutrient management, and crop botany. Additional topics will include introduction to animal husbandry, successional crop planning, season extension, and the principles and practice of composting. In summer, main topics will be disease and pest management, which includes entomology, plant pathology, and weed biology. Water management, irrigation system design, maximizing market and value-added opportunities, and regulatory issues will be covered. Fall's focus will be on farm and business planning, successional crop planning, storage techniques, seed saving practices, and cover crops. Additional topics covered throughout the program will include record keeping for organic production systems, alternative crop production systems, techniques for adding value to farm and garden products, hand-tool use and maintenance, and farm equipment safety. We will also include communication and conflict resolution skills needed to work effectively in small groups. Topics will be explored through on-farm workshops, seminar discussions, lectures and laboratory and field exercises, and field trips. Expect weekly reading and writing assignments, extensive collaborative group work, and a variety of hands-on projects. The final project in fall will be a detailed farm and business plan which integrates all the topics covered in the program. Books may include The Market Gardener by Fortier, Crop Planning for Organic Vegetable Growers by Theriault and Brisebois, Planning Workbook: Organic Whole Farm by Huelsman, and Building Soils for Better Crops 3rd ed. by Magdoff and van Es.

Because Evergreen's curriculum is exclusively inter-disciplinary and is not isolated within distinct concentrations for undergraduate degrees, Evergreen's undergraduate curriculum covers over 60 fields of study, which include Environmental Studies and Sustainability Studies. Evergreen does not offer formal undergraduate degrees. The school adheres to a form of pedagogy that allows students to develop their own focuses based on their goals. Students can pick from a variety of “fields of study” as they create their own focuses. For example, one field of study is “Sustainability Studies.” Evergreen lacks any mandate on student requirements due to the flexible nature of degree creation. However, Evergreen does have 10 Planning Units that faculty create and all fields of study are built around. This is Evergreen’s nearest equivalent to departments and focused degree programs. One of the Planning Units is titled “Sustainability and Justice” and another is “Environmental Studies.” http://www.evergreen.edu/advising/areaofemphasis.htm