COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC Stortswaves - bars-r Fig Curren Th Barchan self 0.00 I 1986-1987 ECOLOGY HUMAN ECOLOGY WHAT IS IT? From their initial discussions, the founders of COA had committed College of the Atlantic to the study of ecology. Such a focus would draw on the Island's natural resources- the Atlantic Ocean and Acadia Na- tional Park-and would address environmental and ecological concerns. Ed Kaelber, COA's first president, added "human," for "we were par- ticularly emphasizing the human in- volvement in this relationship. This college was going to stress the inter- relation and interdependence of things, living things one to another, people to people, people to other things. I felt that part of the style of people teaching here should be gen- "COA has its roots in the erosity. I guess I meant intellectual humanistic and scientific tradi- generosity as much as anything. In other words, a real sympathy and ef- tions of the past which inform the fort to try to understand other ideas, present and shape the future." a willingness to give of yourself and to take from others.' -Lou Rabineau, president From its founding in 1969 as a school of human ecology, COA had a mission: to equip students with the knowledge, understanding, enthusiasm, and sensitivity to solve complex environmental and social problems from a multiple and humanistic perspective. COA 1986-1987 CONTENTS 2 Introduction 13 COA Student Profiles 15 COA Academic Profiles 21 The Academic Program 23 Resource Areas 24 Interdisciplinary Programs 31 The Campus and The Island 32 Facilities and Resources 35 Admission and Financial Aid 39 The Faculty at COA 51 Course Descriptions 52 Courses: Environmental Science 59 Courses: Arts and Design 63 Courses: Human Studies College of the Azientie THORNDIKE LIBRARY 109 Eden Street Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 1 AT COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC, STUDENTS 00 9 PLAN with faculty and peer advisors an individualized course of studies EXAMINE ideas in seminar-style classes H LIVE in a tight-knit, self-governed residential community LEARN to respect and appreciate the opposite viewpoint oves bars-np h &Sand ownes - Barchar adinal dunes - Self Junes Crow bloos out, AT COA, STUDENTS SEEK creative solutions to problems DISCOVER and explore the multiple ways humans and the natural environment interact 4 COMMUNICATE freely and easily with faculty both in and out of the classroom TEST their knowledge in field or applied research 5 AT COA, STUDENTS THE WORLD PARTICIPATE in problem-solving sessions and hearings on environmental, political, and social issues INTERN with businesses, government, schools, or research institutions to test learning in the marketplace 6 CC COMPLETE a senior project-an independent piece of work under the guidance of a faculty member EXPLORE landscapes of the mind 7 WHY CHOOSE COA MAINE "I chose COA because when I came to visit the campus I felt welcomed, as if somehow I belonged here. The students in the house where I stayed chatted freely with me, in- vited me to eat with them, to go to class, and in their classes there was a freeness and equality I hadn't seen before. Everyone didn't always agree with one another or with the teacher, but that was ok. Actually the teacher seemed to kind of like it. Students were forced to back their opinions with facts. People here support one another, they look for ways ideas interconnect, they let you become you. You can learn a lot at a place like this about ideas, yourself, the world we live in 11 -Eric Roos '87 8 A COA EDUCATION IS SUPPORTIVE, INTEGRATED SELF-DIRECTED with the necessary intellectual and personal support, they can test the hypothesis and write up the results. My experience is that if you assume students have the capability and they sense that, they grow into the role." Not all students can undertake independent or applied research when they enter COA, but with an 8-1 student-teacher ratio, faculty can nurture a student's desire to learn. Here students receive the knowledge and support they need to pursue their own interests. "It's hard for the conscientious student," says Carl Ketchum, faculty member in mathematics and the physical sciences, "to fail one of my courses. I assign regular problem sets and if they are having difficulty I know it and can reach out to help. We bring students along at COA to a point A COA Education is Supportive where their confidence and com- Whether the class is a lab, studio, petence is high. or seminar, two factors make the This development of confidence COA approach distinctive: the fac- and competence is also evident in ulty and students' commitment to the way COA approaches writing. individualized learning and the Many courses require papers, and at freedom to digest information in any stage of the writing process, your own way and at your own you are free to talk over ideas or pace. Here as a team, students and drafts with individual faculty or go faculty investigate assumptions, to the Writing Clinic and work with examine theories, and are engaged a trained peer tutor. In evaluating in a continuing dialogue about his peer tutor, one student com- knowledge, ideas, and how students mented, "Janis Steele '86 helped me best learn. with the process of brainstorming "We all do the readings and in and organizing. She made me com- class discuss the material," says fortable with the fact that I was not Bill Drury, faculty member in the a bad writer but that I did need to biological sciences. "I like to prod work on my writing, especially the my students to find relationships on technical aspects. She was positive their own, to discover what in the and supportive." theoretical is really practical or It is not just its small size and applied. To do that in my field special mission that make COA means a great deal of field research. unique, but the atmosphere of And if students have a well-defined supportiveness-faculty of students problem and if we provide them and students of faculty. 9