COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC Catalog 1983-84 "College of the Atlantic is an institution whose essence resides in its people and their ideas and efforts. Through its human ecology perspective, it promotes focused interdisciplinary studies and independent work, a blending of theory and practice, scholarship and service, self-motivation and self-governance. As COA enters its second decade, it remains committed to retaining its small size and high quality. Just as COA's logo depicts interconnectedness with its intertwined runic symbols for wave, tree and humans, so COA's educational philosophy equips its students to deal creatively and realistically with the social and natural environments in which they live and which they will help to shape." Judith P. Swazey President COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC Catalog 1983-84 M S College of the Atlantic is an accredited, four year college awarding the Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology. Bill McDowell, Class of '80 2 A Message From René Dubos In 1933 Chicago celebrated its hundredth anniversary with the World's Fair whose theme was how modern life depended upon scientific technology. I went to the Fair and I still own the guide book. That book is an extraordinary document because it states that all of the future depends upon scientific technology; a subtitle reads: "Science discovers, industry applies, man conforms Human beings, societies, will all fall in step with the creations of modern technology." Now I believe that no one would dare write that today. Rather one would write that society must create a scientific technology that conforms to the fundamental needs of human beings and to ecological constraints. And I have a very strong feeling that this is human ecology. As we enter the eighties, the question is how can we use science and technology to create something that is compatible not only with ecological constraints but also with human needs and aspirations. Oddly enough our society does not know how to educate for that. We have been immensely successful in educating experts of means, that is people who do things. But we have failed fundamentally in developing experts of aims, that is people who think creatively. Training people so that they can think about human problems is extremely difficult. Nobody knows how to do it, and my suspicion is that it cannot be done unless we introduce into our educational system some kind of formula where students learn to deal with problem solving, for as soon as one deals with problem solving, or anything concerning human life, the solution is never only a technical one. Rather it is a solution that will demand that one have a sense of history, consider the socioeconomic forces and reflect the dreams of people. In other words problem solving has come to mean reintroducing into any kind of decision all those components that make people behave the way they do. To me this is what College of the Atlantic is about, and I have an absolute conviction that in our society we can no longer be satisfied with training technical experts. We have to be very much preoccupied with preparing people who can think about using science and technology toward some aims, and I hope College of the Atlantic continues along that road, begun only a decade ago. René Dubos (1901-1982), former College of the Atlantic trustee and professor emeritus at Rockefeller University, was a 1969 Pulitzer Prize winner. His works include So Human An Animal, Only One Earth and A God Within. 3 Introduction We live in an increasingly complex world. Critical decisions regarding the use of technologies, resource consumption and distribution, hazardous waste disposal, and economic development must be made by ecological thinkers if we are to have a viable planet on which to live. College of the Atlantic was founded in 1969 to help educate such people through a single degree program in human ecology. Such a study emphasizes the understanding of interrelationships, specifically those between humans and the technological and natural environment. The purpose of such a study is the fostering of attitudes and the acquisition of skills that enable people to live in the world in ways that respect and enrich it rather than consume and damage it. Thus each student's education works toward attaining a world view that combines the clarity of the sciences with the compassion of the arts and humanities. The natural resources of the earth are finite; human potential has not yet reached its limits. Our goal is to search for balanced alternatives based on a broader understanding of the earth and the human predicament. This is the creative challenge confronting us as human ecologists: to redirect ourselves with knowledge and imagination toward an improved quality of life without sacrificing individual integrity or our life-supporting environment. 4 Academic Program An education in human ecology brings together disciplines which have traditionally been separate. Our academic program is designed to develop an ecological perspective in terms of understanding social, biological and technological interrelationships. With this perspective, students can acquire the skills necessary to solve complex problems with confidence and imagination. The organization of the curriculum into three related resource areas is designed to help students and the college in academic planning. Students, with the help of their advisors, design programs suited to their own interests that include work in all areas of the curriculum. The interdisciplinary programs, beginning on page 10, aid students toward this end. The following courses are recognized as being central to an education in human ecology. Although not required, it is strongly recommended that some of them be included in each student's program of study. Environmental Studies Consciousness Ecology: Introduction to Natural Systems Community Evolution Value Foundations in the Visual Arts Order and Disorder Design/Nature Technology Human Ecology Seminar Creativity Degree Requirements Students must demonstrate successful com- pletion of the following: a Human Ecology Essay relating the stu- accumulation of 36 COA credits dent's development as a human ecologist and at least one activity in each of the college's demonstrating competency in writing skills three resource areas a 3-credit internship of at least one term in a participation in a problem-focused group job related to the student's academic interests study, usually a workshop or seminar or occupational goals a college building experience such as ser- a 3-credit senior project that is a major piece vice on a committee, advising or community of independent work reflecting the student's volunteering primary field of concentration 6