M College of the Atlantic Much as we would like to, we can no longer prepare students for life in "tomorrow's world." We can barely conceive of tomorrow's world. With the increasing pace of social and technological change, we can hope only to pre- pare students to recognize the nature of change and to acquire the skills and attitudes which will enable them to deal courageously and responsibly with the problems associated with change. An examination of ecological problems - the interrelationship of man and environment - has been chosen as the core of the curriculum not only because of the urgency of these problems (which makes them "relevant" in the narrow sense), but because their very complexities provide the means for developing habits of thought, action and feeling necessary for coping with a changing world. Problems in human ecology require perspectives difficult to acquire within the confines of traditional academic and professional specialization. Parts need to be continually related to wholes. Analysis and synthesis become alternating emphases in a single continuing learning experience. The aim of this kind of education is not the acquisition of a particular body of knowledge by itself, but - as Alfred North Whitehead expressed it - "the acquisition of the art of utilization of knowledge." 1972-73 ACADEMIC CALENDAR Friday, September 8: orientation begins Monday and Tuesday, September 11 and 12: registration Wednesday, September 13: classes begin Wednesday, November 22: end of fall term Tuesday, January 2: classes resume Friday, March 9: end of winter term Monday, March 26: classes resume Friday, June 1: end of spring term Monday, June 18 - Friday, August 24: summer term In 1972, all students will begin in September, and will be required to spend three consecutive terms in residence. Thereafter, students who began in 1972 may spend two, three, or four terms in residence per 12 month period. The period from Monday, November 27, to Friday, December 8, will be devoted to a comprehensive evaluation of the first term's accomplishments. 2. CONTENTS ACADEMIC CALENDAR page 2 INTRODUCTION page 4 ORIGINS page 6 MOUNT DESERT ISLAND page 8 EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM, 1972-73 pages 10-16 Workshops; Courses; Seminars; Independent Study and Tutorials; Internships; Self-Designed Study Program; Advising; Evaluation; Graduation Requirements. THE COLLEGE COMMUNITY pages 17-20 Living Together; The Campus; Housing; Cars; Health; Informal Curriculum; Student Involvement. THE ARTS AT COA, 1972-73 pages 21-22 Ceramics-Sculpture; Photography; Music; Drama; Film ADMISSION AND FINANCIAL AID pages 23-26 Admission Policy and Procedures; Transfer Students; Interviews and Campus Visits; Financial Aid COLLEGE COSTS AND POLICIES page 27 1972-73 CURRICULUM pages 28-47 Workshops; Courses; Seminars; Symposia FACULTY AND STAFF page 48 TRUSTEES page 50 3. This catalog describes a college which existed as an idea for four years before becoming a reality in September, 1972, when the first class of students arrived. Inevitably, there remain unanswered questions regarding the develop- ment of the college's programs. Students and faculty members will work together to answer these questions and will see to it that future catalogs, while increasingly specific, describe programs of study which are always flexible and open to change. 4. INTRODUCTION College of the Atlantic is a small, private, co-educational institution awarding the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology. The college provides an education which is both broadly based and carefully focussed. Rather than sampling from a random assortment of disciplines, students par- ticipate in an integrated curriculum organized around a central theme, the study of Human Ecology. The college's purpose is to study the various relationships which exist between man and his environment, including both the natural world which supports his existence and the society and institutions which he has created. Some of the clearest examples of this interaction are in the area where man has done or threatens to do harm, both physical and aesthetic, to his natural world. Concern with current and developing problems, matched by an aware- ness of the forces of change, underlies the flexibility of the college's programs and the possibility for redefinition and modification which exists at all levels of the college's operation. The problem-centered curriculum is designed to utilize the thought and research generated by both empirical and theoretical investigation. Offerings include detailed examinations of specific environmental problems, supple- mented by seminars covering a wide variety of related subject matter. The curriculum itself may be regarded as a working system in which all the parts complement and reinforce one another. There is no rigid departmental struc- ture, and persons with different backgrounds, disciplines, and experience work together. Some administrators teach; some faculty members share administra- tive responsibilities. All members of the college community - students, staff, and trustees - share the responsibility for implementing the college's goals. 5. ORIGINS The college's beginnings reflect its present and its future. It began as a community effort, sponsored and organized by a group of concerned Mount Desert Island residents who wished to bring increased intellectual diversity, environmental awareness, and economic stability to the island. Following the college's incorporation in July of 1969, the trustees leased a twenty-one-acre site on Frenchman's Bay and in January 1970 appointed a president, Edward Kaelber, formerly Associate Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The next two and one-half years were devoted to intensive planning and fund raising, expansion of the board of trustees, selection of faculty and students, and development of the college's curriculum. Thirteen students and three faculty members participated in an experimental pilot program in the summer of 1971, and several students remained at the college for the 1971-72 academic year to assist the staff and trustees in preparation for the college's opening. 6.