S COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC This catalogue is the result of two years of planning and thought. In many ways it is just a beginning. We are proposing a new direction in higher education, based on the changing needs of our social and natural en- vironment. College of the Atlantic is a mission-oriented in- stitution. We espouse a broadly-based education as a means of providing the necesary perspective for the study and un- derstanding of human ecology. The program is problem- centered, but is designed to utilize the thought and research generated by theoretical study. The next 27 pages reflect our goals and our methods of achieving them. It will be up to those who join us to modify and carry them further. 1 Page Contents 3 PHILOSOPHY AND GOALS 5 ORIGINS 6 LOCATION AND FACILITIES 7 INFORMAL CURRICULUM 9 LIVING TOGETHER 9 ADMISSION POLICY 10 Requirements 10 Student Characteristics 11 ADMISSION PROCEDURE 11 Preliminary Application 11 Visit to the College 11 Complete Application 11 Fees 12 Decisions and Notification 12 Tuition and Costs 12 Financial Aid 12 Delayed Admission 12 Living Accommodations 12 Medical Care 13 THE CURRICULUM 13 Goals 14 Workshops 14 Basic Courses 14 Seminars 14 Skill Courses 15 Tutorials 15 Internships 15 Study Programs 15 Final Project 19 EVALUATION 19 ADVISING 20 GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS 21 COURSE OFFERINGS 26 ACADEMIC CALENDAR 27 STAFF 27 TRUSTEES both physical and aesthetic, to his natural world. However, PHILOSOPHY AND GOALS we expect that our concerns will not end with current prob- lems. People will always have difficulty living together as College of the Atlantic is a small, co-educational institu- well as in shaping and protecting their natural environment. tion awarding the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Human Ecol- We expect that our emphasis will shift over time, but will ogy. Although the aim of the college is to provide a broadly always be concerned with newer definitions and problems based education for its students, the educational format de- of human ecology. parts considerably from those of traditional liberal arts col- The problems caused by man's interaction with his en- leges. Rather than offering a random assortment of disci- vironment are not new, though recently the signs of the stress plines from which a student may sample, the college is of- he has inflicted upon it have become more obvious. It is fering a curriculum organized around a central theme, Hu- clear that historically our society has failed to develop the man Ecology. attitudes and values which tend to protect and enhance rath- Our purpose as an academic community will be to study er than deplete and destroy the natural world. We have the various relationships which exist between man and learned neither to anticipate the environmental conse- his environment, including both the natural world which sup- quences of particular activities nor to use our technology ports his existence and the society and institutions which safely. he created. Rather than beginning with a fixed definition of Many environmental scientists and ecologists believe human ecology, our prime concern will be to develop one. that there is still time, albeit a limited amount, for us to re- The first year of study will sharpen and clarify this definition. verse the effects of our past disregard for the environment. We believe that some of the best examples of the interaction Immediate disaster, it seems, can be avoided. We have the and interrelationships between man and his environment resources and skills to control many types of pollution. But are in the area where man has done or threatens to do harm, we still lack the appropriate values and attitudes to make use of them. New world views and new methods of approach are desperately needed. Concurrently, we have allowed our created environments to grow unmindful of human consideration. Our buildings, cities, organizations and institutions have evolved in such a way as to put stress upon the human qualities of our exist- ence. The impersonality and disorganization of our cities, the automaton quality of many aspects of modern life, the lack of concern for aesthetics, the disregard for human rights, and the difficulty of pursuing meaningful lives are 3 all signs of this stress. We have been guided by our tech- nology rather than by our difficult yet precious humanity. The decline in the quality of human life cannot be re- versed by the mere accumulation of technical knowledge. In So Human an Animal, Rene Dubos, a College of the At- lantic Trustee, wrote: "Contrary to what is generally claimed, increased knowledge of natural forces and the growth of technology have not improved man's control over the en- vironment. While the rate of environmental change has im- mensely accelerated, the social and biological responses have not kept pace with the new attitudes thus created. As a result, technicized societies may be close to the thresh- hold beyond which it will be impossible to evaluate, let alone control, the effect on human life by the new environments created by technological innovations." To avoid losing touch with our basic humanity, we must study man as a product of a cultural as well as biological past. Scientific progress must be tempered by humanism and social conscience if we are to enhance our existence. As our total environment becomes more crowded and more man-created, the task of relating man to himself will be- come more difficult and vital. 4