N COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC 350 STUDENTS ONE MAJOR ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES "How do we help most? How do we best serve this broken world?... The holistic leap we need is within our grasp. And know that there is no better preparation for that grand project than your deeply interdisciplinary education in human ecology. You were made for this moment. II Naomi Klein "Climate Change Is a Crisis We Can Only Solve Together." College of the Atlantic Commencement Address, June 6, 2015. 3 Welcome & Overview 11 Academics 48 Community 62 Life After COA 66 Getting In (Admission) COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC 2016 VIEWBOOK WHAT DO YOU SEE AS YOU LOOK OUT ACROSS THE WATER? For College of the Atlantic students, a view like this is commonplace and yet never ordinary. Our campus sits on 38 acres on the coast of Maine, with views across the rocky islands of Frenchman Bay to Schoodic Mountain in the distance. When we look across the water we see ecosystems to study, economic enterprises to develop, policies to pass, lesson plans to teach, food systems to sustain, landscapes to paint, resources to steward, space to think, and beauty to inspire. Students come to COA because they want to be part of creating a more sustainable and humane world. They want to be inspired and challenged by a close-knit community of faculty and peers, and they want to dig into complex questions in the classroom and laboratory, but also in the woods and waters of Acadia National Park, the conference halls of UN climate negotiations, and the corn fields of rural Mexico and Guatemala. Some students come here knowing exactly what they want to do and be; others are drawn in because our academic program allows and encourages the exploration of multiple subjects and interests. All COA students will study across different disciplines and learn to approach each topic from perspectives they previously hadn't considered. View across Frenchman Bay from the Deering Common Community Center 3 OF THE 3 S MISSION College of the Atlantic enriches the liberal arts tradition through a distinctive educational philosophy- human ecology. A human ecological perspective integrates knowledge from all academic disciplines and from personal experience to investigate-and ultimately improve-the relationships between human beings and our social and natural communities. The human ecological perspective guides all aspects of education, research, activism, and interactions among the college's students, faculty, staff, and trustees. The College of the Atlantic community encourages, prepares, and expects students to gain the expertise, breadth, values, and practical experience necessary to achieve individual fulfillment and to help solve problems that challenge communities everywhere. 10 5 Construction of the Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Immunity Center. A History of College of the Atlantic College of the Atlantic was chartered in 1969 by a small group of local community members and educators who saw in Mount Desert Island a great year-round location for learning. COA admitted its first class in 1972. There were only four full-time faculty members that first year (selected from 1800 applicants), and 32 students. The educational philosophy was clear: COA would be the first college in the US to have the relationships between humans and the environment as its primary focus. Learning was going to be active. Together, faculty and students explored the oceans around Mount Desert Island as well as the woods and mountains of Acadia National Park. Together, they studied whales in the Gulf of Maine and discussed the texts of such passionate naturalists as Henry David Thoreau and Rene DuBois. They continued their discussions over coffee in town, and dinner at each other's homes. Over forty years later, the college's focus on exploration and community has not changed. COA's 35 faculty members continually update and change courses to meet students' interests and adapt to a changing world. Our 350 students are encouraged to explore their passions and challenged to think in new ways. As Nell Newman, co-founder of Newman's Own Organics, says of her COA years, "When Pop asked me 'What do you do with a human ecology degree?' I answered him, 'As my student advisor said, human ecologists make their own niche in the world.' To be honest, I wasn't quite sure what that meant at the time, but it is what I feel I have been able to do. My environmental interests go beyond organic food to an awareness of worldwide environmental issues. The foundation for this was laid at College of the Atlantic, where I was given the tools to continue to explore and contribute in my own way." 6 A marine mammal rescue from the 1980s A class discussion in COA's early days. it Saren Peetz 15, pictured with the solar array at COA's Peggy Rockefeller Farms, is working to help local communities better meet their energy needs from renewable sources. Photo by Tristan Spinski 8 "College of the Atlantic is nudging its students to reach outside the school's boundaries and start changing the real world." The New York Times "A College in Maine That Tackles Climate Change, One Class at a Time." July 1, 2015. in SHAHN 10 Every student at COA designs his or her own course of study in human ecology. There is no set path; you give shape to your studies based on your interests, goals, and talents. Are you curious about the math and physics of sustainable energy? Or perhaps you'd like to study environmental law, animation, entrepreneurship, anthropology, botany, literature, or community planning? COA graduates all share a common degree in human ecology, but ask any one of them about the classes they took, their senior project, or how they're using their degree in the world, and you'll realize that this one major is uniquely flexible and tailored by each student. ACADEMICS At COA we don't have academic departments; our faculty members come from a diverse range of fields and bring dynamic expertise, but you won't find the biologists just doing biology. Here faculty and students are encouraged to study and work across multiple disciplines because we believe that the solutions to the world's most pressing problems will be developed by people who are actively integrating perspectives and knowledge from the sciences, arts, social sciences, and humanities. 11 There is a tendency, especially in the academic world, to carve life into ever smaller pieces in order to make sense of it. All too often, the people who do this come to believe that is how the world really is. The aim of human ecology is to remind us that we are part of a complex and interactive living world. Its broad mandate calls us to cross the boundaries of traditional disciplines and seek fresh combinations of ideas. The richness of specialized knowledge-and communication among people who have it-are essential to a livable future. But the kind of perspective that encourages interdisciplinary learning and application is difficult to acquire in most academic settings. This demands a different approach to education-one which invites imagination and caring for the future. I believe human ecology holds an increasingly important place in society, education, and everyday life. This is why COA was founded, and it is what we do best. Rich Borden, PhD Rachel Carson Chair in Human Ecology I Ev 13 ACADEMIC RESOURCE AREAS While there are no academic departments at COA, for organizational purposes the curriculum is divided into three resource areas: Arts and Design, Environmental Sciences, and Human Studies. Arts & Design The arts provide a unique vehicle for addressing and expressing issues in society, culture, and the environment. Arts and design courses at COA-in music, painting, drawing, photography, video and film, theater, graphic arts, landscape architecture, movement, sculpture, museum studies, and ceramics-enable students to explore the realms of self-expression and cultural dialogue, and to learn to communicate through multiple media. The unique capacity of the arts to map uncharted cultural and moral values makes them an essential tool for human ecologists. Environmental Science The environmental sciences bring together the biological and the physical sciences in exploration of the earth's systems. Students learn to apply the scientific method to trace ecological and evolutionary patterns, study natural communities as ecological systems, and understand the interactions of people and nature. The environmental sciences include chemistry, botany, math, physics, ecology, oceanography, natural history, geology and earth sciences, zoology, animal behavior, marine biology, genetics, and more. At the same time, the college's interdisciplinary approach to the sciences enables students to apply historical, aesthetic, economic, and literary modes of thought to enhance the scientific method. Human Studies Human studies combine the humanities with the social sciences to give students a broad and diversified perspective on human nature and culture. Faculty challenge students to blend contemporary social and ecological concerns with classical humanistic studies. Courses in anthropology, literature, economics, philosophy, business, psychology, history, education, law, languages, and political science relate the past to the present, deepen the awareness of one's place in time and provide both the knowledge and perspective to approach individual and cultural challenges. 14 15 DEGREE REQUIREMENTS At College of the Atlantic, you'll have the opportunity to take a broad range of classes toward your self-designed major. In order to develop a core of competencies and skills, each student also fulfills the following requirements: Human Ecology Core Course Every fall, first-year students launch their studies at COA with the Human Ecology Core Course-an interdisciplinary course that explores concepts in human ecology through a particular theme such as food, health, or water. Internship A COA internship is a practical exercise in developing job skills and applying academics to the world of work. Each student, together with faculty and the office of internships and career services, develops a plan for a ten week (450 hour) off-campus internship at a business or organization of their choosing. Many students use their internship as an opportunity to gain experience in another state or country. Human Ecology Essay By the middle of their senior year, all students must write a reflective essay exploring their own perspectives on human ecology. Contact the admission office to request the most recent collection of human ecology essays. Community Service COA believes in the importance of giving back to our communities. Our community service requirement also gives students valuable experiences that complement their studies in human ecology. The requirement can be satisfied through on-campus or off-campus service such as committee work or volunteering as a tutor at a local school. All students at COA complete at least 40 hours of community service. 16 Senior Project For the senior project, each student undertakes a significant intellectual endeavor such as a research project or other original work intended to advance understanding in a particular academic area and bring together the skills and knowledge acquired during the student's college career. Some students complete a capstone project that will propel them into graduate school. Others synthesize different areas of study or take academic and creative risks that may not be available to them in their professional work. For examples of student work, including senior projects, go to www.coa.edu/student-work. Other Degree Requirements Each COA student must take at least two classes from each of the college's three academic resource areas: Arts & Design, Environmental Science, and Human Studies. Students must also take at least one history course and one quantitative reasoning course, and fulfill a writing requirement. For more information on COA's degree requirements, request our full course catalog using the card at the back of this book, or online at www.coa.edu/learnmore. 17 OFF-CAMPUS STUDY Through internships, time spent abroad, or field-based experiences in the local, national, or international sphere, a portion of every student's academic experience will take place off-campus. Some students dive into our international language programs in France or Mexico, while others might have a more local experience conducting research at world renowned laboratories minutes away from COA's campus. International More than 50% of students will have a significant international experience during their time at COA. The college runs regular international programs in Mexico and France that provide interdisciplinary and collaborative learning experiences in a variety of field settings. In addition, each year there are several courses offering shorter international experiences. These programs include opportunities ranging from language learning, ethnography, tropical ecology, and community development work, to real world immersion in international environmental diplomacy. National & Regional COA is a founding member of the EcoLeague, a consortium of six environmental colleges dedicated to sustainability and environmental studies through a liberal arts framework. Students can participate in term-long exchanges at the other EcoLeague schools: Alaska Pacific University (Alaska), Dickinson College (Pennsylvania), Green Mountain College (Vermont), Northland College (Wisconsin), and Prescott College (Arizona). COA also has agreements for student exchanges with other institutions including The New School, University of Maine at Orono, the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), and the Sea Education Association (SEA), among others. Closer to home, relationships with The Jackson Laboratory and the MDI Biological Laboratory allow students the opportunity to take part in cutting-edge biomedical and genetic research. COA also has a special relationship with Acadia National Park, where students and classes engage in research, education, and exhibit design. 18 Travel Support COA provides each student with a learning enhancement fund to use for expeditionary courses, internships, course- related travel, senior projects, conference presentations, and more. Student diving in the tropical marine ecology course taught in the Caribbean. 19 Students in S When your views on the world and your intellect are being challenged and you begin to feel uncomfortable because of a contradiction you've detected that is threatening your current model of the world or some aspect of it, pay attention. You are about to learn something. William H. Drury, Jr. COA faculty member in ecology and natural history, 1976-1992 human ecology ARTHINBRACKETS.ORG Klever Descarpontriez '16 Santa Cruz, Bolivia "I definitely enjoy taking politics classes and learning more about human interactions. I am also really interested in climate change and how it presents itself to our generation as an opportunity to drastically change our energy, food, and transport systems to put people and the planet before profit and greed. Attending UN climate change talks was definitely among my best experiences here at COA." Over the past four years Klever has been very involved with the student collective, Earth in Brackets. When he was not devoting his energy to social and environmental justice, he also enjoyed playing water polo at the local YMCA. He spent spring term of 2015 in France doing an immersive language program and taking classes on food and water politics in the European context food systems radical economics + feminism = human ecology Page Hill '17 Rutledge, PA "I've been able to flourish at COA due to a wonderfully supportive team and unique curriculum. Spurred by my interest in how capitalism, oppression, and the environmental crisis are all intricately interwoven, I constructed an independent study in Anarchist Economics. I was intrigued by the anarchist perspective on the eco-crisis and alternative economic systems, and used my independent study to delve into heterodox economics and radical philosophy." From volunteering in Bali, New Zealand, and India to honing her skills as a pianist, ceramicist, and gardener, Page is involved in many activities on and off campus. Last year she was awarded funding to start a beehive at COA's Peggy Rockefeller Farms and harvested her first batch of honey last summer. 23 philosophy + psychology + visual arts + linguistics = human ecology Jazmin Galdamez '18 San Gabriel, CA "COA seemed liked the best place for me to be when I didn't want my major to define the limitations of my life. I truly believe that my career will be a passion of mine, and whatever that is, I can find it here at COA. My entire first year has been so full of experiences that it's very difficult to choose a favorite. Academically, I really enjoyed Philosophies of Liberation (p. 38) and Drawing Mineral and Botanical Matter (p.32). Both of these classes made me question my perception of life, one philosophically and the other visually." In her first two years, Jazmin has stage-managed a play, acted as a stage "ninja" for the Community Show, and was a still-life model for a drawing class. On top of her involvement with the arts, she works with the Buildings and Grounds crew maintaining the composting toilets, and in the admission office giving tours and answering inquiries from prospective students science + art = human cology Matt Messina '16 Avon, CT "I decided to come to COA because I wanted something more than a 'textbook' education. I wanted to be pushed mentally and physically, to learn things from professionals in the field, and to be involved in a community where my input and contribution made a real difference. I did not want to be made comfortable: I wanted my ideas and abilities challenged by my peers and professors in the name of becoming a well-rounded and open-minded individual." While he was at COA, Matt was first mate and naturalist on COA's research boat, M/V Osprey, and also did logistics coordination for the college's islands program. He also volunteered with Allied Whale (COA's marine mammal research program), responding to marine mammal strandings and assisting with necropsies, and worked as a collections manager and exhibit preparer at the Dorr Museum of Natural History 25 art + observation + experiences = human ecology Austin O'Goffa '18 Providence, RI "COA's location really piqued my interest because it was SO different from what I was used to. The course list was also very diverse and fascinating. But what really helped me make my final decision was the community. Through my entire admittance process, everyone was very helpful and friendly. Many people remembered my name although they had only talked to me once or twice. This was completely unique compared to all the other schools where I applied. Real people and real relationships." During his Outdoor Orientation Program (OOPs) trip, Austin went on his first hikes-including Maine's tallest peak, Mt. Katahdin-and discovered a love for hiking. In his first two years at COA he has also performed long-form improv comedy, attended a Shakespeare performance in New York, and taken several classes in the visual arts including Life Drawing and Problems in Painting: Techniques, Skills, and Vision. public health + ecology + fine arts = human ecology Porcia Manandhar '17 Kathmandu, Nepal "Before my time on Great Duck Island I had never approached wild birds so closely that I could feel their heartbeats. In the beginning I did not know much about North American birds and seven weeks later, it's absurd to say, but I feel like I know them personally." While Porcia originally came to COA to study environmental science, she has since broadened her scope to include medicine, math, arts, and writing. The summer after her first year she spent time on Great Duck Island and Mount Desert Rock researching marine life and banding gulls. After COA she plans to go into biomedical research. 27 COURSES At COA, the average class size is twelve students, and courses are designed to foster discussion and engagement. Here you'll find a handful of course descriptions to whet your appetite. For a more complete course listing, visit our website or use the card at the back of this book to request a course catalog. Practicing a stand-up routine in the Science of Comedy class. AGROECOLOGY BIOMECHANICS The global demand for food and fiber will Why do we get shorter and wrinklier continue to increase well into the next with age? Were dinosaurs warm- century. How will this food and fiber blooded? How do grasshoppers hop? be produced? Will production be at the These diverse questions are all within cost of soil loss, water contamination, the realm of biomechanics. A knowledge pesticide poisoning, and increasing rural of biomechanics, or the ways in which poverty? In this course, we examine the plants and animals cope with the laws of fundamental principles and practices of physics, can promote an understanding conventional and sustainable agriculture of organisms at all levels of organization, with a primary focus on crops. By from molecules to ecosystems. In this examining farm case studies and current course we explore several areas of research on conventional and alternative physical science, including mechanical agriculture we develop a set of economic, engineering, materials science, and fluid social, and ecological criteria for a dynamics, as a means of gaining insight critique of current agricultural practices into the biological world. Students attend in the United States and that will serve two lecture sessions per week and one as the foundation for the development three-hour lab session for discussions of and analysis of new farming systems. current research in biomechanics, review Evaluations are based on two exams, of homework assignments, and laboratory class presentations, participation in a observations or demonstrations. Faculty: conference on potato production, and a Helen Hess final paper. Faculty: Suzanne Morse BREAD, LOVE, AND DREAMS ART OF THE PUPPET This course is an introduction to the Puppetry is the art of designing, unconscious. It begins with the problem constructing, and operating puppets, of knowing something which by definition usually for an audience. A puppet is is unknown. It then proceeds to examine an articulated figure controlled by two classic approaches to the unconscious: external means. Puppets have been dreams and love. Students are expected to used for entertainment, education, keep dream notebooks and to recognize therapy, spectacles, and social/political their own unconscious life in the light demonstration. This course will explore of readings. Readings start with the both the construction and use of puppets, unconscious in its classical formulation investigate the theory, history and according to Freud and Jung. We read The practice of puppetry, and seek out the role Interpretation of Dreams and Two Essays in and potential of puppets. Various types Analytical Psychology. We consider these of puppets will be made, including hand themes in fiction using Henry James' The puppets, rod puppets, shadow puppets, Beast in the Jungle. We then move to more and large scale puppets. Students, contemporary writers, particularly James individually and in collaboration, Hillman's The Dream and the Underworld, will create both original and adapted Michel Foucault's History of Sexuality, scripts and scenarios for their puppets, and finally consider some of the negative exploring relationships between text, implications of the material in Elaine story, character, and movement of the Scarry's The Body in Pain. The writing part puppet. In addition to live work, students of this course is done in pairs, with groups may choose to develop puppets for of two students cross-examining each use within film, video, or multimedia other's dream notebooks and self-analysis. projects. The course will include readings Faculty: Bill Carpenter on puppetry, screenings, presentations, demonstrations, and group discussions. Faculty: Nancy Andrews COMMUNICATING SCIENCE CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOLOGY: MIND, This course is designed for science BODY, AND SOUL students developing their research This course explores current theories, research, and ideas in psychology. The core skills working on research projects for a themes of 'body', 'mind,' and 'soul' all have principal investigator; specifically this a long history of psychological inquiry course will improve the students' writing associated with them. Yet they are every ability and introduce them to writing bit as vital and important today. Some of for the scientific community. The course the most influential authors in the field continue to struggle with these classical involves not only learning to write an philosophical questions-and with ways abstract and literature review but also to incorporate state-of-the-art research understanding the protocols for writing on them. In this class, we will read and a scientific paper based on lab or field discuss at least one major new book on data. In addition, students will prepare a each theme. Ideas from these perspectives powerpoint presentation on their research will be compared, contrasted, and critiqued. In the final portion of the class, to present at a meeting or conference we will look especially at ways in which all such as the Maine Biological Science three themes can be integrated-not only Symposium or the annual INBRE meeting. in academic psychology-but within our Faculty: Anne Kozak own experience. Faculty: Rich Borden 30 COSTA RICAN NATURAL HISTORY AND selection, organization, and layering of CONSERVATION intellectual material through the use of object, text, image, and experiential This team-taught, intensive, field-based devices. Projects and hands-on workshops course examines the ecology and biotic will provide an opportunity to gain diversity found at several sites within skills and techniques in visualizing Costa Rica and the implications of this ideas by developing concepts in the diversity on concepts of conservation form of plans, sketches, models, and biology. Whereas primary emphasis will be narrative description. Students will have placed on Central American herpetofauna an opportunity to evaluate and create and avifauna, we will also discuss and interpretive material for the George B. examine issues of botanical, mammalian, Dorr Natural History Museum at the etc. diversity and abundance, and the College of the Atlantic. Faculty: Dru significance of the full array of species Colbert in more general studies of land-use and protective strategies. Students will meet DEMOCRACY: MODELS, THEORIES, during the winter term to discuss a range QUESTIONS of articles and book-chapters dealing with aspects of conservation biology and Democracy is a word you hear constantly Costa Rican natural history and culture in contemporary political discourse. during the winter term but the major Most people seem to think it's a good emphasis of the course will be a two-week thing, but they might not always agree immersion in key habitats within Costa on what the "it" is. Perhaps we should Rica itself during the March break. Non- take a moment to unpack the idea of travel days will consist of early to late- democratic governance in our world. morning fieldwork, afternoon lectures/ What do we mean when we call something presentations followed by early evening to a democracy? Why do we naturally late night fieldwork. The course is based assume that democracy is a good thing? out of three field sites: lowland Caribbean Is it? Should we promote it? How is slope rainforest at Tirimbina ecological democratic governance conceptualized reserve in north central Costa Rica, across various societies and publics, montane forest of the Arenal and Tenorio today and in the past? How are these volcanic region, and Pacific slope dry various models of democracy encoded forest of the Nicoya Peninsula. Faculty: with certain assumptions about the John Anderson and Steve Ressel relationship of the individual subject to the world around them? What does CURIOSITY AND WONDER: DESIGN & the discourse of the democratic mean in INTERPRETATION IN THE MUSEUM contemporary society? This seminar will cover all of these questions and more. From "cabinet of curiosity" to We start with some basic definitional "exploratorium," this studio course questions and from there springboard into surveys contemporary museum activities a host of challenging topics pertaining and methods of communication through to how governance is conceptualized. visual display, space, and interaction. We will cover theoretical conceptions Students will engage in a project of governance and power, empirical development process to refine "big ideas," observations of the functioning of determine educational goals, and learn democratic forms, and grounded questions techniques to design and build their of practice when applied to contemporary projects. Class participants will gain an problems. Along the way we will draw on understanding of factors that influence concrete examples from the international, learning, media, and modes that may be national, local, and (not surprisingly) the utilized to communicate complex content, COA level. Faculty: Jamie McKown and how meaning is constructed by the 31 DRAWING MINERAL AND BOTANICAL ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN AQUATIC MATTER IN THE FOREST OF MAINE SYSTEMS This course is an intensive field course Viewed as a regular practice, the descriptive power of drawing can intensify that focuses on research design, collaborative fieldwork, and data analysis the experience of observational fieldwork, and interpretation for ecological studies provide the draughtsperson with a richer done in local aquatic ecosystems. Within understanding of the cycles within a the broad category of aquatic habitats landscape, and deepen our relationship the course focuses on intertidal mudflats with the natural world. The primary and streams. Both of these habitats have setting for this studio course is Mount ongoing field research and restoration Desert Island. The subject matter of work where faculty and students can our visual attention includes trees, rock make substantial contributions to features, and other indigenous plant local applied research while learning life of the island. Students will learn a methodologies and rationale for various variety of drawing methods in order to types of research. Potential project document the natural history of a specific partners and collaborators include Acadia place. Coursework includes: maintaining National Park, Maine Department of a field sketchbook, graphically recording Marine Resources, Maine Department of the development of a singular botanical Inland Fish and Wildlife, Somes-Meynell Sanctuary, Town of Bar Harbor Marine life-form over the course of the term, Resources Committee, Frenchman Bay and producing visual notations in Regional Shellfish Committee, Frenchman the sketchbook during a bi-weekly Bay Partners, the George Mitchell Center slide lecture on the history of artistic at the University of Maine, and Maine representations of the natural world. Coast Heritage Trust. Faculty: Chris Faculty: Catherine Clinger Petersen 32 ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY: AIR Special attention is given to policy debates currently underway and the use of the Living things are exposed to air more than legal process to foster the development of any other material, and yet many people a sustainable society in the United States. seldom give a second thought to what's Faculty: Ken Cline in air, why it's there, how it behaves or what it may do them and to other living FEMININITY AND MASCULINITY GO TO things. This class will examine such questions. We'll start by looking at how SCHOOL: GENDER, POWER & ED the molecular structures of materials This course pivots around two central determine how much they vaporize and questions: How does gender influence what consumes them when vaporized, students learning and experiences of and how their atmospheric levels reflect school, curriculum and instruction, those competing processes. We'll then teacher-student relationships, school apply such knowledge to understanding culture and administration? And how phenomena such as the pressure and do schools perpetuate, resist, and temperature structures of the atmosphere, construct gendered identities and gender global weather patterns, the earth's ozone roles? In this course we will investigate layer, urban smog, acid deposition, the research on gender differences and school earth's greenhouse effect, and indoor air achievement, the feminization of the pollution. For each topic, we will discuss: teaching profession, and the effects of Why is it important? Why is there as much gender on school culture, considering of it as there is? What can increase it or evidence from and questions posed by decrease its amount? How have people biologists, psychologists, sociologists, tried to control it? What do we still not anthropologists, historians, and understand about it? Readings will be educators. The major objective of the from both a text and from papers from the course is to examine how notions of scientific literature. Faculty: Don Cass femininity, masculinity, and androgyny have influenced and are influenced ENVIRONMENTAL LAW by schooling historically and globally. Activities include a historical case AND POLICY study, media critique, fieldwork in an This course provides an overview of educational setting, a literature review, environmental law and the role of law and curriculum development. Students in shaping environmental policy. We will conduct research on self-chosen topics examine, as background, the nature such as gender identity development, and scope of environmental, energy, gender differences in learning styles, and resource problems and evaluate sexual harassment in schools, or school the various legal mechanisms available sports programs, among others. Faculty: to address those problems. The course Bonnie Tai attempts to have students critically analyze the role of law in setting and FROM NATIVE EMPIRES TO NATION implementing environmental policy. STATES We explore traditional common law remedies, procedural statutes such as This course is a history of Latin America the National Environmental Policy Act, from Native American contact cultures intricate regulatory schemes, and market- through the contemporary period covering based strategies that have been adopted socio-political processes. An emphasis to control pollution and protect natural is placed on the fusion of pre-contact resources. Students are exposed to a wide societies into a new socio-cultural range of environmental law problems in formation in the colonial period, and then order to appreciate both the advantages the shared yet divergent history of the and limitations of law in this context. region after the collapse of colonial rule. 33 In the second half the class emphasizes reasons for diverging and converging the rise of the nation state in Latin views. We will pay special attention to the America with particular emphasis on growing role played by non-governmental dictatorship and rebellions. The course organizations in global environmental uses traditional texts, novels, and film politics. We will conclude the course with to explore this huge geographical and discussions of some current controversial chronological expanse. Faculty: Todd Little- areas in international environmental Siebold politics. Faculty: Doreen Stabinsky GEOLOGY OF MT. DESERT ISLAND IMPACT INVESTING This course is designed to introduce Impact Investing focuses on the emerging students to geological concepts, tools of field of impact investing, which seeks the trade, and to the geological history to generate returns for society, the of Mount Desert Island. Throughout environment, and financial investors. the course, students will learn skillsets Impact investing seeks to create avenues (topographic and geologic map reading, for private investment to work alongside orienteering, field observation, note existing efforts of NGOs and others to taking, field measurements) and geologic help solve global and local problems. principles (rock types, stratigraphy, plate Impact investing can be used to fund tectonics, earth systems, geologic time, solutions in areas as diverse as food surface processes) both in the classroom systems, climate change, poverty, and in the field. We will conduct multiple affordable housing, and clean technology short field excursions on MDI and one among other issues. This course will extended weekend field trip to explore the examine the strategy of various impact regional geology. Students will submit a investing mechanisms from crowdfunding term project complete with their own field to "localvesting." In addition, students data, maps, photos, and analysis of the will examine case studies to understand local and regional geology. Faculty: Sarah the benefits and pitfalls of different Hall strategies and their potential to create social and environmental change. During the course students will learn how to GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS: create financial projections and evaluate THEORY AND PRACTICE the financial returns of enterprises. For This course will cover the politics their final project, students will have to and policy of regional and global structure an investment platform that environmental issues, including many generates returns financially, socially, of the major environmental treaties that and/or environmentally. Faculty: Jay have been negotiated to date (Montreal Friedlander Protocol, Framework Convention on Climate Change, Convention on Biological INTRODUCTION TO OCEANOGRAPHY Diversity). Students will gain both practical and theoretical understandings Planet Earth is misnamed. Seawater covers of how treaties are negotiated and approximately 70% of the planet's surface, implemented, through case studies of in one giant all-connected ocean. This the climate change convention and the ocean has a profound effect on the planet's Cartagena protocol on biosafety. We will climate, chemistry, ecosystem, and energy draw on both mainstream and critical resources. Billions of years ago life began theories of international relations when there, in what now we regard as the last analyzing these negotiations. Students unexplored frontier of this planet. In this will become familiar with the range of course we examine the various disciplines political stances on different treaties within oceanography, including aspects of various nations and blocs, and the of geology and sedimentology, chemical, political, economic, cultural, and scientific dynamic, and biological oceanography. 34 The course concludes with an introduction the permeation of these characteristics to marine ecosystems examined at into secular and non-secular music of various trophic levels, including phyto/ the 1900s. There is considerable study zooplankton, fish and other macrofauna. of the social significance of the music, Fieldwork includes trips on M/V exploration of the broad cultural and Osprey, trips to intertidal and estuarine artistic aspects of the music, how these ecosystems, and possible visits to the styles changed and evolved, and how their college's islands, Mount Desert Rock and growth related to parallel changes in fine Great Duck Island. Faculty: Sean Todd art music. Faculty: John Cooper JAZZ, ROCK, AND BLUES: FROM THEIR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE DESIGN ORIGINS TO PRESENT STUDIO This course is a survey of the particular This studio course introduces students to styles of music that have had such a the profession of Landscape Architecture, profound effect on America, as well as the design process and skills. Aspects to the world, in the twentieth century. be covered include site analysis, program Students inquire of the social, cultural, development, design concept, final and aesthetic elements that led to the site design and graphic representation. creation of each style. The use of recorded Faculty: Isabel Mancinelli examples provides a chronological examination of the principle musicians LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND and composers as well as an analysis of the more influential soloists and groups. SPIRITUALITY The course includes technical background A survey of Anglo-American literature into the various common musical "bonds from the Scientific Revolution to the of union" between Jazz, Rock, and present. Focuses on the ongoing debate Blues, as well as discussion concerning about the role of science in Western 35 culture, the potential benefits and incredible natural resource, the northern dangers of scientific experimentation, the cod fishery, that was ultimately destroyed. spiritual, religious, social and political The province has been alternately invaded issues that come about with the Ages of or occupied by different groups of Native Discovery and Reason, and their treatment Americans along with Norsemen, Basques, in literature. Specific debates include French, British, and the U.S. military, concerns over what is "natural," whether because of its strategic location and rich knowledge is dangerous, the perils of fishing and hunting grounds. One of the objectivity, and the mind/body dichotomy; first and one of the last British colonies, works include Shelley's Frankenstein, this richest of fisheries produced a Ibsen's An Enemy of the People, Brecht's very class based society, composed of a Galileo, Lightman's Einstein's Dreams, and wealthy few urban merchants and a highly Naylor's Mama Day as well as short stories exploited population of fishing families and poems. Faculty: Karen Waldron often living on the edge of survival. But within the past 50 years, Newfoundland MARVELOUS TERRIBLE PLACE: HUMAN society has been forced to evolve. The ECOLOGY OF NEWFOUNDLAND provincial government looks towards oil and mineral exploitation to turn around Where is the largest population of the economy, while ex-fishermen consider humpback whales in the world, the eco-and cultural tourism with growing largest caribou herd in North America, ambivalence. This then is our setting, and the only confirmed Viking settlement background, for an intense examination in North America, and Paleozoic water of the human ecology of this province; bottled for consumption? The remote the relationship between humans and Canadian province of Newfoundland and their environment, sometimes successful, Labrador presents a stunning landscape, sometimes otherwise, the struggle an astoundingly rich ecological setting, between the tenuous grasp of civilization and a tragic history of poverty amidst an and this marvelous, terrible place. To 36 do this we will discuss various readings, course, but will give students exposure examine case studies and review the to technical economic modeling, with natural and human history of this unique heavy emphasis on graphical modeling province. Our learning will culminate of complex social phenomena. We will with a two-week trip to Newfoundland to use a lab period to conduct extensive examine its issues firsthand. Faculty: Sean experiments and games that illustrate or Todd test economic concepts and hypotheses. Faculty: Davis Taylor MICROECONOMICS FOR BUSINESS AND POLICY PHILOSOPHIES OF LIBERATION What is freedom, why might it be of What is the best way to insure that value, how might it be obtained, and communities can provide dependable, what consequences might liberation have well-paying jobs to their citizens? Why for individuals, classes, genders, ethnic does Coca Cola spend millions of dollars groups, races, nationalities, or species? to advertise a product with which most In a wide variety of political, social, people are already very familiar? What religious, and cultural movements, the can the game of blackjack tell us about notion of freedom as achieved by some how industries are structured? How kind of liberation is a central theme, can we get coal-burning power utilities and an essentially contested concept to reduce their carbon emissions while which means quite different things to they save millions of dollars in the different people. This course focuses on process? How can we provide much the philosophical tasks of sorting out better health care to all Americans, at those different meanings and critically much less cost, while making it easier for analyzing the frameworks of ideas people small businesses to grow? All of these use to make sense of their notions of questions, and many more like them, freedom and projects of liberation. It will are answered by microeconomic theory. adopt an intellectual history approach This intermediate-level course exposes that will include placing the texts in students to basic microeconomic theories, their social and historical as well as models, and concepts that shed insight philosophical contexts. Readings will on the economic behavior of businesses, include works from Gandhi, Paulo Freire, individuals, governments and politicians, and writers from the open source and and international organizations. We creative commons movements as well as will emphasize approaches that have selections from feminist, Buddhist, neo- numerous overlapping applications to liberal, Marxist, existentialist, and other both business and policy evaluation: traditions. Goals of the course are: 1) to markets, pricing, firm structure and develop students' philosophical skills decision-making, strategic behavior in the interpretation of texts in their (using game theory), consumer behavior, historical context and the critical analysis externalities (such as greenhouse gas of frameworks of ideas, 2) to develop emissions), and the provision of public their critical understanding of alternative goods (such as military, education, and visions of freedom and liberation, and 3) environmental conservation). We will to develop their abilities to communicate pay special attention to the economics sophisticated philosophical analysis in of asymmetrical information (adverse written and oral forms. Faculty: Gray Cox selection, moral hazard, and principal- agent situations) that have a wide range PHYSICS AND MATHEMATICS OF of applications, including issues such as SUSTAINABLE ENERGY the ineffectiveness of the American health care system, the structuring of business The aim of this course is to help students finance, and the hiring and paying of learn some basic physics and quantitative employees. This will be a non-calculus and analytical skills so that they can 37 TBS participate intelligently and responsibly various alternative energy technologies. in policy discussions, personal and Along the way, students will gain community decisions, and ventures mathematical skills in estimation and in the area of sustainable energy. We dimensional analysis, and will learn to will begin with some basic physics, use spreadsheets to assist in physical and including: the definition of energy, the financial calculations. There will also be difference between energy and power, a weekly lab to help students understand different forms of energy, and the first the physical principles behind different and second laws of thermodynamics. We energy technologies and gain experience will also provide students with a basic gathering and analyzing data. Faculty: scientific and economic introduction to Anna Demeo and Dave Feldman 38 POSTCOLONIAL AFRICAN CINEMA THE SCIENCE OF COMEDY Africa was the last continent to develop This course explores the nature a culture of filmmaking controlled by its and history of modern comedy and indigenous peoples; 1966 saw the first investigates the tools and techniques African film to be produced independent of great comic performers. We'll cover of Colonial control (although still largely the evolution of comedy aesthetics from in an oppressor's language, in this case vaudeville and silent film to contemporary French). The fact that African film was stand up and television and we'll nascent at a time of worldwide revolution, explore what, if any sort of 'funny,' is at a time in which most other filmmaking timeless. The course uses film, video, regions were entering second or third waves of creative renewal, combined with live performance, and readings. Students a historical lack of financial support for gain practical experience through work the filmmaking enterprise-a symptom on classic routines, physical comedy of ubiquitous financial and political skills, and sketch development as well instability-has resulted in some of the as experimenting with the peculiar most unique, diverse cinema of the past mathematics of comic timing. Together, we fifty years. Ranging from the established, will try to pinpoint what actually makes artistic, state-regulated cinema of Burkina something funny and as importantly, why Faso to the populist, truly independent people crave laughter SO much in the first movies coming out of Nigeria (home of the place. Faculty: Jodi Baker second-largest film-producing industry in the world), the African continent WINTER ECOLOGY has given birth to new voices and new models of production and distribution In higher latitudes and higher altitudes of that challenge established norms. These the world, up to nine months of each year models may offer a new paradigm for a can be spent locked in winter. Although worldwide industry which is struggling migratory species appear to have a in the face of fragmented audiences selective advantage over non-migratory and new, potentially more egalitarian, species during the winter season, year- technologies. Although African films round resident animals have evolved have been receiving worldwide acclaim for a remarkable array of physiological, decades, it is only recently that many of morphological, and behavioral adaptations these ground-breaking films have received attention or been available for viewing in that allow them to cope with potentially lethal environmental conditions. In this the United States. Faculty: Colin Capers course, we focus on the special challenges PUZZLES, PARADOXES, AND of animals wintering in northern latitudes. Some of the topics that we WEIRD THINGS address are: the physical properties This course is an introduction to of snow and ice, general strategies of philosophy and critical thinking by animals for coping with sub-freezing considering traditional conceptual and temperatures, life in the subnivean philosophical problems such as free will, environment, animal energetics and problems of perception, determinism, and Zeno's paradoxes. After an examination nutrition, physiological acclimatization, and humans and cold. There are two of the canons of scientific proof and techniques of critical analysis various discussions/lectures and one field exercise beliefs in ghosts, alien abduction, every week, as well as two weekend telepathy, crop-circles, special creation, field trips. Students should be prepared astrology, 'psychic science," and other to spend a significant amount of time popular beliefs are examined in detail. outdoors in winter conditions. Faculty: Faculty: John Visvader Steve Ressel 39 FACULTY MEMBERS John Anderson Don Cass BA, University of California, Berkeley BA, Carleton College MA, San Francisco State University PhD, University of California, Berkeley PhD, University of Rhode Island Chemistry, Physics Zoology, Behavioral Ecology, Anatomy, Physiology Ken Cline BA, Hiram College Nancy Evelyn Andrews JD, Case Western Reserve University BFA, Maryland Institute College of Art Public Policy, Environmental Law MFA, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Performance Art, Video Production Catherine Clinger BFA, University of Kansas MA, University of New Mexico Jodi Baker MPhil, University College London BA, California State University, Fresno PhD, University of London MFA, National Theatre Conservatory Art History, Studio Art Performing Arts, Theatre Dru Colbert Rich Borden BFA, Auburn University BA, University of Texas MFA, The School of the Art Institute of PhD, Kent State University Chicago Psychology, Philosophy of Human Ecology Graphic Design, Three Dimensional Art and Design, Museum Studies Colin Capers BA, MPhil, College of the Atlantic Kourtney Collum BS, Western Michigan University Writing and Composition, Film Studies MS, PhD, University of Maine Sustainable Food Systems William Carpenter BA, Dartmouth College John Cooper PhD, University of Minnesota BA, MA, Trenton State Literature, Creative Writing, Comparative Mythology Music Fundamentals, Aesthetics of Music, Improvisation 40 J. Gray Cox Ken Hill BA, Wesleyan University BA, University of Michigan PhD, Vanderbilt University EdM, Harvard University Social Theory, Political Economics MS, PhD, Cornell University Education, Psychology Anna Demeo BS, University of Colorado Anne Kozak MS, PhD, University of Maine BA, Salve Regina College Sustainable Energy, Physics, Mathematics MA, St. Louis University Writing Dave Feldman BA, Carleton College Todd Little-Siebold PhD, University of California, Davis BA, MA, University of Massachusetts, Mathematics, Physics Amherst PhD, Tulane University Sean Foley History, Latin American Studies BFA, Herron School of Art MFA, Ohio State University Isabel Mancinelli Painting, Drawing BS, Catholic University of America MLA, Harvard University Jay Friedlander Community and Regional Planning, Landscape Architecture BA, Colgate University MBA, Olin Graduate School of Business Socially Responsible and Sustainable Jamie McKown Business, Entrepreneurship BA, Emory University MA, Georgia State University Sarah Hall PhD, Northwestern University Government, Polity BA, Hamilton College PhD, University of California, Santa Cruz Earth Science, Geology Suzanne R. Morse BA, PhD, University of California, Berkeley Helen Hess Applied Botany, Plant Ecology, Sustainable Agriculture BS, University of California, Los Angeles PhD, University of Washington Invertebrate Zoology, Biomechanics, Karla Peña Genetics BA, Autonomous University of Yucatan MA, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, Madrid Spanish Language, Yucatecan Culture 41 Chris Petersen Sean Todd BA, University of California, Santa Barbara BSc, University College of North Wales, UK PhD, University of Arizona MSc, PhD, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland Marine Biology, Evolution, Field Ecology Marine Mammalogy, Biology, Oceanography Stephen Ressel BS, Millersville University Katharine Turok MS, University of Vermont PhD, University of Connecticut BA, Wheaton College Vertebrate Biology, Comparative Animal MA, Rutgers University Physiology, Herpetology Writing and Composition, World Literature Doreen Stabinsky John Visvader BA, Lehigh University BA, CUNY PhD, University of California, Davis PhD, University of Minnesota International Studies, Global Philosophy, Cosmology, History of Ideas, Environmental Politics Chinese Philosophy Scott Swann Karen Waldron BA, MPhil, College of the Atlantic BA, Hampshire College Ecology, Natural History, Ornithology MA, University of Massachusetts, Boston MA, PhD, Brandeis University 19th and 20th Century American Literature, Bonnie Tai Minority, Cultural and Feminist Theory BA, Johns Hopkins University EdM, EdD, Harvard University Education Davis F. Taylor BS, United States Military Academy MS, PhD, University of Oregon Neoclassical and Ecological Economics In addition to the permanent faculty members included here, COA also hosts a range of adjunct and visiting faculty on a regular basis. 42 ADVISING The freedom to design your own major carries with it the responsibility to develop a coherent and thoughtful course of study. During your time at COA you'll work closely with an academic advisor, typically a faculty member in one of your areas of interest, to plan a program of study that will best fit your evolving goals and needs. In addition to working with a formal advisor, many students also build their own informal advising team and draw on other faculty, staff, and students as mentors. EVALUATION COA offers students the option of taking each class either for a traditional letter grade, or pass/fail. In both instances students receive a written evaluation from faculty, which provides a detailed assessment of their performance throughout the class and identifies strengths and areas for improvement. This system is designed to recognize the value of both quantitative and qualitative assessment, and give students evaluation options. Sometimes students find that the freedom from letter grades inspires them to explore new subject areas, push themselves, or take more intellectual risks. An optional self-evaluation is written by the student to assess the value of the course in relation to his or her own intellectual development. OTHER ACADEMIC OPTIONS With a student to faculty ratio of 10:1, individualized attention and seminar-style discussions are the classroom norm. For students who might be looking to delve into subjects not represented in the regular curriculum, the college also offers the opportunity for independent studies, tutorials, residencies, group studies, and various off-campus study options. THE PRINCETON REVIEW SAYS Top 10 Green Colleges Best Food Professors Get High Marks LGBTQ-Friendly Their Students Love These Colleges Top 20 Best Quality of Life Great Financial Aid Most Beautiful Campus 43 Jay Friedlander Sharpe-McNally Chair of Green & Socially Responsible Business BA, Colgate University; MBA, Olin Graduate School of Business "At COA your only limit is yourself, I have seen few places in my lifetime that will both encourage your dreams and help you achieve them. For example, if you are interested in creating a sustainable enterprise, we go beyond giving you the skills in a classroom. By your senior year you could enter the Hatchery (COA's sustainable venture incubator) and launch your enterprise. The enterprise could be a for-profit venture that produces social and environmental benefits-alternative energy, organic foods or creating new products or services. Or perhaps you'd rather focus on tackling a persistent problem like hunger, poverty, or global warming. Ask yourself what would you like to create and where you'd like to go. We'll help you get there." Courses Taught at COA Business and Non-Profit Basics Impact Investing Creative Destruction: Understanding 21st Islands: Energy, Economy, and Community Century Economies Launching a New Venture Financials Solutions Hatchery Sustainable Strategies Human Relations: Principles and Practice 44 Nancy Andrews BFA, Maryland Institute College of Art; MFA, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago "COA is not just a small school; it is a tiny school. It is a college with top-notch faculty who care a great deal about teaching and mentoring. This school is a community, and people-students, faculty, and staff-find niches here, but are also always finding new roles. They find work that they love, and people that care about their work. We are continually trying to push the envelope of interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinarity in order to forge and understand connections between areas of knowledge and areas of life. For me, this kind of constant growth and change parallels the process of being an artist, and it keeps my work as a teacher challenging and fresh." Courses Taught at COA Advanced Projects: Art Practice and Four-Dimensional Studio Concepts Intermediate Video: Studio and Animation I & II Strategies Art of the Puppet Journeys in French Film Documentary Video Studio Soundscape Film Sound and Image 45 Bonnie Tai BA, Johns Hopkins University; EdM, EdD, Harvard University "Human ecology: this somewhat clunky, notoriously difficult-to-explain focus is an intrinsic element of COA. Because none of us define it exactly the same way, we start from the assumption that our words do not mean the same to everyone. COA's best qualities rest in our rejection of monocultures, dualisms, and trifectas-and our embrace of ambiguity, complexity, paradox, and impermanence." Courses Taught at COA Changing Schools, Changing Society Intercultural Education Curriculum Design and Assessment Tutorial: Research and Program Experiential Education Development for Ecological Education Femininity and Masculinity go to School: Tutorial: Social Power and Identity Gender, Power & Education Politics Integrated Methods II: Science, Math, Understanding and Managing Group and Social Studies Dynamics Sean Todd Steven K. Katona Chair in Marine Sciences BSc, University College of North Wales, UK; MSc, PhD, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland "Part of what makes me excited to teach at COA is that as a biologist I get to go out in the field with my students. In my Oceanography class we are out every week getting cold and wet, but understanding and being part of the ocean. For my Marine Mammal Biology class we spent two weeks out at one of the college's marine field stations on Mount Desert Rock. Not only did students learn field biology, but they also learned the logistics of helping to run a field station. They drove boats, serviced diesel generators and photovoltaic solar panels, and learned to cook, all at the same time." Courses Taught at COA Biology I Introduction to Statistics and Research Biology II: Form and Function Design Fisheries and Their Management Marine Mammal Biology I Introduction to Oceanography Marine Mammals and Sound 47 COMMUNITY COA is a close-knit intellectual and social community. With 350 students, 35 faculty members, and 70 staff, everyone is on a first-name basis and you'll likely find that your academic work percolates into all aspects of your life. These close ties unite people during their years at COA and long afterward. 48 Student Life Life at COA is informal, friendly, supportive, and always busy. COA's mission attracts students who are comfortable with alternative viewpoints and a certain degree of uncertainty. This is reflected in a campus atmosphere that balances consistency and spontaneity in and out of the classroom. On any one day you might participate in a pick-up game of soccer, a meeting of a student-run organization dedicated to environmental activism, a lunchtime foreign language group, a theatrical or musical performance, a design meeting for a student literary publication, or a kayak trip around the islands of Frenchman Bay. Acadia National Park, located a short walk from campus, offers hundreds of miles of trails for hiking, running, bicycling, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. The park's lakes, ponds, ocean shores, and mountains keep swimmers, ice skaters, rock climbers, and kayakers happy. COA's outdoor program organizes regular expeditions and camping trips in the park and surrounding areas. Governance Responsible citizenship requires collaborative attitudes and skills. This is a primary rationale for COA's commitment to participatory governance and consensus building. In keeping with the central ideas of community and responsibility, students play a large role in the college's governance structure. Students, together with faculty and staff, are invited to participate on college committees, from Academic Affairs to Personnel, with full voting rights. The All College Meeting (ACM), held every Wednesday and moderated by a student, provides a regular forum for students, faculty, and staff to consider issues facing the college and the world. ACM serves numerous functions: it is a policy-making body; it provides consultation on pressing issues; it builds community; it acts as an educational forum; and it provides a venue for communication between various constituencies on campus. The governance system is an important way that COA students make significant contributions to the college, both in terms of day-to-day management and helping to determine our long-term direction. 49 Housing & Food COA's on-campus residences are a mix of old homes from former seaside estates and newer houses built by the college to encourage community living and meet high environmental standards. All first-year students live on campus. Transfer and returning students may opt to live on campus, or to rent houses or apartments with friends in the village of Bar Harbor-a short walk or bike ride away. Bar Harbor's popularity as a summer tourist destination means that there is a great deal of affordable housing available to rent during the school year. As a member of a house on campus, each student is expected to play a vital role in making the house a home. All residences are equipped with full kitchens, and community dinners are typical on Sunday evenings. Resident advisors work with students to generate evening programs for the house and help to facilitate house chores and responsibilities. Blair Dining Hall, affectionately known as Take-A-Break (or TAB), has won repeated praise for providing among the best college food in the US. All meals are made from scratch, and more than 30% of the ingredients are sourced locally and sustainably. Meals are served Monday through Friday, and there are always vegan, vegetarian, and gluten- free options. And if today's TAB menu doesn't suit your fancy, you can always grab a sandwich, salad, soup, or smoothie (and quite a few things that don't start with s) at the Sea Urchin Café in the Deering Common Community Center. 50 Students manage COA's extensive composting system. CARBON NEUTRALITY & DIVESTMENT Food was In 2007 COA became the first carbon-neutral college in the country. In 2013, we divested from fossil fuels. And there's still so much more to do. 52 Solar panets on student housing. A wood pellet boiler heats severalcampus buildings. Wind energy helps power COA's The college's electric van fills up at the solar- Beech Hill Farm. powered car charging station. Sustainability Sustainability at COA isn't just something we do; it's a core part of who we are and how we live. We boast solar arrays and wind energy, local farms that provide food for the dining hall and process the compost created there, dorms with composting toilets and a wood pellet boiler, and of course, a curriculum in which sustainability is a central theme. The Campus Committee for Sustainability, comprised of faculty, staff, and students, is integral to exploring and implementing policies and actions that continue to green COA and help the priorities of all community members be heard. And there is always a conversation happening-in classrooms, over coffee, on nature walks-about what we can do to improve our relationship with the world. 53 Facilities & Resources COA has two organic farms-Beech Hill Farm centers on five acres of intensive organic vegetable production, and the Peggy Rockefeller Farms raise sheep, poultry, and other livestock. Both farms produce food for the college's dining services and give students the opportunity to gain real farming experience. The college's offshore island research stations on Great Duck Island and Mount Desert Rock are sites where students engage in hands-on marine mammal and ornithological research. Allied Whale, COA's marine mammal research group, has been using photographic identification techniques to study humpback and finback whales for more than 30 years. On-campus facilities include the George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History, Amos Eno Greenhouse, COA/Acadia National Park Herbarium, and numerous gardens including a large community garden. Thorndike Library provides access to a wealth of academic resources both near and far, and its reading room and stacks are popular spots for quiet study. Gates Community Center hosts regular speakers, concerts, and theatrical performances, and the Blum Gallery features art exhibitions by students, faculty, and outside artists. The Deering Common Community Center includes a meditation room, meeting spaces, a student lounge, and the Sea Urchin Café. It is also home to health, wellness, and counseling resources. 54 Beech Hill Farm George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History COA's M/V Osprey Peggy Rockefeller Farms OSPERS 55 Our students are extraordinary in their ability to take lessons learned in one context and apply those things: the skills, experience and understanding, much more broadly. Understanding the evolution of mating systems in hermaphroditic fish is fascinating to know but it may be information that is directly relevant in only a narrow range of circumstances. The critical thinking, analytical skills, and pleasure in working hard to understand a complex phenomenon are habits of mind that are broadly transferable, and our students understand that. Helen Hess, PhD Faculty in invertebrate zoology, genetics, and biomechanics Eno Resear 57 Outdoor Program Students are encouraged to arrive at COA with a sense of adventure. With Acadia National Park in your backyard, you'll have easy access to countless outdoor activities both on your own and through the college's outdoor programs. Organized trips range from a day hike or an afternoon of rock climbing to a weekend of backpacking or winter camping. For those who want to head off at a moment's notice, COA's recreational equipment is accessible to all college community members for free. This includes a fleet of ocean kayaks and lake canoes, cross-country skis, tents, snowshoes, and much more. Some classes, such as Whitewater/White Paper and Ecology: Natural History, also incorporate trips that place students in whitewater canoes or the school's marine vessel, the 46' Osprey. Aspiring scuba divers are invited to take an annual course offered through the local YMCA. Each fall, new students are introduced to Maine's numerous wilderness adventure opportunities through the optional Outdoor Orientation Program (OOPs). Returning students lead the six-day trips; participants choose from sea kayaking, canoeing, hiking, and backpacking. 58 S 59 Mount Desert The Peggy Rockefeller Farms COA Island The Cox Protectorate Acadia National Beech Hill Park Farm Great Duck Island WELCOME TO YOUR NEW HOME Mount For a preview of some of our favorite things to do on Mount Desert Rock Desert Island (MDI), download our College of the Atlantic MDI Adventure App. Just search "MDI Adventure Passport" on your phone's App Store and hit "install"-it's free. 60 Life on Mount Desert Island Mount Desert Island (MDI) is truly a remarkable place to live and study. Its pink granite mountains, rugged shores, woods, and waters are a much-loved year- round home to 10,000 hardy and dynamic locals. In the summer more than a million visitors flock to visit Acadia National Park and the hotels, restaurants, campgrounds, and shops across the four towns of the island. During the fall, winter, and spring, the island is quieter, but many local businesses stay open to serve the year-round community. The book store, natural food store, second-hand shop, movie house, outdoor gear supplier, yoga studio, and public library (all within a mile of campus) will likely be stops at some point during a student's years at COA. Every student receives a membership to the local YMCA, which provides access to volleyball, basketball, swimming, a weight room, indoor soccer, and fitness classes. 61 Natalie Bloomfield '14 nternship: College Confident, Brooklyn, NY Senior Project: A Dreamer's Reality Current Job: Program Manager, College Confident FIELD RESEARCHER CARPENTER EDUCATION HORTICULTURALIST SPECIAL EDUCATION PLANNER CONSULTANT TEACHER AERODYNAMICIST ANIMAL RIGHTS ATHLETIC DIRECTOR CHILDREN'S MAGAZINE ADVOCATE PASTOR THERAPIST EDITOR FILMMAKER WEAVER CASE MANAGER ENVIRONMENTAL ADMINISTRATOR BOTANIST PARALEGAL STATISTICAL PLANNER RESTORATION CONSULTANT WRITER DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER ECOLOGIST HEALTH COACH DIRECTOR ASSISTANT ATTORNEY ARBORIST DOCTOR OF CETACEAN AND ARTICULATION GENERAL ARTIST OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE WILDLIFE ARTIST SUPERVISOR SALAMANDER OCCUPATIONAL ECOLOGIST ELECTRICIAN AQUATIC LOGY V G TRAINER TH TEAC AD SION NSELOR CO DINATOR GRANT WRITER ANIMAL BE NT EC RIST MARINE BIOLOC MAKER URBAN G CHOO IDATE ISE MANAC ULPTO AGING ANIMATOR TECHNICIAN BUSINESS OWNER ADVOCATE WILDLIFE TECHNICIAN SPANISH TEACHER DANCER NCET SCHOOL MICROBIOLOGIST CURATOR GENEALOGIST DOULA COA ADMINISTRATOR NSTRUCTOR CHEF RESEARCHER ACQUISITIONS FIREFIGHTER PSYCHOLOGIST MANAGER HEALTH EDUCATOR FIBERARTIST JOURNALIST DOCUMENTARY STONE MASON CONSERVATION ECOLOGIST FILMMAKER COMMUNITY HERITAGE CHILDREN'S BOOK COORDINATOR ETHNOBOTANIST COORDINATOR LANDSCAPE DESIGNER AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR DESIGNER BIOLOGIST LAW STUDENT ECONOMIST SUMMER CAMP FUNDRAISER RESEARCH TECHNICIAN GAME WARDEN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DIRECTOR PARK SPECIALIST INTERNSHIP REST COA's emphasis on field research, independent study, interdisciplinary thinking, and INATOR internships translates directly to the world of work. TEACHER FOSTER CARE ORNITHOLOGIST PHOTOJOURNALIST FOURTH GRADE ADMINISTRATOR EIGHTH GRADE DIRECTOR TEACHER COMMUNITY OUTREACH JEWELF Alumni often report that their close connections with COA faculty help facilitate EDUCATOR important professional connections that launch them into their careers or graduate OWNER school. Among them: the Executive Vice President of Conservation International, one ADVOCATE of Maine's two Congressional Representatives, and the co-founder and president of Newman's Own Organics. Other graduates have become marine biologists, composers, PROTECTIVE restaurateurs, attorneys, entrepreneurs, teachers, organic farmers, artists, writers, social BAND MEMBER SOCI workers, doctors, veterinarians, molecular geneticists, and public policy experts. ADVOCATE BREWMASTER PLAYWRIGHT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EXPEDITION LEADER COA alumni are tied together not just by their connections with the college, but also by UDENTS their concern for the world around them and their desire to make a positive impact in TOR ORGANIC LANDSCAPER their communities. GALLERY MANAGER GARDENER WEBSITE DEVELOPER FAMILY PRACTICE MARINE RESEARCHER LANDSCAPE PLANNER RESIDENT MASSAGE THERAPIST COA alumni go on to careers in a wide range of fields: 22% natural science; 17% arts and DEPUT MANAGER INTER design; 17% education; 16% administration, business, and computer technology; 14% social services, government, and law; 10% health; 4% other areas. FOOD PANTRY FOUNDER CINEMATOGRAPHER MANAGER ORGANIZER COASTAL RESOURCE EDITOR Approximately 67% of COA graduates pursue advanced degrees at a wide range of HYDROLOGIST ACOUSTI universities including: Antioch University New England, Boston University, Columbia NAGER University, Cornell University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Lesley EDIAN GRAPH University, London School of Economics, New York University, Rochester Institute FORESTER of Technology, Tufts University, University of British Columbia, University of Maine, AUTHOR RADIOLOGIST Vermont Law School, and Yale University. INSTRUCTOR NOVELIST DEPUTY CITY COMPUTER LIBRARIAN PROGRAM MANAGER ATTORNEY CONSULTANT FARM MANAGER CERAMICS TEACHER FLORIST PAINTER VETERINARIAN ARCHITECT PROFESSOR OF BOAT CARPENTER MEDICINE PROFESSOR REGISTERED NURSE COMMUNITY EDUCATOR ADJUNCT FACULTY CLINICAL CASE 63 FARMER MASON MUSEUM EDUCATOR MANAGER ENTREPRENEUR MEDICAL STUDENT Meg Trau '12 Curatorial Assistant, Museum of Science, Boston Internships: Spruce Knob Mountain Center, Circleville, WV; Delaware Museum of Natural History, Wilmington, DE Senior project: The Human Ecology of Weeds: A Museum Exhibit After graduation, Meg worked as an exhibit development intern at the EcoTarium in Worcester, MA. Now a curatorial assistant at the Museum of Science in Boston, Meg curates the Natural Mysteries exhibit, works on exhibit installations, and cares for the museum's collection of natural history and technology objects. "I was looking for a college community that shared my values, that really cared about learning, and was engaged with the world. That is precisely what I found and what kept me at COA. "The process of putting together a senior project is a wonderful opportunity that many college students do not have in their undergrad years. It allows for the synthesis of ideas and the practical application of skills that are valuable bridges from college to the 'real world.' For me, working on a long-term project that had a concrete result-an exhibit in the Dorr Museum of Natural History-was challenging and fulfilling, and having created all of the components of my very own exhibit was a unique experience to have when entering into the museum world. And the skills I gained from my senior project are still relevant in my work today!" 64 Juan Olmedo de la Sota-Riva '12 Company Representative, Agro-Productores del Rincón, Mexico Internship: Domaine de la Croix Fees, Auvergne, France Senior project: Deep Roots, Dry Soil: Perennials in Semi-Arid Agroecosystems Now back in Mexico on his family's farm, Juan is working to build a business he began while in the COA sustainable enterprise hatchery. As the legal representative of Agro- Productores del Rincón, he is raising funds to begin commercially transforming the farm's agave and goat milk into syrup and cheese. "COA taught me to think out of the box. I considered myself a technician and the college turned me into a human ecologist, seeing the complexities beyond technical issues. Now I cannot see anything without seeing the big picture. "My favorite COA class was "Our Daily Bread: Following Grains through the Food System." In this class we explored the food chain from wheat fields to grocery stores and kitchens, passing through mills, bakeries, and shops. The class started in Maine, and then took us to the UK and Germany where we gained insight into how to deal with issues in the Maine food system." 65 Admission COA approaches the admission process much as we approach learning: with a focus on the individual strengths of each student, encouraging creativity, and with the hope that you will both ask lots of questions and share your ideas with us. Students may choose to apply either Regular Decision or Early Decision. Early Decision applications are binding, meaning that the applicant is committing to enroll at COA if admitted. COA accepts the Common Application. To start your application visit www.commonapp.org. College of the Atlantic's CEEB code is 3305. GETTING IN A Complete Application Includes: 1. Completed Common Application 2. $50 application fee 3. At least two teacher recommendations 4. Official transcripts of all academic work from high school and college 5. A personal interview, though not required, is strongly encouraged 6. Standardized test scores are not required, but you are welcome to submit SAT or ACT scores if you choose 66 67 WHAT WE LOOK FOR All applications are reviewed by the Admission Committee, which is comprised of current students, faculty, and staff. The committee looks for: Academic preparation Intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for learning A tendency to seek out intellectual and personal challenges A desire to be a part of a small college with a focus on environmental sustainability and social justice Transfer or Visiting Students Approximately 20% of COA students start at COA as transfer students from other institutions. A student may transfer a maximum of 18 credits to COA (the equivalent of two years of study, or 60 semester hours/90 quarter hours). Although an evaluation of credit is not final until after enrollment, students may receive preliminary evaluations by contacting the registrar. Students who wish to spend one or more terms at COA and transfer college credit to another institution should apply as a visiting student. Advanced Placement/ International Baccalaureate COA credit will be granted for scores of '4' or higher on Advanced Placement (AP) exams. For International Baccalaureate (IB) work, two COA credits will be given for scores of '5' or higher on HL exams. A full year's credit may be awarded for a score of '34' or higher on the comprehensive exam. The credits are officially recorded following successful completion of the student's first year at COA. International Students International students from a wide array of geographic regions comprise about 18% of COA's student body. In addition to the regular application requirements, international students are required to submit one of the following: TOEFL score, SAT critical reading and writing scores, SAT II writing test score, or predicted IB score for English. International students are also required to submit a declaration of finances form. We are proud to offer the Davis United World College Scholarship to students who graduate from the United World Colleges and are admitted to COA. Dates & Deadlines Early Decision I December 1 Application Due December 10 FAFSA and Financial Aid Form Due December 15 Response to Applicants January 10 Enrollment Deposit Due Early Decision Il January 15 Application Due January 20 FAFSA and Financial Aid Form Due January 30 Response to Applicants February 15 Enrollment Deposit Due Regular Decision February 1 Application & FAFSA Due March 15 Response to Applicants May 1 Enrollment Deposit Due Transfer Admission March 15 Application & FAFSA Due April 15 Response to Applicants May 15 Enrollment Deposit Due Students may also apply to start at COA in the winter or spring trimesters. For more information, visit www.coa.edu/apply. Admission & Financial Aid Staff Phone: 1-800-528-0025 Email: inquiry@coa.edu Heather Albert-Knopp Dean of Admission Donna McFarland Associate Director of Admission & Student Services Nina Emlen Assistant Director of Admission Linda Black Admission & Financial Aid Assistant Bruce Hazam Director of Financial Aid Dominika DelMastro Assistant Director of Financial Aid Costs & Financial Aid COA offers both merit-based and need-based financial aid. Approximately 85% of our students receive need-based aid, and the average aid package meets 95% of the student's demonstrated need. Each year we also award several merit- based Presidential and Dean scholarships to those students exhibiting exceptional academic achievements and citizenship qualities. The college also offers a number of special scholarships, which can be found online at www.coa.edu/coa-scholarships. All applicants are considered for COA's merit scholarships-there is no need to submit a separate scholarship application. 2016-2017 costs: Tuition: $42,993 Basic Fees: $549 Room: $6,210 Board: $3,537 Total: $53,289 Estimates for expenses that are not billed: $1,680 (including books, supplies, transportation) The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be available October 1 and must be submitted by February 1. Applicants should also submit COA's institutional aid application no later than February 1. The colleges Title IV code is 011385. Our financial aid staff has years of experience helping students and families navigate the intricacies of applying for financial aid. Please don't hesitate to contact them with your questions, or look for more information on our website: www.coa.edu/ costs-financial-aid. College of the Atlantic Campus Map 7 = Student Housing 9 8 10 11 et 6 3 2 5 1 EDEN STREET 4 TO FLESWORTH 1. Ceramic Studio 6. Kaelber Hall 7. College Pier 9. Deering Common 2. Animation & 3D Studios Admission & 8. Turrets Student Lounge Financial Aid Offices Allied Whale Sea Urchin Café 3. Gates Community Center & Thorndike Library Blum Gallery Educational Studies Center Health & Wellness Center Blair Dining Hall 10. Davis Center for International 4. Dorr Museum of Natural History (Take-A-Break) and Regional Studies 5. Arts and Sciences Building 11. Witchcliff VISITING COA Visiting is a wonderful way to get to know the College of the Atlantic community. While you're here you can sit in on classes, meet with students and professors, check out campus activities, have an admission interview, and sample our award-winning food at the Blair Dining Hall or Sea Urchin Café. It's best to visit on weekdays when term is in session. You can either come for the day and take a campus tour at 10 am or 2 pm, or stay overnight. During the school year, a guest room is available for prospective students who would like to stay overnight in a campus residence. For those wishing to stay on campus, please schedule your stay at least two weeks in advance to confirm that space is available. To schedule a four and interview, please contact the Admission Office. If you are unable to travel to Maine for a visit, we are also happy to connect you with a faculty member, current student, or admission counselor by phone or email. Contact the admission office to set up your visit: inquiry@coa.edu, 1-800-528-0025. COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC 105 Eden Street : Bar Harbor ME 04609 800-528-0025 inquiry@ coa.edu www.coa.edu