alamy work. COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC 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 tour and interview, please contact the Admission Office. If you are unable to travel to Maine for a visit, we are happy to connect you with a faculty member, current student, or admission counselor by phone or email. Schedule your visit at coa.edu/visit. 3 Welcome & Overview 4 Mission & History 11 Academics 28 Courses 40 Faculty 48 Community 60 Mount Desert Island 62 Life After COA 66 Admission 72 Campus Map COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC 2017-2018 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 se MCMLXIX 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--t 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. 5 Construction of the T omas S. Gates, Jr. mmunity 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. working Saren Peetz to help '15, pictured with the solar array at COA's Peggy Rockefeller sources. local communities better meet their energy needs from renewable Farms, is 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" Ben SHANN 10 Every student at COA designs their 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. I 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 ! 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 an eleven-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 20 of Peru near the Supe South Puerto. American Earth Systems 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 SCIENCE + SOCIAL CULTURE = HUMAN ECOLOGY Nadia Harerimana '18 Kigali, Rwanda and Bujumbura, Burundi Internship: Biomedical Researcher at The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME Work-study job: Chemistry Lab "During my time here, I have been able to design my own education with the freedom that COA's open curriculum provides. I've focused on biology research and writing-intensive courses. In addition, I was able to personalize my COA experience in the classroom and beyond. I think COA gives you the opportunity to discover what empowers you. You get to pursue your intellectual passions, and it directs you toward the path that your goals inspire you to go. For me, the idea of human ecology is to have a public service mentality- a mentality to improve lives, explore, and shape human connections to natural resources." 22 COLLEGE # SEPARATE FROM REAL LIFE; REAL LIFE = +/- HUMAN ECOLOGY Hakim Noah '18 Leverett, MA Internship: Marketing Intern with White Whale, Oakland, CA Work-study job: Beech Hill Farm and Communications Team "I transferred to COA from a more traditional college that talked the talk but didn't walk the walk. I saw COA as a place where I could turn my passions from 'outside the classroom into my actual path of study as part of my degree. This turned out to be true, and I've been able to turn pretty much every assignment into a chance to explore the questions and topics that are most meaningful to me-things I would be 'studying' even if I wasn't in school. This is really what sets COA apart: nothing has to be separate from your education. Where many schools force you to box yourself into a major, COA encourages you to just be yourself, and allow the fullest expression of that person to guide the choices you make within the (un) bounds of a degree." 23 SCIENCE + COMMUNICATION + SUSTAINABILITY = HUMAN ECOLOGY Kaitlyn Clark '19 Rocklin, CA Internship: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland "I chose COA because I wanted to move away from my hyper-focus on grades, SAT scores, and class rank in high school. My fixation on these modes of evaluation had stifled my passion for learning and COA seemed like the perfect place to reconnect with that passion. At COA, students are actively encouraged to pursue their passions as far as they can go in any directions they choose. In my studies, I can explore my love of the ocean by focusing on local organisms through science classes and research projects and by participating in community meetings about resource use and fishing practices. One of my favorite moments SO far was sharing my excitement about intertidal organisms with a fisherman who I met at a touch tank at a statewide fisheries meeting; he was just as excited as I was!" 24 (EXPLORING NEW THINGS + SELF-MOTIVATION) - RIGID STRUCTURE = HUMAN ECOLOGY Donovan Glasgow '20 Corrales, NM Work-study job: Writing Center "Right before I first transferred to COA, I felt nervous. I was coming to the school in the middle of the year, I knew absolutely no one, and-to top it off-this type of community was alien to me. I grew up in a city: my high school's graduating class was larger than COA's entire student body. Coming from a different world, I worried I wouldn't connect with people. Nothing could've been further from the truth. With two terms under my belt, I can safely say that the relationships I've built with friends and professors will last a lifetime. COA is like a small town, and the connections formed here are deep and exceptional. Because of the diversity of the student body and the calm, amicable culture of the school, I have gained valuable insight into the type of person I want to be and the type of work I want to do." 25 CLIMATE CHANGE + DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS + KAYAKING = HUMAN ECOLOGY Margherita Tommasini '18 Trieste, Italy Internship: Energy Fellow at MDI Clean Energy Partners Work-study job: Resident Advisor Off-campus study: Samso, Denmark for the course Rethinking Energy: Paris, France & Marrakech, Morocco as part of the COA Delegation for the UN Climate Change Negotiations "COA has always felt like home. In the classroom, my professors know me for my qualities and my interests. In the dorms, every weekend I have a community dinner with the other residents; we share a meal and catch up on how the week has been. Since that very first August sunset I have loved every aspect of my experience here at COA: the meals in Take-A-Break, the field trips to Beech Hill Farm, the open mics, the pick-up soccer games on the lawn, and every conversation shared with a fellow student, professor, and staff member." 26 SYSTEMS + CRITIQUE + JUSTICE = HUMAN ECOLOGY Jenna Farineau '18 Louisville, KY Internships: Communications/Environmental Education Intern at Greener Impact International in Accra Ghana; Communications/Agroecology Intern at ActionAid Senegal in Tambacounda and Dakar, Senegal Work-study job: Coordinator of Share the Harvest at Beech Hill Farm "Before coming to COA, I found myself at a crossroad of choosing to pursue my passion for the environment or my passion for the arts. COA and human ecology provided me with the platform to not choose one over the other, but to instead realize there is indeed a relationship between commitment to art and commitment to the environment. Just like art teaches me patience, culture, and conservation, so have the farmers, the Appalachian Mountains, and the national parks. Human Ecology cultivates interconnection that is SO crucial for understanding how and why the world operates as it does." 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 coa.edu/courses. Practicing a stand-up routine in the Science of Comedy class. 28 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 29 COMMUNICATING SCIENCE CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOLOGY: This course is designed for science MIND, 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 involves not only learning to write an continue to struggle with these classical 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 selection, organization, and layering of AND 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 examine issues of botanical, mammalian, interpretive material for the George B. Dorr Natural History Museum at the etc. diversity and abundance, and the significance of the full array of species College of the Atlantic. Faculty: Dru Colbert in more general studies of land-use and protective strategies. Students will meet during the winter term to discuss a range DEMOCRACY: MODELS, of articles and book-chapters dealing THEORIES, QUESTIONS with aspects of conservation biology and Costa Rican natural history and culture Democracy is a word you hear constantly during the winter term but the major in contemporary political discourse. emphasis of the course will be a two-week Most people seem to think it's a good immersion in key habitats within Costa thing, but they might not always agree Rica itself during the March break. Non- on what the "it" is. Perhaps we should travel days will consist of early to late- take a moment to unpack the idea of morning fieldwork, afternoon lectures/ democratic governance in our world. presentations followed by early evening to What do we mean when we call something late night fieldwork. The course is based a democracy? Why do we naturally out of three field sites: lowland Caribbean assume that democracy is a good thing? slope rainforest at Tirimbina ecological Is it? Should we promote it? How is reserve in north central Costa Rica, democratic governance conceptualized montane forest of the Arenal and Tenorio across various societies and publics, volcanic region, and Pacific slope dry today and in the past? How are these forest of the Nicoya Peninsula. Faculty: various models of democracy encoded John Anderson and Steve Ressel with certain assumptions about the relationship of the individual subject CURIOSITY AND WONDER: DESIGN & to the world around them? What does the discourse of the democratic mean in INTERPRETATION IN THE MUSEUM contemporary society? This seminar will From "cabinet of curiosity" to cover all of these questions and more. "exploratorium," this studio course We start with some basic definitional surveys contemporary museum activities questions and from there springboard into and methods of communication through a host of challenging topics pertaining visual display, space, and interaction. to how governance is conceptualized. Students will engage in a project We will cover theoretical conceptions development process to refine "big ideas," of governance and power, empirical determine educational goals, and learn observations of the functioning of techniques to design and build their democratic forms, and grounded questions projects. Class participants will gain an of practice when applied to contemporary understanding of factors that influence problems. Along the way we will draw on learning, media, and modes that may be concrete examples from the international, utilized to communicate complex content, national, local, and (not surprisingly) the and how meaning is constructed by the COA level. Faculty: Jamie McKown 31 DRAWING MINERAL AND BOTANICAL ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN MATTER IN THE FOREST OF MAINE AQUATIC SYSTEMS Viewed as a regular practice, the This course is an intensive field course descriptive power of drawing can intensify that focuses on research design, the experience of observational fieldwork, collaborative fieldwork, and data analysis provide the draughtsperson with a richer and interpretation for ecological studies understanding of the cycles within a done in local aquatic ecosystems. Within landscape, and deepen our relationship the broad category of aquatic habitats 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 LAW educators. The major objective of the course is to examine how notions of AND POLICY femininity, masculinity, and androgyny This course provides an overview of have influenced and are influenced environmental law and the role of law by schooling historically and globally. in shaping environmental policy. We Activities include a historical case examine, as background, the nature study, media critique, fieldwork in an and scope of environmental, energy, educational setting, a literature review, and resource problems and evaluate and curriculum development. Students the various legal mechanisms available will conduct research on self-chosen topics to address those problems. The course such as gender identity development, attempts to have students critically gender differences in learning styles, analyze the role of law in setting and sexual harassment in schools, or school implementing environmental policy. sports programs, among others. Faculty: We explore traditional common law Bonnie Tai remedies, procedural statutes such as the National Environmental Policy Act, FEMINIST THEORY IN A intricate regulatory schemes, and market- TRANSNATIONAL FRAME based strategies that have been adopted to control pollution and protect natural We will address periods of feminist resources. Students are exposed to a wide thought that have been significant in range of environmental law problems in shaping the concerns of transnational order to appreciate both the advantages feminisms, including 1970s US feminism, and limitations of law in this context. French feminism, postcolonial theory, and Marxist thought. Over the course of the Special attention is given to policy debates term, we will consider how differences currently underway and the use of the across national borders have informed legal process to foster the development of discussions about transnational feminist a sustainable society in the United States. solidarity. Faculty: Netta van Vliet Faculty: Ken Cline FROM NATIVE EMPIRES TO FEMININITY AND MASCULINITY GO NATION STATES TO SCHOOL: GENDER, POWER & ED This course is a history of Latin America This course pivots around two central from Native American contact cultures questions: How does gender influence through the contemporary period covering students learning and experiences of socio-political processes. An emphasis school, curriculum and instruction, is placed on the fusion of pre-contact teacher-student relationships, school societies into a new socio-cultural culture and administration? And how formation in the colonial period, and then do schools perpetuate, resist, and the shared yet divergent history of the construct gendered identities and gender region after the collapse of colonial rule. roles? In this course we will investigate In the second half the class emphasizes research on gender differences and school the rise of the nation state in Latin achievement, the feminization of the America with particular emphasis on teaching profession, and the effects of dictatorship and rebellions. The course gender on school culture, considering uses traditional texts, novels, and film evidence from and questions posed by to explore this huge geographical and biologists, psychologists, sociologists, chronological expanse. Faculty: Todd Little- anthropologists, historians, and Siebold 33 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 will data, maps, photos, and analysis of the examine case studies to understand the local and regional geology. Faculty: Sarah benefits and pitfalls of different strategies Hall and their potential to create social and environmental change. During the course GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS: students will learn how to create financial THEORY AND PRACTICE projections and evaluate the financial returns of enterprises. For their final This course will cover the politics project, students will have to structure and policy of regional and global an investment platform that generates environmental issues, including many returns financially, socially, and/or of the major environmental treaties that environmentally. Faculty: Jay Friedlander have been negotiated to date (Montreal Protocol, Framework Convention on INTRODUCTION TO OCEANOGRAPHY Climate Change, Convention on Biological Diversity). Students will gain both Planet Earth is misnamed. Seawater covers practical and theoretical understandings approximately 70% of the planet's surface, of how treaties are negotiated and in one giant all-connected ocean. This implemented, through case studies of ocean has a profound effect on the planet's the climate change convention and the climate, chemistry, ecosystem, and energy Cartagena protocol on biosafety. We will resources. Billions of years ago life began draw on both mainstream and critical there, in what now we regard as the last theories of international relations when unexplored frontier of this planet. In this analyzing these negotiations. Students course we examine the various disciplines will become familiar with the range of within oceanography, including aspects political stances on different treaties of geology and sedimentology, chemical, of various nations and blocs, and the dynamic, and biological oceanography. political, economic, cultural, and scientific The course concludes with an introduction reasons for diverging and converging to marine ecosystems examined at views. We will pay special attention to the various trophic levels, including phyto/ growing role played by non-governmental zooplankton, fish and other macrofauna. organizations in global environmental Fieldwork includes trips on M/V politics. We will conclude the course with Osprey, trips to intertidal and estuarine discussions of some current controversial ecosystems, and possible visits to the areas in international environmental college's islands, Mount Desert Rock and politics. Faculty: Doreen Stabinsky Great Duck Island. Faculty: Sean Todd 34 JAZZ, ROCK, AND BLUES: LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE FROM THEIR ORIGINS TO PRESENT DESIGN 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 composers as well as an analysis of AND SPIRITUALITY the more influential soloists and groups. A survey of Anglo-American literature The course includes technical background from the Scientific Revolution to the into the various common musical "bonds present. Focuses on the ongoing debate of union" between Jazz, Rock, and about the role of science in Western Blues, as well as discussion concerning culture, the potential benefits and the permeation of these characteristics dangers of scientific experimentation, the into secular and non-secular music of spiritual, religious, social and political the 1900s. There is considerable study issues that come about with the Ages of of the social significance of the music, Discovery and Reason, and their treatment exploration of the broad cultural and in literature. Specific debates include artistic aspects of the music, how these concerns over what is "natural," whether styles changed and evolved, and how their knowledge is dangerous, the perils of growth related to parallel changes in fine objectivity, and the mind/body dichotomy; art music. Faculty: John Cooper works include Shelley's Frankenstein, 35 Ibsen's An Enemy of the People, Brecht's society has been forced to evolve. The Galileo, Lightman's Einstein's Dreams, and provincial government looks towards oil Naylor's Mama Day as well as short stories and mineral exploitation to turn around and poems. Faculty: Karen Waldron the economy, while ex-fishermen consider eco-and cultural tourism with growing MARVELOUS TERRIBLE PLACE: HUMAN ambivalence. This then is our setting, and ECOLOGY OF NEWFOUNDLAND background, for an intense examination of the human ecology of this province; Where is the largest population of the relationship between humans and humpback whales in the world, the their environment, sometimes successful, largest caribou herd in North America, sometimes otherwise, the struggle the only confirmed Viking settlement between the tenuous grasp of civilization in North America, and Paleozoic water and this marvelous, terrible place. To bottled for consumption? The remote do this we will discuss various readings, Canadian province of Newfoundland and examine case studies and review the Labrador presents a stunning landscape, natural and human history of this unique an astoundingly rich ecological setting, province. Our learning will culminate and a tragic history of poverty amidst an with a two-week trip to Newfoundland to incredible natural resource, the northern examine its issues firsthand. Faculty: Sean cod fishery, that was ultimately destroyed. Todd The province has been alternately invaded or occupied by different groups of Native MICROECONOMICS FOR BUSINESS Americans along with Norsemen, Basques, AND POLICY French, British, and the U.S. military, because of its strategic location and rich What is the best way to insure that fishing and hunting grounds. One of the communities can provide dependable, first and one of the last British colonies, well-paying jobs to their citizens? Why this richest of fisheries produced a does Coca Cola spend millions of dollars very class based society, composed of a to advertise a product with which most wealthy few urban merchants and a highly people are already very familiar? What exploited population of fishing families can the game of blackjack tell us about often living on the edge of survival. But how industries are structured? How within the past 50 years, Newfoundland can we get coal-burning power utilities 36 to reduce their carbon emissions while and an essentially contested concept they save millions of dollars in the which means quite different things to process? How can we provide much different people. This course focuses on better health care to all Americans, at the philosophical tasks of sorting out much less cost, while making it easier for those different meanings and critically small businesses to grow? All of these analyzing the frameworks of ideas people questions, and many more like them, use to make sense of their notions of are answered by microeconomic theory. freedom and projects of liberation. It will This intermediate-level course exposes adopt an intellectual history approach students to basic microeconomic theories, that will include placing the texts in models, and concepts that shed insight their social and historical as well as on the economic behavior of businesses, philosophical contexts. Readings will individuals, governments and politicians, include works from Gandhi, Paulo Freire, and international organizations. We and writers from the open source and will emphasize approaches that have creative commons movements as well as numerous overlapping applications to selections from feminist, Buddhist, neo- both business and policy evaluation: liberal, Marxist, existentialist, and other markets, pricing, firm structure and traditions. Goals of the course are: 1) to decision-making, strategic behavior develop students' philosophical skills (using game theory), consumer behavior, in the interpretation of texts in their externalities (such as greenhouse gas historical context and the critical analysis emissions), and the provision of public of frameworks of ideas, 2) to develop goods (such as military, education, and their critical understanding of alternative environmental conservation). We will visions of freedom and liberation, and 3) pay special attention to the economics to develop their abilities to communicate of asymmetrical information (adverse sophisticated philosophical analysis in selection, moral hazard, and principal- written and oral forms. Faculty: Gray Cox agent situations) that have a wide range of applications, including issues such as POSTCOLONIAL AFRICAN CINEMA the ineffectiveness of the American health care system, the structuring of business Africa was the last continent to develop finance, and the hiring and paying of a culture of filmmaking controlled by its employees. This will be a non-calculus indigenous peoples; 1966 saw the first course, but will give students exposure African film to be produced independent to technical economic modeling, with of Colonial control (although still largely heavy emphasis on graphical modeling in an oppressor's language, in this case of complex social phenomena. We will French). The fact that African film was use a lab period to conduct extensive nascent at a time of worldwide revolution, experiments and games that illustrate or at a time in which most other filmmaking test economic concepts and hypotheses. regions were entering second or third Faculty: Davis Taylor waves of creative renewal, combined with a historical lack of financial support for PHILOSOPHIES OF LIBERATION the filmmaking enterprise- symptom of ubiquitous financial and political What is freedom, why might it be of instability-has resulted in some of the value, how might it be obtained, and most unique, diverse cinema of the past what consequences might liberation have fifty years. Ranging from the established, for individuals, classes, genders, ethnic artistic, state-regulated cinema of Burkina groups, races, nationalities, or species? Faso to the populist, truly independent In a wide variety of political, social, movies coming out of Nigeria (home of the religious, and cultural movements, the second-largest film-producing industry notion of freedom as achieved by some in the world), the African continent kind of liberation is a central theme, has given birth to new voices and new 37 541 TTS 38 models of production and distribution timeless. The course uses film, video, that challenge established norms. These live performance, and readings. Students models may offer a new paradigm for a gain practical experience through work worldwide industry which is struggling on classic routines, physical comedy in the face of fragmented audiences skills, and sketch development as well and new, potentially more egalitarian, as experimenting with the peculiar technologies. Although African films mathematics of comic timing. Together, we have been receiving worldwide acclaim for will try to pinpoint what actually makes decades, it is only recently that many of something funny and as importantly, why these ground-breaking films have received people crave laughter so much in the first attention or been available for viewing in place. Faculty: Jodi Baker the United States. Faculty: Colin Capers WINTER ECOLOGY PUZZLES, PARADOXES, AND In higher latitudes and higher altitudes of WEIRD THINGS the world, up to nine months of each year can be spent locked in winter. Although This course is an introduction to migratory species appear to have a philosophy and critical thinking by selective advantage over non-migratory considering traditional conceptual and species during the winter season, year- philosophical problems such as free will, round resident animals have evolved problems of perception, determinism, and a remarkable array of physiological, Zeno's paradoxes. After an examination morphological, and behavioral adaptations of the canons of scientific proof and that allow them to cope with potentially techniques of critical analysis various lethal environmental conditions. In this beliefs in ghosts, alien abduction, course, we focus on the special challenges telepathy, crop-circles, special creation, of animals wintering in northern astrology, 'psychic science," and other latitudes. Some of the topics that we popular beliefs are examined in detail. address are: the physical properties Faculty: John Visvader of snow and ice, general strategies of animals for coping with sub-freezing THE SCIENCE OF COMEDY temperatures, life in the subnivean environment, animal energetics and This course explores the nature nutrition, physiological acclimatization, and history of modern comedy and and humans and cold. There are two investigates the tools and techniques discussions/lectures and one field exercise of great comic performers. We'll cover every week, as well as two weekend the evolution of comedy aesthetics from field trips. Students should be prepared vaudeville and silent film to contemporary to spend a significant amount of time stand up and television and we'll outdoors in winter conditions. Faculty: explore what, if any sort of 'funny,' is Steve Ressel 39 FACULTY MEMBERS John Anderson Ken Cline BA, University of California, Berkeley BA, Hiram College MA, San Francisco State University JD, Case Western Reserve University PhD, University of Rhode Island Public Policy, Environmental Law Zoology, Behavioral Ecology, Anatomy, Physiology Catherine Clinger BFA, University of Kansas Nancy Evelyn Andrews MA, University of New Mexico BFA, Maryland Institute College of Art MPhil, University College London MFA, The School of the Art Institute of PhD, University of London Chicago Art History, Studio Art Performance Art, Video Production Dru Colbert Jodi Baker BFA, Auburn University BA, California State University, Fresno MFA, The School of the Art Institute of MFA, National Theatre Conservatory Chicago Performing Arts, Theatre Graphic Design, Three Dimensional Art and Design, Museum Studies Rich Borden BA, University of Texas Kourtney Collum PhD, Kent State University BS, Western Michigan University MS, PhD, University of Maine Psychology, Philosophy of Human Ecology Sustainable Food Systems Colin Capers John Cooper BA, MPhil, College of the Atlantic BA, MA, Trenton State Writing and Composition, Film Studies Music Fundamentals, Aesthetics of Music, Improvisation William Carpenter BA, Dartmouth College J. Gray Cox PhD, University of Minnesota BA, Wesleyan University Literature, Creative Writing, Comparative PhD, Vanderbilt University Mythology Social Theory, Political Economics 40 Dave Feldman Heather Lakey BA, Carleton College BA, MPhil, College of the Atlantic PhD, University of California, Davis MA, University of Oregon Mathematics, Physics PhD, University of Maine Philosophy, Feminist and Gender Theory, Sean Foley Bioethics, Ethics BFA, Herron School of Art MFA, Ohio State University Susan Letcher Painting, Drawing BA, Carleton College PhD, University of Connecticut, Storrs Jay Friedlander Plant Biology BA, Colgate University MBA, Olin Graduate School of Business Todd Little-Siebold Socially Responsible and Sustainable Business, Entrepreneurship BA, MA, University of Massachusetts, Amherst PhD, Tulane University Sarah Hall History, Latin American Studies BA, Hamilton College PhD, University of California, Santa Cruz Isabel Mancinelli Earth Science, Geology BS, Catholic University of America MLA, Harvard University Helen Hess Community and Regional Planning, BS, University of California, Los Angeles Landscape Architecture PhD, University of Washington Invertebrate Zoology, Biomechanics, Jamie McKown Genetics BA, Emory University MA, Georgia State University PhD, Northwestern University Ken Hill Government, Polity BA, University of Michigan EdM, Harvard University MS, PhD, Cornell University Suzanne R. Morse Education, Psychology BA, PhD, University of California, Berkeley Applied Botany, Plant Ecology, Sustainable Agriculture Anne Kozak BA, Salve Regina College MA, St. Louis University Writing 41 Karla Peña Sean Todd BA, Autonomous University of Yucatan BSc, University College of North Wales, UK MA, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, MSc, PhD, Memorial University, St. John's, Madrid Newfoundland Spanish Language, Yucatecan Culture Marine Mammalogy, Biology, Oceanography Chris Petersen Katharine Turok BA, University of California, Santa Barbara BA, Wheaton College PhD, University of Arizona MA, Rutgers University Marine Biology, Evolution, Field Ecology Writing and Composition, World Literature Stephen Ressel Netta van Vliet BS, Millersville University BA, Lewis and Clark College MS, University of Vermont MA, PhD, Duke University PhD, University of Connecticut Cultural Anthropology, Israeli Studies, Vertebrate Biology, Comparative Animal Physiology, Herpetology Politics, Religion, Globalization Doreen Stabinsky John Visvader BA, CUNY BA, Lehigh University PhD, University of Minnesota PhD, University of California, Davis 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 MA, University of Massachusetts, Boston Ecology, Natural History, Ornithology 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 In addition to the permanent faculty members included here, COA also hosts a range of adjunct and visiting faculty on a Davis F. Taylor regular basis. BS, United States Military Academy MS, PhD, University of Oregon Neoclassical and Ecological Economics 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 #1 Green Colleges #2 LGBTQ-Friendly #8 Professors Get High Marks #8 Most Active Student Government #11 Best Campus Food #14 Students Study the Most ALSO FEATURED IN Best Northeastern Colleges Best 382 Colleges 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 Jay Friedlander 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 46 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 51 Students manage COA's extensive composting system. #1 GREEN COLLEGE IN Food Waste AMERICA As ranked by The Princeton Review and Sierra Club 52 Solar panels on student housind A wood pellet boiler heats several campus buildings. Wind energy helps power COA's The college's solar-powered Beech Hill Farm. car charging station. ELECTRIC VEHICLE PARKING ONLY 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 m Gallery George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History Osprey Peggy Rockefeller Farms 1234799 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' 11 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 46-foot marine vessel, the Osprey. 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 c BARHARBOR 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 Desert Rock 60 2&7 PM CLEANING 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, with many local businesses open to serve the year-round community. The bookstore, natural food store, second-hand shop, cinema, outdoor gear supplier, yoga studio, and public library (all within a mile of campus) will likely be destinations at some point during your 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 LIFE AFTER COA COA's emphasis on field research, independent study, interdisciplinary thinking, and internships translates directly to the world of work. Alumni often report that their close connections with COA faculty help facilitate important professional connections that launch them into their careers or graduate school. Among them: the Executive Vice President of Conservation International, one of Maine's two Congressional Representatives, and the co-founder and president of Newman's Own Organics. Other graduates have become marine biologists, composers, restaurateurs, attorneys, entrepreneurs, teachers, organic farmers, artists, writers, social workers, doctors, veterinarians, molecular geneticists, and public policy experts. COA alumni are tied together not just by their connections with the college, but also by their concern for the world around them and their desire to make a positive impact in their communities. COA alumni go on to careers in a wide range of fields: 22% natural science; 17% arts and design; 17% education; 16% administration, business, and computer technology; 14% social services, government, and law; 10% health; 4% other areas. Approximately 67% of COA graduates pursue advanced degrees at a wide range of universities including: Antioch University New England, Boston University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Lesley University, London School of Economics, New York University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Tufts University, University of British Columbia, University of Maine, Vermont Law School, and Yale University. 62 69 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 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. ADMISSION 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 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, COA credit will be given for scores of "5" or higher on HL exams. International Students International students from a wide array of geographic regions comprise about 21% 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 II 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 Matt Shaw Assistant Director of Admission Linda Black Admission & Financial Aid Assistant Bruce Hazam Director of Financial Aid Amy McIntire Assistant to the 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 coa.edu/coa-scholarships. All applicants are considered for COA's merit scholarships-there is no need to submit a separate scholarship application. 2017-2018 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 online at coa.edu/costs-financial-aid College of the Atlantic Campus Map 72 7 = Student Housing 9 8 10 11 I 6 3 2 5 1 ONE WAY EDEN STREET 4 TO < TO ELLSWORTH 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 COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC: 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." Naomi Klein "Climate Change Is a Crisis We Can Only Solve Together" College of the Atlantic Commencement Address, June 6, 2015 COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC 105 Eden Street Bar Harbor ME 04609 800-528-0025 . inquiry@coa.edu www.coa.edu