A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE OF HUMAN ECOLOGY ON THE MAINE COAST spotting seabirds > the college's Alice Eno Field Station is located on Great Duck Island, twelve miles south of Bar Harbor. College of the Atlantic life changing world changing > 2006-2007 kayla hartwell, '07 hometown East Andover, NH high school Proctor Academy, Andover, NH > internship Received the Kathryn Davis Advanced Studies Award and traveled to Belize, Mexico and Guatemala, visiting three wildlife rescue centers that rehabilitated howler and spider monkeys. Interned at the Asociacion de Rescate y Conservacion deVida Sivilestre caring for monkeys that had been rescued from the illegal pet trade. senior project Working at a rehabilitation center, the Wildlife Care Center of Belize, reintroducing four howler monkeys to the wild and monitoring their behavior throughout the process. > life after COA "Living in a jungle and studying monkeys of course! But regardless of when this happens, I will eventually continue on to graduate school." > classes taken at COA Anthropology of the Yucatan "While I was going through the Articulated Identities: Community, State, process of searching for colleges, and Nation in Latin America COA just kept on popping up as a choice Beginning Spanish II that fit my interests. I wanted a college that Biology I, II was small, progressive, and valued the envi- Chemistry I, II ronment. But I wasn't completely sure about Conquest, Resistance, and Accomodation COA until I visited the campus. I was blown in Yucatan: 1500-1920 away by how beautiful it was. Ecology: Natural History "When I came to COA, I was sure that Environmental Issues is Developing Countries I wanted to study animal behavior and ecol- Environmental Law and Policy ogy, but not human ecology. I didn't really Herpetology Human Anatomy and Physiology II understand what human ecology was all Human Ecology Core Course about, and how it was connected to my Introduction to Applied Spanish interest in animals. It wasn't until I applied it Introduction to Journalism to real life, in my internships, that I made the connection. My personal experi- Invertebrate Zoology ence working in wildlife conservation in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize made Island Life me realize how my studies are interconnected with human ecology." Jazz, Rock, and Blues In the period leading up to the war in Iraq, Kayla worked with other stu- Life Drawing dents and a Bar Harbor peace action group lobbying and petitioning against Mammalogy the war. Their efforts led to a town council meeting where the community Organic Chemistry I voted to label Bar Harbor "a city of peace," joining other cities across the Spanish Language and Mexican Culture country that were openly opposing the war. "How does this relate to my stud- Tutorial: Animal Behavior ies? War affects everyone and everything including the animals. COA has Tutorial: Technical and Professional Writing made me think creatively about who I am and what my values really are." Tutorial: Writing for the Sciences Winter Ecology > what we do, how it's different, and why it matters. Look at the world around you. If what you see A curriculum with a conscience makes you worried, or sad, or frustrated, keep The students, faculty, and staff at College of the reading. If it doesn't, stop now because we don't Atlantic all believe that a healthier, cleaner, more want to waste your time. COA engages students sane, just, and peaceful world is possible. Our who are passionate in their conviction that posi- interdisciplinary curriculum embodies this con- tive change for a better world is possible. COA's viction: a glance at our course catalog illustrates unique human ecology curriculum gives students that a COA education really is different. the tools and hands-on experience to embark on In fact, it's different in ways you may not sus- a journey of real and relevant learning: life pect. You'll have to work harder. Field research changing, world changing. takes time, and there will be data to analyze, There are no pre-defined majors at COA. The reports to write, presentations to make, all in arts, sciences, and humanities are integrated to addition to your regular class work and reading encourage students to cross boundaries, chal- for each course. lenge assumptions, and discover new synergies. COA is a community of learners, and you'll Your course of study will be self-directed, indi- learn as much outside the classroom as in it. vidualized, and diverse. You'll be encouraged to express your opinions, You'll be both challenged and supported; but you'll be expected to defend them in com- you'll learn that the right questions are more munity dialogue. The contradictions and chal- important than the right answers. You'll learn lenges you encounter will bring you new the how as well as the what. Perhaps most perspectives. You'll see the world in a different importantly, you'll learn to utilize your education light, and you'll be empowered to make it a in the pursuit of your passions. better place. >1< steve ressel > professor of biology and ecology leads a winter ecology field trip. human ecology Since its founding in 1969, members of the college community have been wrestling with the issue: just what exactly is Human Ecology? The short answer might be that Human Ecology is the study of the relationships between humans and our social and natural communities. The longer answer is that there are few short answers at College of the Atlantic. At the heart of Human Ecology is the commitment to making a pos- itive and particular difference in the world. Likewise, the heart of the nur curriculum at COA is giving students the tools to make that difference. Human Ecology is commitment to community; it champions the individual. It's radical and traditional. It's technological and it's organic. It's practical and hypothetical. It's something you and your classmates will discuss, often intensely, over your four years at COA. ecology