Haverford Fall 2011 : Page 29determinants, and to ask even more exciting by the broad questions about energy and enthusiasm of Students in the Case affected populations,” the students. It is clear from Studies in Environmental the classes that they are real-Issues class on an October he says. “It’s very rare to have ly concerned about envi-field trip to an urban farm in Philadelphia. a scientist and a non-sci-ronmental questions and entist together teaching a class and stu-some of them are already engaged in dents have responded very positively to doing work on environmental issues.” that,” says White about the Case Studies “What is also unique is the way the course, which is meant to serve as an program has been designed,” Anand says. introduction to Environmental Studies. “It is interdisciplinary without watering “When I am teaching, I really want stu-anything down. The science in this pro-dents to understand what the scientific gram will not be science for nonmajors. underpinnings are. We look at numbers. We want students to get a very deep We look at figures. We look at data. Then, understanding of both science and social because he is an anthropologist, Nikhil science.” But visual arts or literature problematizes all of that. He says, ‘OK, majors could also find the minor’s deeply these are the figures, but what are the interdisciplinary approach a good fit, questions you are asking? Are these the he believes. “Issues around food and questions you should be asking? How water are not just questions for science, do the questions change?’ ” they are questions for the humanities as “We are both used to walking between well,” he says. the disciplines, and I think it’s exciting Benston believes the Environmental for students to see that,” says White, who Studies minor will also attract Haverford hopes to incorporate more field trips into students interested in the social justice the Case Studies course in the future. issues that are intertwined with so many “Part of it is to have students experience pressing environmental problems. “We the environment, but it is also to have are a college with a long and complex students interact with Nikhil, Jon and interest in social justice, so we want stu-me in the environment, which is where dents not just to have the grounding to we do our work,” she says. “I would love think about environmental problems as to do something like follow a river to the open to technical solutions, but also to ocean. That’s exciting, but logistically understand their historical and cultural //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// challenging. Fortunately, we have a lot of support to figure that out.” There is also support, she says, for faculty across the board to develop more courses with an Environmental Studies aspect. “It is really nice to be at the center of something so new,” says Jonathan Wilson, who sits in on nearly every session of White and Anand’s Case Studies course, and has also stepped in several times as a guest lecturer. Wilson is also co-teaching the senior seminar in Environmental Studies at Bryn Mawr with political scientist Carol Hager. “The amount of expertise that is out there is just wonderful,” Wilson says. “We profit from their history at Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore in developing Environmen-tal Studies programs.” “This program is a big part of the rea-son I came to Haverford,” says Wilson, who in the spring will teach a junior biol-ogy seminar that will combine paleon-tology, climatology and biochemistry. “With a program like this, at a school like this, we really have the opportunity to create the next generation of truly interdisciplinary approaches to the envi-ronment. I hope our students go on to graduate school and become scientists. And I hope some of our students go on to work for the EPA and advise members of Congress.” //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// PHOTO: HELEN K. WHITE Fall 2011 29 Publication List Using a screen reader? Click Here |
