Honors Course Archive

Between 1895 and 2015, the Seattle area grew from 40,000 people to over 4.2 million. In the next 25 years, Seattle will grow by another 1.5 million. While it is debatable exactly how “wild” the landscape was prior to European settlement of the region, it is undeniable that now virtually every piece of accessible habitat in the lowlands of the Puget Trough has been severely impacted by humans at one time or another, in some cases irrevocably. It was by stroke of luck (due in part to the inaccessibility of the terrain in the early days), and a big dash of courage from some forward-thinking leaders around the turn of the 19th Century, that Olympic National Park and other areas like it were saved from the ax and/or development. In only 25 miles as the crow (or eagle) flies from Seattle, an international hub of high tech industry, one can begin a walk into the Olympic Mountains, a roadless area of over 1 million acres (approximately 1600 sq miles), not to mention similar areas in the Cascade Range. It is this short gradient from ultra-urban to “wilderness”, that makes the region such an appealing place to live, as well as a unique place to reflect on landscape change (past, present, and future), and ramifications of this change (namely, the loss of “wild” spaces) for society in the Anthropocene.

Course format is a 9-day wilderness backpacking trip in Olympic National Park. Activities on the trip include: 1) student-led discussion of student-chosen readings and themes of the course, 2) contemplation and journal writing on the value and management of “wilderness”, and 3) direct observation of the effects of climate change and fragmentation on species and ecosystems. Prior to the trip, there will be online reading and discussion assignments. After the trip, an essay on a topic of each students’ choosing and general written reflection in the form of a blog post, will be required. Readings will draw from some classic American nature writers, as well as other sources including psychology, ecology, history, philosophy, local writers, and perspectives on “wilderness” and outdoor recreation from native Americans and other marginalized groups.

Course fee (in addition to regular UW tuition) is $215. UW will supply group camping gear and transportation. Students should supply sleeping bag, ground pad, backpack, and clothing-UW has some equipment to loan if needed. Course is limited to 10 students. No prior camping/backpacking experience is required or expected, but students should expect the trip to be physically challenging and should prepare for that challenge accordingly. The 9 day trip runs from a Saturday through to a Sunday, such that students working a summer job should only need to miss one 5-day work week.

More information on the course can be found here: https://timbillo.wordpress.com/2015/08/15/envir-495c-landscape-change-in-the-pacific-northwest-year-3/ or contact Tim Billo: timbillo@uw.edu

How can hundreds of thousands of people live, work, and play in close proximity to each other? What keeps them from fouling their dense environment and fighting with each other? What systems have been put in place to enable large populations to stay healthy, move around, secure food and water, and minimize conflict? Cities work because over painful centuries, systems have evolved that protect public health and safety while providing amenities that support the life and work of the people who live in the City. An extraordinary network of facilities and people work to make city life possible. Astonishingly, a very large network or array of services can depend on and be controlled from a single point, and an amazingly small amount of space and resources can serve a very large population. Humans have congregated in urban forms for millennia, but it took a long time to figure out how to manage their water and sewage, to provide power and transportation services, and to manage the sometimes challenging interactions among them and create thriving and diverse communities. This class will delve into the key structures that have been built up over time (and mostly in the last several centuries) to provide formal systems that make urban life possible. This course uses viewing and assessing urban systems and their contexts on the ground to tell the story of the city.

Participants will travel to key locations, meet with the people who run these systems and facilities, and tour the core services. As background, students will learn about the history of urban development and how the ways in which we design and manage cities evolved over time, along with some of the motivations and unintended consequences that we still live with and have to manage for the future.

Learn about prison while studying inside prison! This course is centered around a series of classes to be held at the Twin Rivers Unit of the Monroe Correctional Complex (about 45 minutes outside of Seattle); this is a medium-security prison unit for men. We will meet with a group of student-inmates there, sharing reading and writing assignments and developing a series of group projects focusing on education and other social justice issues related to incarceration. We will be at the prison every Wednesday during B term, departing from the UW around 11:00 am and arriving back at about 5:00 pm. We will also tour the entire facility and meet with the prison’s administrative staff and correctional officers. NO MAKE-UP sessions are possible, so please check your schedules.

Students will be required to submit information for clearance in order to enter the prison facility and they will be required to sign the UW’s Acknowledgement of Risk form; all students must be over 18. There are no exceptions to these requirements; some accommodations may not be possible. Class size will be limited to 12 students; transportation to and from the prison will be provided. Please contact the instructor, Claudia Jensen (cjensen@uw.edu), for more information.

Ecopoetics Along Shorelines is an interdisciplinary field course, seminar, and writing lab. We draw together theories and practices from ecological science, Indigenous studies, environmental humanities, geophysics, cultural studies, science and technology studies, critical theory, and poetry.

We begin with a 5-day intensive field writing trip to the Olympic Peninsula. In the field portion, we visit tribal projects, reflect on ecocultural politics of fishing, shellfishing, health, restoration, and resource management. We spend hours each day observing, writing, and sketching outside. We practice close observation of tidal rhythms, and explore shoreline biotic communities and how the Elwha River has changed since dam removal in 2014. Each evening we gather for discussion and share writing.

Back in Seattle, we explore shadow histories of Puget Sound waterways and contemplate post-sea-level-rise futures. We examine historic maps, oral histories, engineering drawings, and on-the-ground legacies of drainage projects. We trace buried creeks, gutters, and storm drains of Seattle, examine Salish inhabitation through place names, and address human health impacts of urban runoff.

In this course we will explore the culture of food in the Hispanic World and study the material aspects of food. The course offers a focus on topics that include food and sociability, modes and techniques of food preparation and consumption, urban and rural traditions, and artifacts. The course provides an in-depth introduction to the issues of food access, preparation and consumption, including dietary laws, as they relate to the formation of individual and group identities. Students will look at ingredients and their sources, learn about urban and rural markets, and analyze local food culture in the home and public spaces. Foods and cultural practices will be traced from their roots (Prehistory and pre-Columbian times) to the present. The study of ingredients will look at biological and cultural exchanges among Spain, the New World, the Middle East and Asia. The course will explore Hispanic food in and around Seattle as a microcosm of the larger Hispanic world, and will include an exploration of foodways and spaces with many hands-on activities, direct contact with Latinos and people from a variety of Hispanic countries as well as visits to local markets and other food sites. By examining the interaction of various Hispanic communities with other groups by means of food practices, the course provides an introduction to: issues of urban planning and design that pertain to food (i.e., the development of ethnic neighborhoods, stores and markets to suit food needs); issues of diversity and multiculturalism; food and material culture; foodways and gender roles; diet and hygiene; the role of food in religious and civic celebrations and rituals; and ingredients and food preparation techniques as they relate to Hispanic identities.

After taking this course, students will be able to:
• Identify the major dietary components in the different areas of the Hispanic World
• Recognize main food ingredients and their cultural significance
• Describe the major cultural trends and historical developments associated with food production and intake
• Distinguish food production and cooking methods associated with the Hispanic World
• Recognize and use Spanish vocabulary associated with food
• Think critically and reflect on ethnic communities, international contacts and cultural movements
• Enrich their exploration of the Hispanic World through an engagement with Hispanic culture
• Identify urban and rural areas with significant Hispanic impact in Washington State and establish successful contact with Hispanic communities