This course introduces students to people, places, and events that helped shape the history, culture, and environment of the South Cumberland Plateau. Students explore multiple cultural, historical, and political narratives that tell the story of the region. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of historical and current land-use in shaping local environmental attitudes and perceptions. Field trips and plenary lectures allow students to explore the region, engage in the practice of place-making, and synthesize knowledge across disciplines. Capstone projects provide opportunities for in-depth exploration. This course is not repeatable for credit.
An exploration of how slavery and its legacies of discrimination and injustice marked the andscape and people of Sewanee, from its pre-Civil War roots in the slave-holding South through the university’s integration in the 1950s and 1960s. The course also considers how African Americans living in Sewanee challenged second-class citizenship and contributed importantly to the life of the university. Field trips and plenary lectures allow students to explore the region, engage in the practice of place-making, and synthesize knowledge across disciplines. Capstone projects provide opportunities for in-depth exploration.
The impulse to collect and accumulate is human, and most everyone collects something whether they know it or not. This course will consider why people collect and what truths can be revealed through the study of collections from the historical and place-based to the personal and seemingly meaningless. Visits to the University Archives, regional museums, flea markets, homes and local collections of oddities will give insight to why people collect and what collections reveal about their owners and the places they reside. In this studio-based course, students will generate their own collections that may include drawing and sketching, taking pictures, writing, object-making, gathering and more.
Collecting, naming, and organizing local knowledge(s) were important activities to practitioners of the sciences in the past. This course takes a close look at natural history collecting and its entanglements with colonizing projects, the history of capitalism and the displacement of indigenous peoples since c. 1500. Using special collections materials and engagement with regional natural history collections, it considers the legacies of historical links between collecting and appropriation, while also introducing students to ongoing efforts to respond to these legacies by contemporary curators and scholars.
This course examines the experience of (un)belonging reflected in diverse forms of cultural expression—literature, visual art, music—by historically underrepresented communities in the US. Students reflect on these cultural products as vehicles to channel the experiences of displacement and social exclusion, claim social justice, and celebrate traditions. Working primarily on Latinx and Afro-Latinx production and the local community, students will also explore other voices connected to the experience of exclusion. Field trips to community-building and human rights organizations will foster a deeper experiential understanding.
Forestry
An environmental survey course which addresses the important features, processes, and issues of forested landscapes. Topics include major tree species, forest biology and ecology, tree structure and function, silviculture, forest management, forest products, and U.S. forest policy and laws. The focus on North American forests is set within a context of global forest issues. Lab exercises emphasize fieldwork, utilizing the diverse array of local forest types present on the Cumberland Plateau and nearby Appalachian Mountains. Lecture, three hours, laboratory and field trips.
An environmental survey course which addresses the important features, processes, and issues of forested landscapes. Topics include major tree species, forest biology and ecology, tree structure and function, silviculture, forest management, forest products, and U.S. forest policy and laws. The focus on North American forests is set within a context of global forest issues. Lab exercises emphasize fieldwork, utilizing the diverse array of local forest types present on the Cumberland Plateau and nearby Appalachian Mountains. Lecture, three hours, laboratory and field trips.
An exploration of the wide range of edible, medicinal, and otherwise useful forest products found in forests of western and eastern North America, including the forests of Sewanee. In addition to learning about the biology and distribution of these plants, and about how they are gathered and processed, students discuss the ecological implications of harvesting these interesting plants and fungi. Note: The class involves some eating.
This case-studies based course focuses on the protection and management of water resources and associated biodiversity. Students are introduced to the principal federal and state laws governing the rights and responsibilities of landowners, with emphasis on how such regulation affects management decisions and economic outcomes. The course promotes understanding of the legal/regulatory environment through study of common and statutory law, as well as critical analysis of the outcomes. Case studies involve both international and local problems. Students gain practical experience by applying science-based monitoring guidelines and methods, together with opportunities for community engagement work.
Principles and practices of establishing, tending, and harvesting forest stands on a sustainable basis. Emphasis on ecologically sound techniques of managing forests to meet diverse landowner objectives such as watershed management, wildlife habitat enhancement, recreational use, insect and disease control, and/or timber production.
Principles and practices of establishing, tending, and harvesting forest stands on a sustainable basis. Emphasis on ecologically sound techniques of managing forests to meet diverse landowner objectives such as watershed management, wildlife habitat enhancement, recreational use, insect and disease control, and/or timber production.
Oral presentations of important topics and published data in forestry, geology, and other environmental sciences. Course goal is to train students through practice to give and critique oral presentations appropriate for scientific or other professional research. Each student gives several presentations and formally critiques other presentations as part of the course.
French and French Studies
An intensive course in the basic elements of the language: pronunciation, structure of sentences, conversation, and reading. Use of language laboratory required. Four hours of class per week.
An intensive course in the basic elements of the language: pronunciation, structure of sentences, conversation, and reading. Use of language laboratory required. Four hours of class per week.
An intensive course in the basic elements of the language: pronunciation, structure of sentences, conversation, and reading. Use of language laboratory required. Four hours of class per week.
An intensive course in more advanced elements of the language: pronunciation, structure of sentences, conversation, and reading. Use of language laboratory required. Four hours of class per week.
An intensive course in more advanced elements of the language: pronunciation, structure of sentences, conversation, and reading. Use of language laboratory required. Four hours of class per week.
A continuation of the study of advanced French language, leading to readings from various authors, periods, genres, and Francophone countries. Specific grammatical structures are studied parallel to the readings, and progress in oral and written French is also stressed.
A continuation of the study of advanced French language, leading to readings from various authors, periods, genres, and Francophone countries. Specific grammatical structures are studied parallel to the readings, and progress in oral and written French is also stressed.
Readings in representative authors, themes and periods from France and from other Francophone countries.