American Studies 100 – Intro to American Studies
Because this major calls for adjusting the everyday actions of Americans, a good introduction to the study of American life and society is necessary. In this course we studied the values that define our lives as Americans by considering the moral ecology of everyday life. The material covered encouraged me to dissect the institutions that form our behavior and has helped me start to thinking of alternative methods of creating institutions that will help Americans live in a more ecologically sustainable manner. The application of concepts learned in American Studies 100 is highlighted in my Senior Presentation.

Environmental Studies 137 – Intro to Environmental Studies
This course provided me with a good background of the current environmental issues facing the globe and more specifically, the United States. The materials covered help to expand my scientific understanding of the issues and our class discussions expanded on those issues, incorporating the political and economic implications of environmental problems.

Environmental Studies 222 – Campus Ecology
I took Campus Ecology in my first year at St. Olaf and it is a course that helped lead me to this major. The class concentrates of the ecological relationships of day-to-day actions on the St. Olaf campus. In many of our class discussions we discussed the ideas and institutions that define life at St. Olaf. We also compared the institutions have developed on our campus to those in place in different communities globally. For the final project I worked with three other students to research the buildings on campus and possible options for retrofitting them using green building practices. This project combined with the readings and class discussions was crucial in helping me develop a designing mind. The main goal of Campus Ecology is to help students become native to their place. Take a quiz here to see how well you know the place you live.

Environmental Studies 232 – Environmental Policy and Regulation
This course helped me to understand the relationship between our national, state and local governments as they all make policies that affect the environment. I now have a better understandng of the policies necessary at the state and local level to support the development of the institutions and infrastructure I hope to see in our communities. It challenged me to reconcile the relationship between successful economic development and successful development of ecologically sustainable communities.

Environmental Studies 250 – Environmental Issues in China
While traveling through China on Term in Asia I took this course, taught by a professor from East China Normal University. We started the course by learning how Chinese history has shaped the environment and we continued to use this background to look at the current environmental issues in China. Much of our time was spent learning about how their government has developed policies related to the environment. This course helped bring a global perspective to my interests and I benefited greatly from living in Shanghai, China (for a good portion of the course). Not only did I get to experience their transportation system and the unique variation present in their urban design (influenced by traditional Chinese design, a strong colonial presence and the modern business community), I also was able to make use of resources like an urban planning museum and to observe new construction and developments that were being built around me all of the time.

Environmental Studies 255 – Remote Sensing and GIS
Taking Remote Sensing and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) helped me understand and develop skills in a method of imaging that is directly applicable to the field of urban design. In this class I studied available remote sensing image types and learned how to process and interpret remotely sensed images. As a class we also applied our learned skills to locally applicable projects. I worked in a group of 4 on a project surveying the possible effect of Emerald Ash Borer on the Northfield "urban" forest landscape. See our final poster here.

Environmental Studies 399 – Senior Capstone
I participated in the Environmental Studies Senior Seminar during my final semester at St. Olaf. In combination with my senior project this seminar provided an appropriate capstone to my individual major. Within the seminar I worked on my CIS senior project and kicked off my summer job by starting a new CSA, Red Tail Farm. The final assignment for this seminar was to write a reflective essay on my St. Olaf environmental education.

History 275 – Environmental History
This course placed American history, from the 15th century on, in an ecological context. It provided me with a general history of how our society has interacted with the environment and how these interactions have shaped the institutions and infrastructure we have created. This is essential background information for my major because I cannot start to reconsider our infrastructure and institutions if I do not know why they have been developed. In this course we spent a great deal of time concentrating on the relationship between urban areas and the hinterland, tracing the natural resources that were necessary for urban development in the United States. For the final paper we were assigned to write our own environmental history. My paper describes how I came to know my places and is an example of the skills I have gathered by completeing my CIS major.

Integrative Studies 250 – Top: Green Roofs
This course provided an exciting opportunity in the development of my major. It is the only courses that allowed me to actually help in the design and building of infrastructure that will significantly affect the ecological impact of the St. Olaf community. As a class we researched green roof design and in small groups made proposals for the design of the green roof on our new science building, Regents Hall. The final three weeks of our class was spent building the roof. It was an exciting and fulfilling experience and a highlight of my time at St. Olaf. See pictures of the roof here.

Independent Study – Designing Mindfulness
By teaching Campus Ecology with Professor Jim Farrell I was able to revisit a course that was instrumental in the development of my major. Working with Jim, I learned how to design a classroom community that fosters practical idealism, sustainable behavior and helps students develop a designing mind. The skills that I developed will surely be applied in the design of other communities that foster ecological sustainability. My senior presentation was heavily influenced by my experience co-teachng this course. In celebration of this course I planned and prepared a feast for the class participants. See the menu and annotated ingredients here.

Independent Study – From Urban Planning to Planning for Sustainability
In the fall of my senior year I completed an independent study in Urban Design and City Planning In this course I did a survey of the history of urban design and read classic texts including The Death and Life of Great American Cities, by Jane Jacobs and The City as a Growth Machine: Toward a Political Economy of Place by Harvey Molotch (available from JSTOR). I then considered the modern practice of urban and regional planning and the relationship of design to political, economic and social issues and the introduction of ecological sustainability into these processes.

Philosophy 257 – Environmental Ethics
This major calls for including an environmental ethic into the design of our communities. This course encouraged me to think deeply about the development of environmental ethics in humans and will forced me to address the conflicts between economic development, crucial to urban centers and the desire to sustain and protect our natural environment. I also spent a great deal of time in this course studying the ethical implications of current food systems. For my final project I followed the local beef that I eat on a regular basis from cow to plate. This included visiting Thousand Hills Cattle and Lorentz Meats proccessing facility as well as serving a class meal of Thousand Hills Cattle meatballs.

Supplemental Courses

American Conversations 102 – Democratic Vistas: 1800-1900
Art 234 – Ceramics
Biology 126 – Evolution and Diversity