A Distinctive Approach to Liberal Arts EducationThe Integrated Core Curriculum at Northland College

Connections

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Northland College pioneered environmental liberal arts in 1972. Since then, our visionary approach to academics has helped thousands of graduates make a difference in the world. In 2008, we again took a bold step, building on our innovative mission and creating a distinctive general education curriculum that redefines environmental liberal arts education.

Natural Connections

Natural Connections is the primary liberal arts program for students at Northland College. The Natural Connections

curriculum will challenge you to explore the relationships between liberal arts, the environment, and the future of

our planet and society. It is a distinctive approach rooted in a liberal arts tradition that intentionally integrates dif-

ferent ways of approaching a common issue. This approach is deeply practical because 21st Century work, particu-

larly in the environment, demands people who can successfully incorporate multiple perspectives to achieve imagi-

native outcomes.

Students in the Natural Connections curriculum enroll in integrated, multi-disciplinary groups of courses organized

around themes, such as “Natural Hazards and Environmental Extremes,” “What is Success?” and “Earth Keeping:

Exploring Our Relationships with Nature.” Faculty teams dedicated to Natural Connections provide a variety of

disciplinary perspectives on these questions or themes, and students develop a sophisticated understanding of the

complexities inherent in each.

“Learning on concrete things is easier than learning in the abstract, so Natural Connections places a concrete thing, like natural disasters, or sex, or sustainable agriculture at the center of the table and looks at it from every perspective: science, economics, culture, literature, you name it. In the process, you get a broad education that teaches you to see the complexity of the real world.”

We’re all about connections...

-Paul Schue, Associate Professor of History

Superior Connections

Superior Connections immerses students in the study of Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. Students who enroll in Superior Connections complete a sequence of nine courses integrated themati-cally by a focus on the Lake Superior watershed. Through these courses, participants develop expertise in the natural and human histories of the watershed, and then use this expertise to study and engage a vari-ety of complexly interconnected environmental and cultural issues. Superior Connections also incorporates a number of field trips into its courses, including a one-month journey around Lake Superior.

Students emerge from the program empowered by experiences of connectedness to make meaningful con-tributions to the watersheds and communities in which they live. To participate in Superior Connections, you must apply and be accepted into the program. See the application procedures in the back of this book. (Open to freshmen only.)

Looking for something a little different? You could apply for one of two specialized Connections sequences: Superior Connnections and Growing Connections

Superior Connections Courses:

Geoscience Issues of Lake Superior Natural History & Management in the WatershedReligion, Culture & Nature in the Watershed ConfluencesThe Lake Superior ChippewaCreative Expression in the WatershedLake Superior CircumnavigationEnvironmental Mathematics in the WatershedSociology in the Watershed & the World

“In Superior Connections, learning begins in big canoes on a big lake; it continues in classrooms, bogs, labs, light-houses, wigwams. Lessons emerge from Greenstone and White Pines, from beaver pelts and gill nets, from conflicts and confluences. As a faculty member in the program, I

am committed to modeling integrative ways of knowing and to helping students develop the skills, knowledge, and understanding that are essential for navigating the complexities of a watershed—and the complexities of our lives.”

-Alan Brew, Associate Professor of English

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“There’s nothing more fundamental in our connection to na-ture than our food. In the multidisciplinary Growing Connec-tions program, students dig into what sustainable agriculture

means, both for the Lake Superior watershed and in a global context. Through hands-on farm experiences and projects with Northland’s own campus garden, students gain a deep appreciation for the challenges, and rich opportunities for a

sustainable system from soil to table.”

-Clare Hintz, Campus Sustainability Coordinator

Growing Connections

Growing Connections is a sequence of nine courses, taught over the course of two years, that focuses on the history, theories, and practices of sustainable agriculture. The expertise of faculty teaching in this program ranges from biology, geology, and psychology to environmental history, Asian religions, and sustainable systems. Stu-dents enrolled in Growing Connections work closely with faculty mentors and regional farmers in classrooms, labs, and fields to develop a comprehensive understanding of the role that agriculture plays in the lives of individuals and their communities. You must apply and be accepted to participate in Growing Connections. See the application procedures in the back of this book. (Open to freshmen only.)

Growing Connections Courses:

History of Agricultural Production in the US Introduction to Biology General Chemistry Pastoral and Agricultural Literature Geology and Agriculture World Religions & Foodways Sustainable Systems in Agriculture Human Ecology American Indian Perspectives

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