Aquinas College
EN-11: Continuing Education

Women and the Environment: “Mother Earth – Earth Mothers” Wednesday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. May 6 & 13 Amy Dunham Strand, Ph.D., directs the Jane Hibbard Idema Women’s Studies Center at Aquinas College, where she teaches courses in English, Inquiry & Expression, and Women’s Studies. In addition to Women & Environment, her research interests include women’s petitioning and activism, 19th-century American women writers, and gender and language – also the topic of her book, Language, Gender, and Citizenship in American Literature. She has taught at the University of Cincinnati and at the University of Washington, Seattle, where she received her Ph.D. How are women and the environment connected? This class will explore two possible ways of answering this question: first, by tracing ideas, such as “Mother Earth,” that relate women and nature in literature, culture, and theory; then, by surveying the work of “Earth Mothers,” or women environmental advocates who have shaped the environmental movement. Ultimately, we’ll consider how these notions of gender and nature, together, might help inform our own “green” consciousness. Conservation Biology and the Media Wednesday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. May 13 Rob Bajema, Ph.D., joined Aquinas College in 1998 and teaches ecologically and environmentally oriented classes. His research interests are in wildlife conservation and landscape preservation. He has served on the Ada Township Open Space Task Force which was created to implement a plan to conserve natural areas and open space within the township. Dr. Bajema has also been a board member of the Land Conservancy of West Michigan. We will examine how current media (TV series, documentaries, movies, etc.) portray issues of conservation biology. In addition, we will examine how environmentalism vs. activism play into these roles. Do these media outlets really portray conservation? http://www.aquinas.edu/olli/pdf/spring2015.pdf Managing the Great Lakes: An Ecological Melting Pot and Ongoing Experiment Friday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. November 7 & 14 Eric Snyder, Ph.D., is an associate professor of biology at GVSU. Dr. Snyder received his BS from Manchester College, his MS in aquatic sciences from CMU and his Ph.D. from Idaho State University. He completed postdoctoral research with the University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station and teaches classes at GVSU in aquatic science, stream ecology, and aquatic ecosystem management. The Great Lakes have experienced an extraordinary degree of change in the last 150 years, whether from overfishing, planned and unplanned exotic species introductions, and food web cascades, to legal status and environmental policies that provide for protection and management. We will highlight key portions of this history and then explore contemporary issues facing this unique ecosystem. Finally, can science assist in making predictions about future conditions and potential threats? Valuing the Invaluable: The Economics of the Environment Wednesday, 1:30-3:30 p.m. October 29, November 5 & 12 Todd Yarbrough, Ph.D., from the University of Tennessee, is assistant professor of economics at Aquinas College. Professor Yarbrough’s research focuses on tax and expenditure policy, social safety nets, and issues of environmental economics. Why do we accept environmental disasters and what impact will such disasters have on our long run economic growth? What are the cost-effective approaches to curbing global climate change? And what does our energy portfolio say about our commitment to both economic and environmental vitality? In this three part course, Professor Yarbrough will discuss the underlying issues of Environment Valuation, efficient responses to Environmental Degradation, and the Economics of Energy. Water Critical: Drought and Other Signs of the Greatest Challenge Yet Wednesday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. November 12 & 19 Deborah Steketee, Ph.D., serves as associate professor of sustainable business at Aquinas College, with a doctorate in comparative politics and environmental science from Indiana University’s Department of Political Science and School of Public and Environmental Affairs. What would happen if Lake Michigan dried up? How about siphoned off? Access to clean and abundant water poses perhaps one of the greatest challenges in the 21st Century. California’s drought is only a glimmer of what is happening worldwide. With implications for human health, national security, ecological integrity and economic development, effective management of our water resources is proving elusive. Case studies from places close to home and around the world will highlight the complex dimensions of water quantity and quality. New ways of thinking are needed to avert the looming crisis. http://www.aquinas.edu/olli/pdf/fall2_14.pdf Global Warming and Climate Change Monday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. October 13 & 20 James Tolbert, earned a B.S. and M.S. in geology from MSU with a focus on geochemistry. He investigated contaminated sites across Michigan, including crude oil in the Kalamazoo River, dioxins and furans in the Tittabawassee River, and PCBs in White Lake. Many say climate change is the biggest environmental threat facing our planet. There is a consensus among scientists that we need to cut global greenhouse emissions even before 2025 to avoid catastrophic change. Jim will explore the science of global warming and answer some of the following questions: What is a greenhouse gas and how much carbon dioxide is created from the fuels we burn? And, why should we care? http://www.aquinas.edu/olli/pdf/fall_14.pdf