Bard College
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses

Engaged Liberal Arts and Sciences (ELAS) courses are designed to link coursework and critical thinking skills developed and practiced by Bard undergraduates in the classroom with civic and other forms of engagement activities that contextualize course materials and enhance learning. A significant portion of the learning takes place outside of the classroom: students learn through engagement with different geographies, organizations, and programs in the surrounding communities or in the national and international venues in which Bard is involved. ELAS courses challenge students to develop creative approaches to social, cultural and scientific issues. Students are exposed to an array of perspectives and contexts and given the opportunity to apply theory to practice. Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment: Environment and Community in East Asia is an initiative aimed at embedding a permanent and significant focus on Asian environmental and sustainable development issues into the curricula at Bard’s undergraduate campuses at Annandale-on-Hudson and Simon’s Rock, and at the Center for Environmental Policy’s MS programs. In particular, the implementation grant will enable: 1. Faculty focused on the environment and sustainable development to teach more effectively about Asia. 2. Asian Studies faculty to teach more effectively about the environment and sustainable development. The Luce Grant has allowed for a total of $355,000 to be allocated to faculty and students. Participating Faculty: Professor Mika Endo, Japanese Language and Literature: Nature, Disaster, and Environment in Japanese Literature (A-E Focused), Robyn Smyth, Bard CEP Lake and Reservoir Science and Management: Comparing East Asia and North America. (A-E Focused), Tatjiana VonPrittwitz, Humanities, Buddhist Views of Nature (A-E Focused), Nate Shockey, Mass Culture of Post-war Japan (A-E Related), Monique Segarra, Bard CEP Global Food Politics (A-E Related), Yuka Suzuki, Anthropology of Japan (A-E Focused), Maria Cecire, Children’s Fantasy in Cultural Conversation (A-E Related), Gabriel Perron, The Art and Science of Fermentation (A-E Related), Chris Coggins, Philosophies and Religions of East Asia (A-E Focused), Professor Monique Segarra, Bard CEP, Environmental Policy (A-E Related), Bruce Robertson, Conservation Biology (A-E Related), Li-Hua Ying, Nature, Environment and Ethnic Tourism in China (A-E Focused), Yuka Suzuki, Asia in the Anthropocene (A-E Focused)Asma Abbas (Political Science, Simons Rock), Alex Benson (Literature and American Studies, Annandale), Maria Cecire (Literature and Experimental Humanities, Annandale), Chris Coggins (Geography, Simons Rock), Joan DelPlato (Art History, Simons Rock), Molly Christie (Dance, Simons Rock), Peter Klein (Sociology and Environmental and Urban Studies, Annandale), Laura Kunreuther (Anthropology, Annandale), Gabriel Perron (Biology, Annandale), Suzanne Schulz (Media Studies, Bard High School Early College Queens), Nate Shockey (Japanese Literature, Annandale), Anjari Sundaam (Film, Simons Rock), Yuka Suzuki (Anthropology, Annandale), Tai Young-Taft (Economics, Simons Rock) Olga Touloumi (Art History and Environmental and Urban Studies, Annandale), Tom Wolf (Art History, Annandale)

Both the ELAS and Luce foundation grants offer monetary incentives for faculty to develop courses. The ELAS program gives monetary incentives that allow for faculty to plan courses that are engaged outside of the classroom.The Luce Initiative allows faculty to conduct scientific research projects and host a wide variety of programs that facilitate students to engage with Asian and environmental studies.