Smith College
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses

CEEDS Curricular Enhancement Grants: Smith professors are a world-class group of scholars who are deeply committed to student learning. To increase the environmental literacy of all Smith students, CEEDS (Center for Environment, Ecological Design and Sustainability) supports the faculty in bringing environmental concepts and context to a wide variety of courses. Every spring CEEDS invites proposals from faculty (and teams of faculty) for modification and enhancement of existing courses. that will support our mission – to graduate women who excel at integrating knowledge across disciplines in support of environmental decisions and actions. 2015‐16 Curricular Enhancement Grants- Awardees and Projects: Andrew Guswa (EGR): EGR 100: Engineering for Everyone Adapt the curriculum and materials to center on water. Develop a course in which students can engage in critical analysis of historical and contemporary water issues and infrastructure in California and western Massachusetts in order to gain an understanding of the technical, environmental, economic, political, legal and cultural influences and constraints on engineering works. Reyes Lázaro (SPP), Denise McKahn (EGR), and Cristina Suárez (CHM): CHM 346: Environmental Analytical Chemistry; CLT 204/SPN 356: Writings and Rewritings: Queering “Don Quixote”; EGR 388: Photovoltaic and Fuel Cell System Design; and EGR 390: Thermodynamics II. Develop curriculum and materials for the courses that will provide a framework for formal dialogue in which chemists and engineers can engage literary scholars on the impact of technology on the environment and society and vice versa. Jack Loveless (GEO): GEO/ENV 150: Modeling Our World: An Introduction to Geographic Information Systems Transition project topics in the course to have a geoscience, environmental science and/or policy focus with a real‐world application. Change the structure of the final project to emphasize the practical nature of GIS and spatial analysis in a service learning setting with a local partner. Malcolm McNee (SPP): POR 220: Topics in Portuguese and Brazilian Literature and Culture:Topic: Contemporary Cityscapes: Mapping Brazilian Culture onto an Urban Grid   Modify course by developing two multi‐modal components: on drought conditions and the water crisis in São Paolo and infrastructure development in Rio de Janeiro in preparation for hosting the 2016 Olympic Games. The components would then be explored through a number of themes.   Faculty Learning Communities:  Additionally, each academic year CEEDS brings together faculty from across the disciplines to discuss and explore a current environmental topic. Structured as informal lunchtime gatherings, these conversations foster a collaborative atmosphere where faculty can critically examine a topic from a variety of perspectives. 2015-2016 Faculty Learning Community- Flint Water Crisis: CEEDS partnered with the Jandon Center for Community Engagement to form a learning community around the crisis in Flint, MI. Approximately 30 faculty from 12 different departments/programs participate in regular meetings. As a result of their participation, many faculty have incorporated lessons related to this event into their courses.

The CEEDS curricular enhancement grant program is intended to support faculty who wish to modify, revise, and enhance their existing courses. Activities might include development of new lectures or discussion topics, design of new assignments and projects, and incorporation of field trips and experiences. CEEDS can provide expertise, infrastructure, supplemental course funds, and summer stipends (up to $1,000) in support of these efforts. The staff and Environmental Fellows at CEEDS have expertise in astronomy, conservation, ecology, geochemistry, water resources, landscape studies, and campus sustainability. CEEDS manages the 240-acre Ada and Archibald MacLeish Field Station in West Whately, MA and can also coordinate access to equipment, instrumentation, and transportation. Course funds can be used for the purchase of books, materials, and supplies.