This course will explore the multifaceted and complex relationships between humans and their natural environments from various perspectives: human ecology, conservation psychology, and environmental ethics. This course will also explore the historical and sociocultural factors influencing perceptions of the natural world and the health and societal consequences of the arbitrary objectification of nature and self.

Instructor: Dr. Conesa-Sevilla

Dr. Conesa-Sevilla obtained a BA major (biology, psychobiology, and philosophy) from CAL POLY Humboldt University in 1989. There he was mentored by Dr. Bill Devall. He obtained both an MA and a PhD in experimental psychology from the University of Toledo while pursuing studies in psychophysics and cognition. He worked for the California Department of Fish and Game from 1986 until 1989 and undertook a research sabbatical leave to conduct sleep research at the University Hospital/Inselspital, Berne, Switzerland from 2004 until 2006. Additionally, he has conducted research, developed and taught courses in the areas of animal behavior, art cognition, and on visual and auditory perception. He was the editor of The Trumpeter, a journal of environmental philosophy, and is the founder and editor-in-chief of The International Journal of Ecopsychology (IJE), CAL POLY Humboldt Press.

Within each of us is a field of intuitive guidance and biological healing that isn’t available to our reasoning intellect, nor is it bound by the laws of classical physics.

This inner, quantum realm offers clues to navigating our increasingly challenging lives with more authenticity, grace, and meaning. These benefits also translate into better emotional equilibrium, physical health, and spiritual well-being.

The path to this new potential is found in developing new attention styles that are more focused on ‘sensing’ than ‘thinking’, as well on exploring avenues of bodily expression such as vocalizing, self-touch, and movement. This new style of relating to the body is referred to as embodied self-regulation.

These skills are drawn from advances in neuroscience and somatic psychology and from Chinese Medicine principles and practices.

While the science and principles supporting these embodied self-regulation skills will be discussed, most importantly you’ll have six weeks to practice these new skills in order to change your brain and your life.

Instructor: Dr. Steve Templin

Steve Templin is a retired Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture Physician, HeartMath Trauma-Sensitive Certified Practitioner, and certified teacher of a number of energy medicine systems with over 35 years of experience in the field.

Metals have been worked by humans for over 8,000 years. Without metal tools, hardware, utensils, and weapons, civilization as we know it would be stalled in the Stone Age. The overall impact of metals on civilization, starting with copper, then bronze and finally iron, will be presented. Of all the metals, iron has had the most profound impact on our lives. Blacksmiths are the individuals who work iron into useful objects. This is the story of blacksmiths – their knowledge, skills, tools, and place in history.

Instructor: Paul Thorne

Paul is a master blacksmith with over forty years’ experience in industrial, architectural, and artistic forge work. He currently teaches blacksmithing through group and private classes at his Anacortes studio. You can view his work at www.thornemetals.com.

Join The Salish Sea School as we offer an introductory look at the cetaceans of the Salish Sea--three baleen whale species and the orcas that forage here. We will cover whale evolution, discuss the natural life history of humpbacks, minke whales, and gray whales, and then spend two evenings exploring the natural life history, culture, and complex lives of orcas through a mix of lecture-based and hands-on activities.

Class 1: Cetaceans of the Salish Sea: Toothed Whales, Baleen Whales, and the Marine Food Web.

Class 2: Salish Sea Orcas: A Species Complex and an Ever-Changing Environment.

Class 3: Southern Resident Research and Current Events: Identifying the Threats, Advocating for the Change, and Becoming Intimately Acquainted with Individuals in an Endangered Species. 

Instructor: Amanda Colbert

Amanda Colbert is an educator and naturalist for The Salish Sea School and strives to introduce people of all ages to the diverse marine wildlife of the Salish Sea. She’s especially passionate about the importance of interconnectedness, along with mindfulness for the wildlife, their habitats, and preserving the natural resources that this unique bioregion provides. Amanda has been teaching courses, giving talks, and guiding wildlife walks, boat-based tours, and other nature outings for the last six years. She has a soft spot for this region’s orcas and an infectious admiration for birds.

This three-week class is aimed at discussing and practicing the writing "workshop" as a way to improve and refine our individual creative writing projects. The "workshop" approach focuses on sharing our work with the group, openly giving and receiving feedback, and using that feedback as we revise. In this particular class, we won't be covering the fundamentals of storytelling, so students should have some prior experience with creative writing, either with a personal practice or in a classroom. By the second week, students should be ready to share a short story, opening chapter, or nonfiction narrative with the group. The class will culminate in an optional (but encouraged!) public reading, during which we’ll share something short that we’ve written. Bring a pen and a notebook, or a laptop, if you prefer. All genres are welcome.

Instructor: Matthew Sullivan

Matthew’s novel, Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore, has been translated into seven languages, won the Colorado Book Award, and was an IndieNext pick, A Barnes & Noble Discover pick, and a GoodReads Choice Awards finalist. His short stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Daily Beast, LitHub, The Spokesman Review, Sou’Wester, The Strand, and many other places. He has taught college writing in Idaho, Boston, and Poland, and has been teaching in Washington since 2003. Midnight in the Orchard by the Lake, his new literary mystery novel, set in Soap Lake, will be published in January 2025 by Harper Collins. www.mattthewjsullivan.com.