Salish Sea Studies

Introduction

Salish Sea Institute website: salishsea.wwu.edu

Western Washington University created the Salish Sea Institute to raise awareness and protection for the Salish Sea. The Institute convenes conferences and produces reports that share science and management strategies among the community of people on and off campus who work to protect the Salish Sea. It also supports WWU’s goal to “advance a deeper understanding of engagement with place”, as described in Western’s strategic plan. For WWU students we offer a minor in Salish Sea Studies, a place-based, experiential, and multidisciplinary curriculum about the Salish Sea’s history, ecology, culture, and management complexities. Students take 7 credits in SALI core classes, focused on Salish Sea specific themes. An additional 15 credits are electives divided into four learning domains to encourage students to engage in multidisciplinary learning that spans the University.

The mission of the Salish Sea Studies Program is to invite students to build meaningful connections across borders, disciplines, and systems to bring to life a healthy and just future for the Salish Sea.

Affiliated Faculty

(This is a partial and evolving list – faculty from across campus teach courses in the minor.)

MARY TUTI BAKER, Assistant Professor, Comparative Indigenous Studies, Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Canadian-American Studies. Indigenous politics and future studies, Kanaka Maoli values and practice, politics of decolonization.
NATALIE BALOY, Assistant Professor, Anthropology. Interdisciplinary inquiry, research ethics, settler colonialism, regional history and environmental management.
DOLORES CALDERON, Associate Professor, Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies. Coloniality, land education, Indigenous epistemologies, and border issues in education.
JOSH CERRETTI, Associate Professor, History and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Sexuality, race, and gender in modern US history.
AQUILA FLOWER, Associate Professor, Geography, climatic variability, human land use patterns, and natural disturbances in shaping forest, alpine, and coastal ecosystem dynamics.
LEE GULYAS, Senior Instructor, English. Creative writing, literary nonfiction and journalism, empire and colonialism through literature.
MARCO HATCH, Associate Professor, Environmental Science. Marine ecology, clam gardens, ecocultural restoration.
JAMES HELFIELD, Associate Professor, Environmental Science. Rivers and riparian forests, habitat and ecology of Pacific salmon.
ROBIN KODNER, Associate Professor, Environmental Science. Marine biology, algae, citizen science.
JAMES MILLER, Assistant Professor, Comparative Indigenous Studies, Environmental Studies, Canadian-American Studies. Indigenous design knowledge, transboundary placemaking, architecture and planning.
DEREK MOSCATO, Associate Professor, Journalism. Cross-border media systems, public relations, pipelines.
JENNIFER SELTZ, Associate Professor, History. History of the Pacific Northwest, environmental history.
NICK STANGER, Associate Professor, Environmental Studies. Environmental education in Canada and the Salish Sea.
JOHN TUXILL, Associate Professor, Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies. Ethnobotany, ethnobotany, conservation biology, sustainability.
THERESA WARBURTON, Associate Professor, English. Indigenous literatures of the Pacific.

Programs

Undergraduate Minor

Salish Sea Studies Minor

Courses

Salish Sea Studies

Courses numbered X37; X97; 300, 400 are described in the University Academic Policies section of this catalog.