Communities and Connections Across the South Salish Sea

“Communities and Connections Across the South Salish Sea” is a 4-credit course that has a narrow geographic scope that includes the Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the surrounding watersheds. Students will explore how people have and continue to interact with surroundings and each other throughout what is today western Washington. The course begins with an overview of the area’s geology and geography, precolonial landscapes and networks, and the mechanics of American colonization. Students will then examine the how political and negotiations between Tribes and federal/state/local governments, economic development and extraction industries, the expansion of urban development have contributed to reshaping local environments. This course concludes by assessing the impacts of global climate change on the region and possible ways to address these issues. Exploring these interrelated topics requires investigating the complex histories of residents’ ever-changing relationships with place in the south Salish Sea.