Students Teaching Students (STS) courses are taught by students in the Environmental Program nearly every year. Developed by two students at Williams College, STS/LEAD USA (Leadership Education and Development) was designed as a learning model intended to empower students. This model redefines the common, society-mandated concept of education as a one-way dynamic between lecturer and student, professor and professee. Students teach students, learning from each other's experience and open discussion.
With careful guidance by faculty, students—usually two together—design a syllabus and detailed teaching plan and present their ideas to the Program faculty for review. If their plan is approved as an ENVS 197 Student-Designed Course, they advertise it, launch it and work with a small class of students—usually 12 – 15. Often, but not always, the student who develop the courses do so as their ENVS 202 senior thesis/project.
STS Course Guidelines for Review and Approval
ENVS STS Courses by Year Taught
Spring 2013
Hunger, Leadership, and Social Change
Student Facilitators: Abagail Hunter '13 and Courtney Casper '13Spring 2012
Hunger, Leadership, and Social Change
Student facilitators: Samantha Ethridge '12 and Catherine Gannascoli '12Fall 2011
Gender, Power, Action
Student Facilitators: Avery Pittman '12 and Abbie Schnibbe '12Intentional Communities Activism
Student Facilitators: Jens Pharr '12 and Cayla Tepper '12Spring 2011
Psychological and Indigenous Approaches to Environmental Learning
Student Facilitators: Hannah Ohlson '12 and Patrick Intollube-Chmil '12Spring 2010
Environmental Activism
Student Facilitator: Connor Gibson '10 and Jessica Serrante '10Ecological Tipping Points and World Systems Analysis
Student Facilitator: Keith Brunner '10Rethinking Education Paradigms
Student Facilitator: Ben Shafer-Rickles '10Spring 2009
Intentional Communities
Student Facilitator: Erica Wilson '09International Environmental Justice
Student Facilitator: Pier Amelia Davis '09Fall 2008
Cultivating Holistic Lifestyles: Mind, Body, Spirit and Environment
Student Facilitators: Betsy Costilo '09Spring 2008
Making Peace: Nonviolent Mindfulness and Conflict Resolution
Student Facilitator: Deborah Krug '08Fall 2006
Food, Farms and Community
Student Facilitator: Robin Loiuse Colt '07Yogic Environmental Philosophy
Student Facilitators: Keri Johnson '07 and Erin McKeon '07Spring 2006
Ecopsychology
Student Facilitators: Hayden Boska '06 and Gregory Rosewell '06Spring 2005
Campus Sustainability
Student Facilitators: Emily Ann Baldauf-Wagner '05 and Jeff Gutierrez '05Exploring Communities of Intention
Student Facilitators: Briana Leigh Farver '05 and Sara Kamara Yassky '05Spring 2004
Cultivating a Holistic Lifestyle
Student Facilitators: Bonnie Hudspeth '04 and Sara Joblonski '04Ecopsychology
Student Facilitators: Eric Heineman '04 and Simon Abramson '04Spring 2003
Ecopsychology
Student Facilitators: Amanda Henchel '03 and Lizzy Maltzman '03International Environmental Justice
Student Facilitators: Mai Nguyen '03 and Erik Wallenberg '03Issues in Agricultural Biotechnology
Student Facilitator: Jeremy Dowdy '04 and Rebecca Ebel '03Spring 2000
Environmental Justice
Student Facilitators: Jaqui Lipson '00 and Jacky McDonough '001997
Biotechnology and Democracy
Student Facilitator: Jon Akland '97Ecopsychology
Student Facilitators: Gwen Sheinfeld '97, Stephanie Login '97, Amanda Cohen '97Wilderness Education
Student Facilitator: Mike Donohue '971995
Living Self-Sufficiently
Student Facilitator: Julia Grand '951993
American Nature Writing
Student Facilitator: Maria Hummel '94