Advancement of Public Action

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Time & Day Offered
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Credits
Course Duration

Plastic Pollution and What Students Can Do About It — APA2176.01

Fall 2019
Instructor: Judith Enck
Credits: 2
Plastic pollution is gaining international attention for the damage it is doing to human health, fish and wildlife, the climate, the ocean and communities. This class will explore the dimensions of the problem, the root causes of plastic pollution and the need for innovation. The class will be taught in the Center for the Advancement of Public Action and will have a major focus
CAPA Environment

Plastic Pollution and What You Can Do About It — APA2176.01

Spring 2020
Instructor: Judith Enck
Credits: 4
Plastic pollution has emerged as a major environmental, health and economic issue with direct links to climate change. 9 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year. In the next decade, there will be 1 lb of plastic in the ocean for every 3 lbs of fish.  Plastics are made from chemicals and a by-product of fracking. And we can't recycle our way out of this
CAPA Environment

Plastic Pollution: What Can We Do About It? — APA2164.01

Fall 2018
Instructor: Judith Enck
Credits: 2
The cover on “National Geographic” had a powerful artist rendering of an ocean iceberg, with a giant plastic bag hidden below the surface of the water.  The magazine cover headlined: “Planet or Plastic?  18 billion pounds of plastic ends up in the ocean each year.  And that’s just “ the tip of the iceberg.”   Take a look at that edition of National
CAPA

Plastic Pollution: What Can We Do About It? — APA2164.01

Spring 2019
Instructor: Judith Enck
Credits: 2
The cover on “National Geographic” had a powerful artist rendering of an ocean iceberg, with a giant plastic bag hidden below the surface of the water. The magazine cover headlined: “Planet or Plastic? 18 billion pounds of plastic ends up in the ocean each year. And that’s just “ the tip of the iceberg.” Take a look at that edition of National Geographic (June 2018). If the
CAPA Environment

Plastics and Public Health — APA4254.01

Spring 2024
Instructor: David Bond
Credits: 1
The world’s population has tripled since the 1950s, but production of plastics has increased over 70-fold in the same period. As litter, plastic now blows on the landscape, swells in the ocean, and kills wildlife seemingly everywhere. But recent findings about the impacts of plastic on human health demonstrate that this is not just a litter problem, but a health one. Plastic,
CAPA

Plastics and Public Health — APA4254.02) (cancelled 11/12/2024

Spring 2025
Instructor: Megan Wolff
Credits: 1
The world’s population has tripled since the 1950s, but production of plastics has increased over 70-fold in that time. The impact of plastic as litter is undeniable, both in the oceans and on land. But recent findings about the impacts of plastic on human health demonstrate that this is not just a litter problem, it is a health one. As we follow the path of microplastics we
CAPA

Plastics, Microplastics and Human Health — APA2028.02

Spring 2025
Instructor: Carly Rudzinski
Credits: 1
The world’s population has tripled since the 1950s, but production of plastics has increased over 70-fold in that time. The impact of plastic as litter is undeniable, both in the oceans and on land. But recent findings about the impacts of plastic on human health demonstrate that this is not just a litter problem, it is a health one. As we follow the path of microplastics we
CAPA

PLAY! — APA2100.01

Fall 2021
Instructor: Carly Rudzinski
Credits: 2
Students will research their favorite games and use its framework to create reimagined experiences inspired by the nature of the games. For example, a classic game of hide-and-seek could be upcycled into an academic treasure hunt or a clue-based quest. Can you imagine what school would be like if the campus turned into a giant version of your favorite video game or board game?
CAPA

PLAY! — APA2100.02

Fall 2021
Instructor: Carly Rudzinski
Credits: 2
Students will research their favorite games and use its framework to create reimagined experiences inspired by the nature of the games. For example, a classic game of hide-and-seek could be upcycled into an academic treasure hunt or a clue-based quest. Can you imagine what school would be like if the campus turned into a giant version of your favorite video game or board game?
CAPA

Playwriting as Civic Inquiry - The Supreme Court and the Corporate Person — DRA4408.01

Spring 2022
Instructor: Carly Rudzinski
Credits: 4
Over the past two centuries U.S. business corporations have gained civil rights originally intended for flesh-and-blood people. In this course we will work as a team of artist-investigators to (1) understand how this happened; (2) what some of the downstream consequences have been; (3) review ways artists and activists have tried to intervene with this development through
CAPA Drama

PLAYWRITING AS CIVIC INQUIRY: Chevron vs. Steven Donziger — DRA4026.01) (cancelled 12/1/2022

Spring 2023
Instructor: Dina Janis
Credits: 4
... the [Living Newspaper] seeks to dramatize a new struggle – the search of the average American today for knowledge about his country and his world; to dramatize his struggle to turn the great natural and economic forces of our time toward a better life for more people.” — Hallie Flanagan, National Director of the Federal Theatre Project. This spring we will resurrect the
Advancement of Public Action Drama

Point of Criticality: Problems of Complexity — APA4203.01

Spring 2014
Instructor: Susan Sgorbati
Credits: 4
This is a course on the relationship of complex systems to conflict analysis. Concepts such as self-organization and improvisation, emergence, pattern recognition and complexity, feedback loops, nesting and topologies will all be examined as aspects of how complex problems are constructed. By looking at the 10 Step Complexity CR Model, we will analyze two case studies of
CAPA

Point of Criticality: Problems of Complexity — APA2140.01

Spring 2017
Instructor: Susan Sgorbati
Credits: 2
This course looks at the application of complex systems analysis to problem-solving. Concepts such as self-organization, emergence and complexity will be examined in the context of case studies of specific conflicts and how they are or are not resolved. The central text is "Thinking in Systems" by environmental scientist, Donella Meadows as well as readings from scientists,
CAPA

Point of Criticality: Problems of Complexity — APA4203.01

Spring 2015
Instructor: Susan Sgorbati
Credits: 4
This is a course on the relationship of complex systems to conflict analysis. Concepts such as self-organization and improvisation, emergence, pattern recognition and complexity, feedback loops, nesting and topologies will all be examined as aspects of how complex problems are constructed. "Thinking in Systems" by Donella Meadows is the primary text. By looking at the 10 Step
CAPA

Political Ideologies in Action: American Conservatism — SCT2107.01

Fall 2020
Instructor: John Hultgren
Credits: 4
Contemporary American conservatism has moved a long way from its historical roots in the ideologies of classical conservatism and classical liberalism. How did we get from Edmund Burke to Donald Trump? From the Federalists to the Freedom Caucus? With an election looming, and chaos unfolding, this course will explore how the aforementioned ideologies have intersected with four
CAPA Society Culture and Thought

Pop-Up: Election 2016 and What Comes After — POP2271.03

Fall 2016
Instructor:
Credits: 1
In this pop-up module we will talk about the election and what comes after. We will talk about different ways of approaching voting--single issue voter? party stalwart? on the fence? trying to take everything into account? We will explore together what issues and concerns drive our thinking about the election and voting tendencies. We will watch the final presidential debate of
CAPA

Pop-Up: The Semiotics of Trump — POP2260.03

Spring 2016
Instructor:
Credits: 1
In this pop-up course, we will be deconstructing a media spectacle by studying its signs, symbols, and discourse. Using the Donald Trump presidential campaign as a case study, we will observe the visual codes and linguistic scaffolding of political ‘branding’ and messaging. We will explore various registers of populist and authoritarian rhetoric by carefully analyzing how those
CAPA

Pop-Up: Understanding PFOA in Our Water — POP2257.02

Spring 2016
Instructor: David Bond, Janet Foley, Tim Schroeder
Credits: 2
The water supply of Hoosick Falls, NY, Bennington’s western neighbor, has been contaminated with Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) by past industrial activity. PFOA is an “emerging contaminant” that is correlated with a range of health problems. This course will investigate the social and physical aspects of this ongoing disaster, from how the regulation of chemicals in the US
CAPA Science Mathematics and Computing Environment

Popular Culture and Music in Post-Colonial Africa: From Palm Wine to Kuduro — MHI2253.02

Fall 2020
Instructor: Joseph Alpar
Credits: 2
In this course we will examine the role of music as a vehicle for political and social change in Africa. Our focus will be music-making throughout the continent of Africa during the nationalist struggles that resulted in independent African states and how musicians responded (and continue to respond) to the persistent challenges faced by those post-colonial states. We will
CAPA Music Society Culture and Thought

Popular Rule and its Discontents — POL2113.01

Spring 2017
Instructor: Eileen Scully
Credits: 4
Nearly 2,500 years ago in Greece, a new word was coined, demokratia, combining the terms demos (“the people”) and kratos (“to rule”). From the moment of its Greek inception to the present day, when nearly every nation on earth claims to be democratic, the concept of popular rule has been a site of deep contestation in Western political theory and
CAPA Society Culture and Thought

Power and Culture in the Middle East — ANT2106.01

Fall 2014
Instructor: noah coburn
Days & Time: TBA
Credits: 4
Since 9-11 there has been an increased focus in the media and in policy circles on the Middle East and Central Asia, and yet, for most Americans this is still a poorly understood area. Much has been written on topics such as Islam and the role of women in the Middle East, but not enough has been done to focus on politics in the region as a lived experience. How do people make
Social Science CAPA

Practicing Discernment in Social Practice Art — APA2177.01

Fall 2019
Instructor: Kenneth Bailey, MFA Teaching Fellow
Credits: 2
How do you discern if your desired social practice art project is ethically sound as well as aesthetically relevant? This class will survey a series of social practice art projects, from high profile “art world” ones to small community-generated gestures, with the goal of evaluating if the project was properly thought through ethically and aesthetically. The class will also
CAPA

Practicing Peacebuilding: An Experiential Course — APA2249.01

Fall 2017
Instructor: Miroslava Prazak; Michael Cohen
Credits: 4
Peacebuilding is an intervention designed to prevent the start or resumption of violent conflict by creating a sustainable peace. This course proceeds in two overlapping tracks: the academic and the practical. We will explore the cultural, social, political, economic and psychological dynamics of peace and violence in specific contexts and with their own histories. We will
CAPA

Pre-Fellowship Class For Endeavor Foundation Environmental Action Fellowship — APA4162.02

Fall 2021
Instructor: Judith Enck
Credits: 1
Students who have been selected to participate in the Endeavor Foundation Environmental Action Fellowship are required to  take this course to prepare them for the January 2022 fellowship experience. Students will review placement options, learn about each organization where they may be placed, and sharpen their skills that allows them to maximize learning during the
CAPA