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K-State Today

August 19, 2011

Women's studies instructor conducts research as National Endowment for Humanities Summer Institute scholar

Submitted by Valerie Carroll

Valerie Carroll, instructor of women’s studies, recently spent four weeks as a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute scholar in Flagstaff, Ariz. Carroll was among only 25 scholars chosen from universities across the United States to participate in investigating the important role the humanities play in helping us understand sustainability, a topic that is all too often framed in technical terms only.

Scholars at the institute, “Rethinking the Land Ethic,” explored the conceptual background and contemporary thinking about sustainability by focusing on its historical development, literary and cultural contributions, religious dimensions and philosophical and ethical aspects.

At the institute, Carroll further developed her course, Gender, Environment, and Justice, WOMST 480, which she will teach again in spring 2012. Carroll will offer the students in this course a chance to explore the interconnections between human sustainability and environmental sustainability.