Methods of Caring: Health & Resiliency of Self & Community – yerme hawk – TESC – Winter '17 Please navigate through drop-down menus to see most recent posts in each category. Thank you for your interest.

Welcome to the online – journal, Methods of Caring. This quarter, as part of a program at the Evergreen State College, a cohort of students will be engaged in self-directed in(ter)dependent academic work on the topics of their choice.

This site, Methods of Caring, will be regularly updated with original writings, interesting research, photographs, and diverse art that relates to and represents the themes of public health, self-care, vitality, and resiliency in the South Sound community.

In exploring the integral relationships between body and food that underscore mental and physiological health and that shape identity, relationships between self and Others (including objects and environment) will be unpacked. The social commodification of what we eat and who we are will provide a foundation for research and independent study of such questions as:

How and why does the process of commodification appear to turn the practice and methods of self-care and a healthy life into objects of
economic and social value?
Within that context, what is the relationship of food, culture, and
personal identity?
How do we as a community build community-based health care programs that do not center profit, but resiliency?

These questions will provide a foundation for multidimensional research and activities; as the student deepens their understanding of their personal identity and relationship to food and eating, they will also explore the different methods and offerings available in the regional community aimed at caring for self and community. The student who maintains Methods of Caring will work primarily with a naturopath/nutritionist, and in a collaborative internship with a non-profit in Olympia, WA, as well as visit health-centered collectives, businesses, or organizations, wherein existing models of alternative, collaborative health care will be examined and explored. The student will read, track their daily consumption patterns in a Body Journal, cook, participate in workshops, and post interviews and creative content about their explorations throughout the quarter.

It’s going to be an adventure, to say the least, and we hope that you will find something useful and applicable to your own methods of care for self and community.

Learning Objectives	Activities that will help me to attain this objective	What my sponsor will evaluate:
How and why does the process of commodification appear to turn everything into objects of economic value? Should everything–human and non-human–be measurable and exchangeable? What alternatives exist? What alternatives can be created?	Participate in weekly class on Tuesdays, including a) project check-in every other week, b) seminar discussion with pre-writing assignment, c) seminar facilitation, and d) Tasting Labs with completed guide sheet. Reading, writing and discussions on selections from The Secret Financial Life of Food: From Commodities Markets to Supermarkets (Newman), Racial Indigestion: Eating Bodies in the 19th Century (Tompkins) and Chronicles: Stories from the Front Line in the Battle for Environmental Justice (LaDuke)	An online field journal used to document individual research, apprenticeship, or internship, as well as reflections and resources relevant to the class Pre-writing assignments Seminar facilitation, participation
How does trauma effect the body’s nutrient cycling, internal functions, and responses and resiliency to stress? Is there a way to appropriately eat to aid in the mediation and healing of the effects of trauma (PTSD) on the body?	I will work with a naturopath/nutritionist to interpret genetic testing to understand congenital pathways to adequate and appropriate nutrition I will keep a Body journal, detailing my ingestion throughout the quarter I will read books, watch films and document teachings and reflections on these teachings in e-journal posts	An online field journal documenting a log of hours spent on reading and watching films, a list of these resources, a map showing where workshops took place, and weekly posts describing activities and learning Students changing understanding of nutrition, as recorded in Body Journal and e-journal entries
Is there any evidence for gardening as a health intervention? What are the greatest challenges to adequate and appropriate care in the healthcare industry? What alternatives exist? How do we as a community build community-based health care programs?	Internship with Katie Rains, the Executive Director of GRuB (Garden Raised Bounty) in Olympia, WA Visit health-centered collectives, businesses, or organizations, participate in an offering, and interview the practitioners on their perspective on where their practice sits in relationship to the healthcare industry and the commodification of healthcare	As part of working with Katie, a log of hours, a bibliography of scholarly resources, and a narrative research paper specifically answering the first question, as well as a bi-monthly e-journal post describing the research will be posted online as part of the course program ILC Interviews and articles will be posted online as part of the course program ILC
What are methods of self-care?	Attend workshops and public offerings in the Puget Sound Area and document teachings and reflections on these teachings in e-journal posts	A zine produced by the end of the quarter consolidating appropriate and relevant information into a format that aims to be accessible to all
What is the relationship of food, culture, and personal identity? What foods are ethnically appropriate and best suited for my body-environment?	I will undertake a DNA ancestry test, and I will then write a post for their website sharing some of the result, and reflect upon the experience taking the test, waiting for, and receiving the results. Working with naturopathic doctor/nutritionist and/or finding academic/research sources for people with their genetic markers, I will prepare (at least) one meal that incorporates the ancestral diet practices of my ethnic lineage, and write an e-journal post detailing this experience I will also conduct at least one family interview with a member of their family in a previous generation, and compose a piece on my webpage that details some key points of the interview and reflect on what their interviewee said	Interviews and articles will be posted online as part of the course program/ILC e-journal