Our faculty are passionate about learning—and not just student learning. They are dedicated learners and scholars, and that shines through in the classroom and in the field. And they’re more than just teachers. They are mentors who often establish life-long relationships with their students.
Northland College faculty shape the ways in which you see the world, opening your mind to new ideas and ways of thinking. They’ll help you foster connections that prepare you for graduate studies, a successful career path, and a meaningful life after graduation.
with Angela Stroud
This is a wholly original sociology course, exploring the importance of place, deep connections, social justice, and what we’ll need in the face of climate change. Stroud constructed the course from the ground up because no textbook existed. “I have come to firmly believe that we don’t just need community now, we’re going to desperately need it in the future, as our systems become less stable and life becomes much less predictable,” Stroud says.
with Jennifer Kuklenski
Called “intellectually stimulating” by students, this business class goes beyond the typical “green” marketing strategies employed by organizations, challenges environmental business practices, and integrates strategies into the marketing plan that seek to shape the conservation ethic of an organization’s individual members and their communities.
with Alan Brew
A unique, experiential English course that combines literary study with wilderness fieldwork. In the classroom, you’ll read wilderness literature that includes works of Sigurd F. Olson. Then in May, you’ll travel to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness where you’ll have two weeks on the trail to read, write, discuss, paddle, and portage.
with Travis Proctor
A response to the growing number of fake news websites and misleading news articles in social media. Travis Proctor uses this writing course to look at the past to see how the skills used by historians to debunk forgeries and frauds could be applied to the contemporary challenges. “We have to fight misinformation whenever we can and however we can, just like many of our predecessors did and do,” he says.
with Gina Kirsten
Through essays, guest speakers, field trips, and in-class cooking, this hands-on English class looks at the role food and agriculture have played, and will play, in human life. Exploring current and historical perceptions on the consumption of food, those who work to provide it, and how cultural, political, and economic attitudes and policies influence what and how we eat. This course is also an elective in our sustainable agriculture minor.
with Scott Grinnell
Prof Grinnell wrote the book for this sustainable community development course, integrating principles of green building with renewable energy systems. You’ll apply classroom ideas with your own creative visions to create dynamic design projects addressing environmentally-sound buildings and an array of renewable energy opportunities and applications. “My goal is to help students feel empowered to address future challenges, particularly climate change,” Grinnell says.
with Peter Annin
This course delves into the history of political maneuvers and water diversion schemes that have proposed sending Great Lakes water everywhere from Akron to Arizona. Using a case-study approach that examines these various water projects, the course culminates with a focus on the Great Lakes Compact, a legal document designed to keep Great Lakes water inside the Great Lakes Basin. This class is an elective in our water science major.
with Todd Rothe
Explore the components of a sustainable farm enterprise within an environmentally-conscious, business-management context. This class includes active observation and hands-on learning through community partnerships and campus gardens, covering aspects of meat, fruit, and vegetable production techniques within both scale-appropriate and ecosystem-based models. Our commitment to regional sustainability, from the production of food to its distribution and consumption, is a source of pride for students, faculty, staff, and the local community—this course is a perfect complement to our sustainable agriculture minor.
with Ryan Shadbolt
Prof Shadbolt developed this class for students hungry to learn more about what is possibly the most important global issue we face. The course is devoted to discussion of misconceptions, climate change denial, and possible solutions. “I emphasize spoken and written communication because we can no longer tip-toe around climate change,” he said. This class is part of our meteorology major and climate change studies minor.
