Healing the Earth

Casandra Antzoulatos ’22 says she has always been a curious person. So, when she saw the listing for a new course this past fall, Healing Earth, her inquisitiveness got the best of her, and she registered.

“I really enjoy learning,” said Antzoulatos, a sociology major and aspiring anthropologist. “I have always been an academic person and let curiosity lead me everywhere. My interests in learning about different cultures and worldviews prompted me to explore the Healing Earth course. I have never taken a truer and more honest course. We spoke openly, every class, about the hard truth that is the state of our world and the direction it is going.”

The course is team taught across three disciplines by professors Joanne Campbell, Assistant Professor and Discipline Coordinator of the Sociology Department; Jeanette Dumas, Associate Professor of Biology and Coordinator of Environmental Science & Studies; and Christine Hagedorn, Assistant Professor and Discipline Coordinator of the Business Department.

“This course is truly something special and it is mission critical,” said Hagedorn. “If we want to live in a sustainable society, we must train our future leaders to think as integral ecologists in all their decisions. So, when we say mission critical, that applies not only to course content that directly aligns with our College mission but also for the survival of our planet. Care for the Earth is a part of our College’s mission. To live that truth, we engage students across disciplines to practice working together as a coalition to identify and solve our social and environmental problems that degrade our planet and society. We view each kind of problem through several disciplinary lenses.”

“I chose to take this course because I have never taken an environmental course before, and I wanted to see what it was going to be about,” said Phylicia Branch ‘22, who is also studying sociology. “My favorite part of the course was working with my classmates to find solutions to combat climate change and how we can personally learn not to be wasteful with our natural resources.”

Every two weeks the students discussed one issue and examined it through five different lenses: Science, Ethics, Economics, Action, and Spiritual Practice (SEEAS) to get varied perspectives. The students explored the problems facing biodiversity declining, natural resources extraction, industrial agriculture, food scarcity, water pollution, global climate change, and transition to renewable energy sources.

“From the very first class, Healing Earth showed us that, as humans, we are all the same in one particular way — we call the Earth our home and it’s dying,” said Antzoulatos. “Most people know about this topic, but they do not realize the severity and the specifics of the problem. We analyzed this every week, and as a response, we worked to fix it. We pondered solutions. I felt like I made a difference every time I stepped into that classroom, and this wouldn’t be possible without the professors.”

In addition to overarching themes, the students also examined current events.

“The students explored the role of indigenous people in preserving biodiversity and studied land acknowledgments,” said Campbell. “Last fall, the city of Philadelphia marked its official observance of Indigenous People’s Day. We discussed the land acknowledgment of the city of Philadelphia and continued to discuss projects that include indigenous voices such as the Lenapehoking Watershed Project.”

Katie DuBoff

From Club to Course

Rosegrow, the student environmental action team, was founded in 2016 by Joseph Wilson, an environmental studies major.

“Rosegrow is not just for science students,” said Dumas, the original faculty mentor for the team. “Saying ‘yes’ to mentoring the club when Joseph asked me is one of the best decisions I

ever made. We eventually merged with business, sociology, and campus ministry to form a true coalition. We have been growing ever since. The coalition is truly interdisciplinary and includes students from all backgrounds. We all learn so much from each other.”

The genesis for the course was from faculty who wanted to broaden the reach of Rosegrow.

“The three of us had been discussing for years ‘curricular Rosegrow,’ that is, turning the club's mission of Cornelia Connelly’s ‘action, not words’ into a course,” said Dumas. “We approached Provost Nash, and she was very supportive of our idea.”

“As we recognize the inherent dignity of each person through the courageous and compassionate promotion of justice, the College asks us to place the Earth, our common home, at the center of our commitment to one another,” said Mika Nash, EdD, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. “Rosegrow was one of the first clubs I learned about when I arrived, and I immediately felt that it offered experiences that all students on campus should have access to. I believe that creating a course further solidifies the College’s commitment to this work by saying it is credit-worthy, that there is value in learning about these issues. As students learn, they are encouraged to question what they thought they knew, to interrogate commonly held assumptions, and to create potential solutions. Learning about and engaging in these concepts has the potential to change communities. There is so much opportunity in a course like this, and I am thrilled to have had so many students participate in it this semester.”

“We took what we had been ‘teaching’ as a club, if you will, and operationalized it as a three-credit interdisciplinary course,” said Hagedorn. “We also included spirituality as we reflect on Rosemont’s value to care for the Earth as our common home. Our goal with this course is to develop an understanding in each of our students that to fix or “I have always been an academic person and let curiosity lead me everywhere.” Casandra Antzoulatos ’22 solve these problems, with urgency, we must work in teams. It is not another person or group who we hope will do the actions; rather, it is all the small and large decisions we each make daily that add up. And we must do the work together, inclusively. We must examine all perspectives to a problem to produce the best solutions.” For Antzoulatos, the course helped to lay the groundwork for her future goals. “My idea of ‘healing earth’ is to bring people together,” she said. “I am most interested in the study of humans and cultures alike: their similarities, differences, and developments. I believe we must respect our differences, and ultimately bring people together in ways that would benefit not only the world, but its inhabitants, as well. This course has given me the knowledge I need to help contribute to a beautiful world for all the unique lives who call Earth home.”

Rosemont Ranked #7

as Top Performer on Social Mobility in U.S. News & World Report

Rosemont is recognized as a college that excels in helping economically disadvantaged students obtain their degrees

Rosemont has again been included in this year’s U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges Rankings in the Regional Universities North category, and was ranked #7 as a Top Performer on Social Mobility, up from #15 last year. Rosemont is the only college in the Philadelphia region in the Top 10.

According to U.S. News, economically disadvantaged students are less likely than others to finish college, even when controlling for other characteristics.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report,” said Jayson Boyers, EdD, President of Rosemont College. “U.S. News has confirmed what we knew all along. Rosemont has a long history of providing access to education. We believe all people have a right to a quality education that will empower them to find their voice and understand how they can use it to have positive impact. This is especially true for students who fall into groups that societal structures marginalize. This began in 1921 when Rosemont opened as a women’s college—when less than eight percent of women had access to a higher education. Today, Rosemont continues to support students from all backgrounds to find the POWER of their voice. We welcome students from all walks of life because we know they will find their unique fit here and excel within our community.”