Admissions
Summer Programs
For teens (15-19) who like to THINK and DO.
Marlboro’s (pre)college summer programs offer young adults the opportunity to study with college faculty members, and to build relationships with a group of other students passionate about learning, in the classroom and out. Each program offers an introduction to college-level academic work, combined with hands-on exploration. Evenings provide time for fun group activities ranging from collective 'zine design to swimming in nearby South Pond. Space is limited to 12 participants per programs, creating vibrant communities with room for every voice.
“It was the best thing I have ever encountered." - 2012 Philosophies of the Wilderness Participant
Session I: June 23-29
I Think, Therefore I Make
Art is an expression of experience, but it is also an instigator. As artists, we have the unique ability to translate our observations of the world into a tangible form that engages others. This workshop focuses on hands-on, down and dirty art-making that combines exercises in the studio with direct work in the local environment. Students will be encouraged to work in mixed media—from traditional works on paper to found materials and appropriated imagery. Mornings we will work in the studio, while afternoons will be spent working on site-specific collaborations, visiting regional museums and meeting artists in their studios.
Messages from the Past
In this course, we will contemplate the very human act of communicating through text, from flowery quill-and-ink epistles to text messages. We will look at the historical development of letter-writing and -sending, and read a number of personal letters written by a variety of famous individuals, including statesmen, scientists, writers and explorers. Over the course of the week we will move from handwriting through to electronic missives such as e-mail, texting or social media methods. We will also be constantly writing letters. Students will have the opportunity to make their own pens and ink as well as type letters with a typewriter. Come prepared with a long list of people to write to and their addresses, both physical and digital.
Session II: June 30-July 6
Exploring the More-Than-Human World
Faculty Member: William Edelglass, philosophy
Embark on a physical and theoretical exploration of the Vermont wilderness, led by longtime wilderness guide and Marlboro philosophy professor William Edelglass. During this weeklong canoe and hiking trip we will explore wilderness, both literally and in our conversations along the trail, on the water and around the camp. We’ll discuss environmental philosophy under a starry sky, dive into “deep ecology” and ponder the ethical equality of animals. Drawing from our own experience and readings, participants will consider the nature of, and our moral relations with, animals, plants, ecosystems and other member of our more-than-human world.
Session III: July 7-13
Ways of Knowing
Faculty Member: Amer Latif, religion
What is knowledge, and how do we get it? How might eating, sleeping, reading, writing and singing be considered ways of knowing? Through participating in a range of activities such as meditation, cooking a meal, taking a walk in the woods, chocolate tasting, singing, reading short religious and philosophical texts, and writing, we will explore the nature of knowledge and the ways in which we come to know. Together, we will challenge conventional ideas of what it means to know and how one acquires knowledge. In addition to focusing on the relationship between head and heart, reason and imagination, we will pay special attention to the place and role of the body in the acquisition of knowledge.
Eating Against the Machine
Faculty Member: Meg Mott, politics
What does it mean to grow your food in a world where most of what we eat is produced by machines? Together, we will explore the connections between economics, politics and food. We will split our time between hands-on visits to farms in southeastern Vermont, one of the pioneering communities in the local and slow food movements, and big-picture conversations that help develop critical consciousness. The group will experience picking, cooking and eating a variety of local foods. The program is friendly to vegetarians and meat eaters alike, but will challenge participants to think (and eat) outside their comfort zones!
Session IV: July 14-20
Poetry on the Peaks
Did you know Henry David Thoreau climbed Mount Wantastiquet while visiting Brattleboro, or that Herman Melville dedicated one of his novels to Mount Greylock? Have you ever read the fire lookout tower poetry of Gary Snyder while in a fire lookout tower? We’ll add our own voices and footsteps to a variety of local peaks, writing poetry and creative nonfiction while taking forays to local mountains. Throughout the week, we’ll hike through readings that engage with the very mountains we’ll be climbing, penned by writers who have explored the same trails before us. Then we will expand our own writing horizons, trying our hand at creative writing based on experiential, place-based exercises.
DNA: Barcode of Life
Faculty Member: Todd Smith, chemistry
A trained naturalist can often identify animals from the signs they leave behind, like feathers, hair or scat, but sometimes they need help from a molecular biologist. Just like the “universal product code” used at the grocery store, DNA provides scientists with a kind of “barcode of life.” An organism’s DNA contains an enormous amount of information, including details about its evolutionary relationship with other organisms. In this workshop we will identify species by collecting samples, extracting DNA, and amplifying a section of the DNA using the polymerase chain reaction. We will begin with an introduction to basic molecular genetics and will include extensive hands-on laboratory activities, as well discussions on the implications and limits of genetic testing.
Session V: July 21-27
Finding the Key
Faculty Member: Matt Ollis, mathematics
Do you wish you knew the math to design your own Suduku, or to solve a Rubik's cube? Do you wonder where Lewis Carroll was going with the statement, “None of the unnoticed things, met with at sea, are mermaids?” Perhaps you think you’ve got what it takes to find the elusive treasure on a daylong, team expedition? Join math professor Matt Ollis for an exploration of puzzles of all sorts, and the math that makes them work. We will spend our days solving a variety of puzzles from across the globe—using math and techniques for problem solving—and creating our own. Whether you have been a math whiz all your life or you are looking for your inner Pythagoras, you will enjoy new challenges to puzzle over.
Screenwriting Fascination
Faculty Member: Jay Craven, film and video
Think of short stories on B-vitamins. Effective writing for film and television requires a deep understanding of story structure and an uncanny ability to imaginatively shape character, theme, tone and incident to dramatic effect. Together we will focus on the practice of film and television writing, as well as try our hand at writing four-and-a-half-minute radio comedy sketches. Activities will include writing exercises, character research, narrative construction and regular critiques and revision aimed at producing polished scripts re-written to maximize impact. Regular short writing exercises will also be assigned, along with script readings and screenings of film and TV excerpts. Students will have the opportunity to complete two polished scripts and a comedy sketch.
Questions?
Ariel Brooks, Marlboro College director of non-degree Programs, is happy to answer questions and can be reached at: 802-451-7118, abrooks@marlboro.edu.
