An integral aspect of the Environmental Studies major is what is known as a “concentration”. The ENVS major is interdisciplinary, and our concentrations give us the opportunity to develop individual areas of interest which guide our learning throughout our four years at Lewis & Clark College. Historically, the concentration has consisted of sixteen additional credits students select which guide them in the direction of their particular interests. However, the Environmental Studies major is undergoing a big change for the 2019-2020 school year, where concentrations will become an advisory aspect of the major rather than a major requirement. In the old major, students were required to either develop a concentration or have a second major which serves as their area of interest for ENVS. While this facet of the major is changing, it is still valuable to conduct background research and select classes which will support our individual interests.
I am currently working towards a double major in Environmental Studies and Sociology/Anthropology. As such, I want to develop a concentration that will marry the two majors and guide my learning in a productive direction for both areas of studies. I am currently in the process of selecting a study abroad program and am narrowing in on the Australia Regional Area Study program. This program will appeal to both of my potential majors, with classes ranging from marine biology to Aboriginal studies. I am very excited about the prospect of spending a semester in Australia, and feel that the concentration development process is an excellent opportunity for me to learn more about the culture and history. Last year I watched “The Magic Pill”, a 2017 Australian documentary that follows several individuals, families, and aboriginal communities in the United States and Australia who are encouraged to adopt the low-carb, low-sugar “ketogenic” diet in place of their unhealthy lifestyles. The participants are instructed to eat whole organic foods, phase out processed foods and dairy, consume more fats (eggs, avocados, coconut oil, and animal fat), incorporate sustainable and wild-caught seafood, eat nose to tail (organ meats etc.,), and practice intermittent fasting. This documentary was very intriguing, but more than that, it was confusing. I wasn’t sure whether to believe this diet is truly for everyone, and that it should be adopted for long term use. I was especially interested in the ketogenic diet’s implementation within Aboriginal communities. This documentary serves as the inspiration for my potential concentration. I am interested in learning about the modern Indigenous Australian diet, how and why it has evolved, and how it can be remedied to ensure proper food security for Australian Aboriginal peoples. Prior to European colonization of Australia, Aboriginal peoples were a healthy and suffered no widespread health issues as a consequence of diet. Modernly, Indigenous Australian peoples struggle with diabetes and obesity due to their westernized diet. While I still have not fleshed out the details, I think it could be really interesting to research the traditional Aboriginal diet and whether it would be a practical solution for improving the health and livelihood of Indigenous peoples.
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