2013–2014 The Bulletin - USS at Tufts - Tufts University

Visual and Critical Studies >
Water: Systems, Science, and Society >
Americas, or early China) and the histories of media
and process, such as film, photography, sculpture,
and text-based arts.
The English Program at the School of the
Museum of Fine Arts offers a wide variety of
courses addressing the roles of literature and writing
in a visually oriented culture. Through diverse
offerings in U.S., British, and World literatures,
creative writing, literary theory, and film, students
study literary texts, often in conjunction with visual
texts, in a variety of contexts: historical, social,
political, theoretical, or philosophical. English at
SMFA offers courses for incoming undergraduates,
as well as for those working at the most advanced
levels.
For more information about the department, its
faculty, or course offerings, please visit
http://ase.tufts.edu/visualcriticalstudies.
Water: Systems, Science,
and Society
John L. Durant, Director and Co-chair; Department of Civil
and Environmental Engineering
Timothy Griffin, Co-chair; Friedman School of Nutrition
Science and Policy
Rusty Russell, Co-chair; Urban and Environmental Policy
and Planning
Emily Geosling, Program Coordinator, Tufts Institute of the
Environment
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The goal of the graduate certificate program in
Water: Systems, Science and Society (WSSS) is to
train a new kind of professional who understands
the causes and dynamics of water-related problems
from multiple points of view, yet has the skills and
knowledge to be an expert in one discipline. To
ensure sufficient depth and expertise in a particular
discipline, students in the WSSS program must be
accepted by and obtain their graduate degrees from
an existing school or department. Tufts schools
participating in WSSS include Arts and Sciences,
Engineering, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, the
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy,
and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. In
addition, students in the program must
1. take three elective courses from four broad core
areas,
2. attend regular WSSS meetings,
3. participate in the planning and execution of the
annual WSSS symposium, and
4. complete the requirements for one of the two
tracks outlined below.
Track R: Interdisciplinary Water Resources Research
Students are required to undertake a significant
interdisciplinary water resources research project,
culminating in (1) an MS/MA thesis or capstone
proposal or a preliminary dissertation proposal by
the end of their first year, (2) a thesis, directed study
or dissertation, (3) a refereed journal article 90%
ready for submission by the time of graduation
from the WSSS program, and (4) a presentation at
the annual WSSS symposium and/or a major
national or international conference. Partial funding
in support of such a conference presentation may be
provided by the WSSS program. Both M.S./M.A.
and Ph.D. theses must be interdisciplinary, guided
by a committee with faculty members from at least
two WSSS participating schools.
Track P: Practicum and Interdisciplinary Professional
Experience (IPE)/Internship
Students are required to participate in a WSSS
practicum, complete an Interdisciplinary Professional
Experience (IPE)/Internship, and present a
poster at the annual WSSS symposium. Track P
students are required to register for the practicum
as a 1.0-credit course that will count in place of one
of the three required elective courses.
WSSS Practicum: The WSSS Practicum allows
WSSS students to work in small groups on the
integrated assessment of water resources case
studies. The goal of the practicum is to expose
students to the techniques and thought processes
of integrated assessment in order to train them as
researchers and professionals. The practicum is
headed by Rusty Russell of the Urban and Environmental
Policy and Planning Department with input
from other participating WSSS faculty.
Internship: To foster individual student development,
a problem-focused, domestic or international
field experience with a public- or private-sector
organization—the Interdisciplinary Professional
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