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A Francophile In The North Cascades, Sarah Stephens

Summit to Salish Sea: Inquiries and Essays

The fields of cultural studies and environmental studies are often disconnected. Even the tagline, ‘act locally, think globally’ tends to refer to realizing how local ecological processes are related to global processes (Thomashow, 2002). Culture is left out of this interpretation of the phrase. I believe that in order to address global environmental issues cultural awareness needs to be part of the solution. My experience with learning French language and culture has convinced me that second language acquisition can be an effective way to bring cultural studies into the world of environmental studies.