The Sarah Lawrence Interdisciplinary Collaborative on the Environment (SLICE)

Academics

Undergraduate

The Sarah Lawrence Interdisciplinary Collaborative on the Environment (SLICE) SLICE Courses SLICE Partners SLICE Events

Academic Approach Areas of Study Global Education Combined Degree Programs Pre-Professional Programs Faculty Students & Faculty in Conversation Success After Sarah Lawrence

a woman standing at a podium in front of a group of people in front of a projector screen

a group of people standing around each other in a forest with a sign on the side of the road

a group of people sitting at a table in front of a projector screen with a projector screen behind them

a couple of women sitting on top of a bus next to each other in front of a large window

a group of people sitting in chairs watching a woman play a guitar in front of a crowd of people

a group of people working in a garden with a wheelbarrow in the foreground and a green wheelbarrow in the background

a group of people standing in a forest looking at a stream with a man in a blue jacket and a woman in a yellow jacket

a group of people standing in the water with buckets of food in their hands and a man holding a shovel

The Sarah Lawrence Interdisciplinary Collaborative on the Environment (SLICE) was developed to allow Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) students, faculty, and community partners to study a variety of environmental topics across the humanities as well as the sciences and social sciences. Students in SLICE courses engage in a sustained dialogue about the interaction between humans and the environment in courses that seek to understand the social and economic forces contributing to climate and other environmental injustices; the impact of these crises on organisms and ecosystems; and the complex relationships between humanity, animality, race, class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and the natural world.

Thanks to the Humanities for All Times grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the SLICE curriculum was expanded in 2022 to center on a unique, cross-institutional pedagogy that brings together students from Sarah Lawrence College and Bronx Community College (BCC) for a wide range of events, including workshops, discussions, collaborative projects, and field trips focused on environmental justice and the humanities. All core SLICE courses participate in two week-long interludes each spring, during which instead of attending their classes as normally scheduled, students attend field trips and work in groups with students from other SLICE classes. SLICE-affiliated courses participate in events and workshops, while continuing course meetings throughout the semester. SLC and BCC students in SLICE and SLICE-affiliated courses have the opportunity to work on environmental justice-based projects with our community partners, and to present their research at an interdisciplinary symposium each spring.

Person speaking at a podium with a projector screen displaying a landscape image. Audience seated at tables with a whiteboard in the background.

SLICE Courses

Developed in collaboration between faculty from Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) and Bronx Community College (BCC), these innovative courses blend the humanities with experiential learning, culminating in spring interludes where regular classes give way to immersive experiences in the surrounding areas. From joint events to interdisciplinary panels at the SLICE Student Symposium, students engage deeply with environmental justice themes, fueled by collaborative projects and field trips.

Aerial view of a college campus with a circular lawn, surrounded by academic buildings, pathways, and trees, set against a cityscape backdrop.

SLICE Partners

Rooted in a cross-institutional pedagogy, SLICE + BCC is a unique collaboration that enables faculty from both colleges to co-develop a curriculum and related events. Students participate in joint activities, including panel discussions and symposiums, fostering interdisciplinary exchange. Additionally, partnerships with organizations like the Beczak Environmental Education Center, Groundwork Hudson Valley, and Untermyer Gardens Conservancy offer diverse opportunities for student engagement in environmental education and community stewardship.

People in a gallery observe art installations on the floor and walls, with scattered foliage and objects, and bright lighting overhead.

SLICE Events

SLICE holds a wide range of public events each year that approach questions of environmental justice from an interdisciplinary perspective. From panels charting a course toward activism and participation in global teach-ins, to poetry readings and workshops in digital mapping, students and community members have the chance to approach pressing issues from perspectives that might not previously have been on their horizon.