Stephanie Kaza
Encyclopedia
Stephanie Kaza is Professor of Environmental Studies
at the University of Vermont
. She is a writer
, a practicing Soto Zen Buddhist
, and an active proponent of religious dialogue. She teaches religion
and ecology
. She combines an academic background in science, education, and theology in her writing, which is often categorized under the term spiritual ecology
.
in Portland, Oregon
, where she graduated in 1964. She went on to Oberlin College
for a B.A.
in biology
and the Stanford University School of Education
for an M.A. in education
, finishing in 1968 and 1970 respectively. Kaza earned her PhD
in biology
at the University of California, Santa Cruz
in 1979. In 1991, Kaza finished work at the Starr King School of Ministry, earning a Master of Divinity
degree. She has studied with Thich Nhat Hanh and Joanna Macy
.
Kaza has worked as a high school
, community college
, and university
teacher
. She has been a lecturer, instructor for the Sierra Wilderness Institute, education director for the Point Reyes Bird Observatory, and education coordinator at the University of California, Berkeley
botanical gardens. Kaza began her work at the University of Vermont
(UVM) in 1991 as an assistant professor and became a full professor, her current position, in 2005.
At UVM, she teaches both undergraduate and graduate students in the field of environmental humanities, which comprises religion and ecology, environmental justice
, American
nature
philosophers, issues of race and culture
in natural resources
, ecofeminism
, and issues related to consumerism
.
Outside the academic walls of UVM, Kaza serves as President of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies. She participates in the Religion and Ecology group of the American Academy of Religion
. She writes a regular ecology column for Turning Wheel, journal
of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship
.
Environmental studies
Environmental studies is the academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. It is a broad interdisciplinary field of study that includes the natural environment, built environment, and the sets of relationships between them...
at the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
. She is a writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, a practicing Soto Zen Buddhist
Soto
Sōtō Zen , or is, with Rinzai and Ōbaku, one of the three most populous sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.The Sōtō sect was first established as the Caodong sect during the Tang Dynasty in China by Dongshan Liangjie in the 9th century, which Dōgen Zenji then brought to Japan in the 13th century...
, and an active proponent of religious dialogue. She teaches religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
. She combines an academic background in science, education, and theology in her writing, which is often categorized under the term spiritual ecology
Spiritual ecology
Spiritual ecology is a recent term that refers to the intersection between religion and spirituality and environment . Practitioners of spiritual ecology fall into three categories: the scientific and academic, spiritual or religious environmentalism, and religious or spiritual individuals who...
.
Professional biography
Stephanie Kaza attended Sunset High SchoolSunset High School
Sunset High School is the name of several high schools in the United States:*Sunset High School *Sunset High School *Sunset High School...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, where she graduated in 1964. She went on to Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
for a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and the Stanford University School of Education
Stanford University School of Education
The Stanford University School of Education , is one of the seven schools of Stanford University. It is the second-oldest school of education in the United States, after NYU...
for an M.A. in education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, finishing in 1968 and 1970 respectively. Kaza earned her PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
at the University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
in 1979. In 1991, Kaza finished work at the Starr King School of Ministry, earning a Master of Divinity
Master of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
degree. She has studied with Thich Nhat Hanh and Joanna Macy
Joanna Macy
Joanna Rogers Macy, Ph.D , is an environmental activist, author, scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology.-Biography:...
.
Kaza has worked as a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
, and university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. She has been a lecturer, instructor for the Sierra Wilderness Institute, education director for the Point Reyes Bird Observatory, and education coordinator at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
botanical gardens. Kaza began her work at the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
(UVM) in 1991 as an assistant professor and became a full professor, her current position, in 2005.
At UVM, she teaches both undergraduate and graduate students in the field of environmental humanities, which comprises religion and ecology, environmental justice
Environmental justice
Environmental justice is "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies." In the words of Bunyan Bryant,...
, American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
philosophers, issues of race and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
in natural resources
Natural Resources
Natural Resources is a soul album released by Motown girl group Martha Reeves and the Vandellas in 1970 on the Gordy label. The album is significant for the Vietnam War ballad "I Should Be Proud" and the slow jam, "Love Guess Who"...
, ecofeminism
Ecofeminism
Ecofeminism is a social and political movement which points to the existence of considerable common ground between environmentalism and feminism, with some currents linking deep ecology and feminism...
, and issues related to consumerism
Consumerism
Consumerism is a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts. The term is often associated with criticisms of consumption starting with Thorstein Veblen...
.
Outside the academic walls of UVM, Kaza serves as President of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies. She participates in the Religion and Ecology group of the American Academy of Religion
American Academy of Religion
The American Academy of Religion is the world's largest association of scholars in the field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit member association,...
. She writes a regular ecology column for Turning Wheel, journal
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Buddhist Peace Fellowship
The Buddhist Peace Fellowship is a nonsectarian international network of engaged Buddhists participating in various forms of nonviolent social activism and environmentalism with chapters all over the world...
.
Books
- Kaza, Stephanie. The Attentive Heart: Conversations with Trees (Fawcett, 1993). ISBN 0449907791
- Kaza, Stephanie, and Kenneth Kraft, eds. Dharma Rain (Shambhala, 2000). ISBN 1570624755
- Kaza, Stephanie, ed. Hooked!: Buddhist Writings on Greed, Desire, and the Urge to Consume (Shambhala, 2005). ISBN 1590301722
- Kaza, Stephanie. Mindfully Green: A Personal and Spiritual Guide to Whole Earth Thinking (Shambhala, 2008). ISBN 9781590305836
- LeBouef, Burney J. and Stephanie Kaza, eds. Natural History of Ano Nuevo (Boxwood Press, 1981). ISBN 0910286779
Articles online
- Acting with Compassion
- The Attentive Heart
- A Buddhist Response to Paul Ingram
- A Community of Attention
- Kaza's Collection of Articles
External links
- Link to Kaza's articles in The Trumpeter, Journal of Ecosophy
- Monastic Interreligious Dialogue
- Turning Wheel Journal
- Whole Terrain link to Kaza's articles published in Whole TerrainWhole TerrainWhole Terrain: Journal of Reflective Environmental Practice is an environmentally-themed literary journal that's published approximately once a year by Antioch University New England . Each volume explores emerging ecological and social issues from the perspectives of practitioners working in the...