Environmental Studies

Overview

An Area of Concentration (AOC) in Environmental Studies prepares students for meaningful careers in the global community by emphasizing a broad understanding of how natural and human social systems interact in complex ways. The Environmental Studies Program (ESP) provides students with knowledge and experience in ecology, human behavior, policy, society, ethics, the humanities, and systems thinking. Successful students demonstrate competencies in real-world skills such as quantitative measurement, descriptive observation, analysis, collaboration, public speaking, and writing. Students are able to align their personal and academic interests by asking and answering questions that have legitimate application in diverse fields.

Because Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary field, faculty are drawn from throughout the college, offering ESP students many pathways into the program. The Environmental Studies Area of Concentration is coordinated by the Environmental Studies Steering Committee. ESP students meet the program requirements by completing nine core courses supported by five additional courses within a chosen track including: Anthropology, Science, Policy, Urban Studies, or Student Designed. Students who pursue a joint AOC degree, e.g., Environmental Studies and Psychology, must complete the nine core requirements, but not the five additional track courses (see Requirements tab for details).

Requirements for the AOC in Environmental Studies

A total of fourteen (14) academic units. An Environmental Studies Joint AOC requires the 9 core units plus the required units for the Joint AOC (which may vary).

Course List
Code	Title
Required Introductory Courses in Environmental Studies and Biology
ENVS 2155	Introduction to Environmental Studies
BIOL 2100	Foundations of Biology I
Chemistry Course or Full-Term Tutorial Taught by Chemistry Faculty
CHEM 2075	Introduction to Environmental Chemistry
or CHEM 2100	General Chemistry I
Social, Cognitive, or Similar Psychology Course
Select one from the following examples:
PSYC 3400	Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 3550	Social Psychology
PSYC 3350	Personality Psychology
PSYC 3560	Biological Psychology
Environmentally-Oriented Political Science or Economics Course
Select one from the following examples:
ECON 3050	Development Economics
ECON 3280	Political Economy
POLS 2850	Sustainable Development
POLS 3560	R for GIS and Political Geography
Environmentally-Oriented Anthropology, History, or Urban Studies Course
Select one from the following examples:
ANTH 3320	Conservation and Indigenous Knowledge
HIST 3125	U.S. Environmental History
SOCI 3000	Planning for Campus Resilience: The New College Challenge
SOCI 3034	Sustainable Cities
Environmentally-Oriented Philosophy, Literature, Arts, or Other Humanities Course
Select one from the following examples:
PHIL 2010	The Good Life: Happiness, Meaning, and Ethics in a Complex World*
PHIL 2475	Animal Minds and Ethics*
MUSC 2400	Music and the Environment*
LITR 3170	Poetry Recess: A Creative Writing Workshop*
Environmental Studies Practicum
An ISP, full-term course, tutorial, or internship that involves teamwork with other students to complete an environmental project
Environmental Studies Capstone Seminar
ENVS 4995	Environmental Studies Capstone (taken in the 4th year)
Elective Track Courses and Tutorials ²
Select five elective courses or tutorials in one of the following tracks:
Policy Track
Science Track
Anthropology Track
Urban Studies Track
Student-Designed Track
Additional Requirements
Research Grant Proposal approved by senior thesis sponsor and the Environmental Studies Steering Committee
Senior Thesis or Senior Capstone Project, and Baccalaureate Exam ³

¹: Introductory Psychology does not count, but requirement will be waived as a pre-requirement to take an intermediate psychology course.
²: These five courses give the student depth in their area of greatest interest and help prepare the student for thesis work. Because students differ in their interests and the skills they need to have in order to conduct their thesis work (e.g., some students need art courses, others ecology courses, others sociology, etc.), these courses vary greatly between students. Therefore, students must work with their thesis sponsors to determine these courses. It is highly recommended that a methods course and a statistics course are included in the five courses selected.
³: The student's thesis committee must include a faculty member from the Environmental Studies Steering Committee or the Environmental Studies core faculty.