Environmental Studies

Jon Jensen (program director)

The interdisciplinary major in environmental studies is designed to provide students with fundamental resources for understanding the complex and dynamic relations between humans and the natural world. The major integrates perspectives from the social sciences, the natural sciences, and humanities to develop the conceptual and analytic skills required for a balanced approach to environmental issues. Students completing a major in environmental studies also gain depth of knowledge in one specific area of study through a concentration.

Required for a major: Twelve courses in approved environmental studies courses including five core courses, a four or five course concentration in one area, and two or three elective courses from an approved list. Students pursuing the major must choose one of the three options for a concentration listed below. Six of the 12 courses must be at the 200 level or above. No more than three courses counting for another major or minor may be applied to the environmental studies major.

Core Courses: ENVS 134, 485; PHIL 140, BIO 151, POLS 258.

Concentrations:

  1. Environmental Policy: ECON 255 (ECON 130 prerequisite may be waived with instructor permission); POLS 355; two of SOC 356, PHIL 230, HIST 291, REL 243, PAID 450:Biodiversity, PAID 450:Ethics, Energy and Climate Policy, PAID 450:Food and the Environment.
  2. Environmental Science: BIO 256; one of the following: CHEM 151 and 152 or CHEM 201; two courses (8 hours) from a single discipline of which at least 4 hours must be at the 300-level from the following: ENVS 310, 320, 339, BIO 246, 251, 252, 253, 258, 354, 365, CHEM 202, 241, 344, 345.
  3. Individualized: Student develops a proposed course of study for their concentration in consultation with an environmental studies faculty member. This proposal must explain the four courses to be taken for the concentration, how they link together, and the rationale behind the proposal. Such proposals are typically completed during the spring semester of the sophomore year and must be submitted to the Environmental Studies Steering Committee no later than Dec. 1 of the junior year.

Required for a minor: Five courses in approved environmental studies courses including ENVS 134 or BIO 151, PHIL 140 or POLS 258, and ENVS 485. No more than two courses counting for another major or minor may be applied to the environmental studies minor.

In addition to all environmental studies courses being able to be used as electives for the major or minor, courses from other departments approved to be used as major or minor electives for environmental studies include:

ANTH 101,102, or ANTH 104 Cultural or Physical Anthropology or Archaeology

ANTH 302 Field Methods in Archaeology

ART 115 Scandinavian Fine Handcrafts

BIO 112 Insects, Humans, and the Environment

BIO 149 Introduction to Winter Biology

BIO 151 Principles of Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity

BIO 152 Principles of Biology: Molecules, Cells, and Genes

BIO 239 Ecology of Desert Southwest

BIO 243 Microbiology

BIO 245 Ecology of Ecuador

BIO 246 Ornithology

BIO 247 Subtropical and Marine Biology

BIO 248 Genetics

BIO 249 Winter Biology

BIO 251 Entomology

BIO 252 General Botany

BIO 253 Invertebrate Zoology

BIO 255 Physiology

BIO 256 Biostatistics

BIO 258 Vertebrate Natural History

BIO 354 Evolutionary Biology

BIO 365 General Ecology

CHEM 114 The Environment: A Chemical Perspective

CHEM 151, 152 General Chemical Principles I & II

CHEM 201 Advanced Chemical Principles

ECON 255 Environmental Economics

HIST 291 Environmental History

PAIDEIA 450 Biodiversity

PAIDEIA 450 Food and the Environment

PAIDEIA 450 Ethics, Energy and Climate Policy

PAIDEIA 450 From Sea to Mountain: Ethical Dilemmas of Land Use in Hawaii

PAIDEIA 450 Here on Earth: Vocation in a Sustainable Global Community

PHIL 120 Ethics

PHIL 140 Environmental Philosophy

PHIL 230 Philosophy of Science

POLS 258 Environmental Politics and Policy

POLS 355 Constitutional Law

REL 243 Environmental Ethics

SCI 123 Introduction to Meteorology

SOC 356 Environmental Sociology

THD 126 Movement Fundamentals I