Environmental Studies
Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary course of study that promotes an understanding of the relationship between human beings and their environment. Open to all students of the College, the program is designed as a major or minor for students in the School of Liberal Arts and as a minor or second major for students in any other school. The program provides students with a liberal arts experience that focuses on the complex interrelationship among the scientific, political, economic, ethical, and aesthetic ideas that underlie environmental issues. The program has been designed for both science and non-science majors, serving to broaden their environmental education in ways that can help all students prepare for future careers in the fields of environmental policy or education, while giving students who plan careers in science or engineering a crucial background for understanding the social contexts in which their work will take place.
Major
Requirements for a major in Environmental Studies
A minimum of thirty (30) credits, distributed as follows:
Sciences and Engineering: Students in the major must take a minimum of nine (9) credits in environmental science or engineering from the approved list of courses below. Students should be advised that there may be pre-requisites they must meet in order to take advanced science courses.
BIOL 223 | Ecology | 4 |
BIOL 231 | Evolution | 4 |
BIOL 304 | Invertebrate Zoology | 4 |
BIOL 305 | Plant Biology | 4 |
BIOL 326 | Animal Behavior | 4 |
BIOL 409 | Marine Biology | 4 |
BIOL 431 | Freshwater Ecology | 4 |
BIOL 432 | Estuarine and Coastal Ecology | 4 |
CEEN 405 | Construction Planning and Scheduling | 3 |
ENGS 204 | Environmental Engineering Principles I | 3 |
ENSC 101 | Intro to Environmental Science | 3 |
ENVL 316 | Environmental Engineering Field Applications | 3 |
MATH 151 | Topics in Modern Mathematics * | 3 |
SCI 203 | Topics in Science I * | 3 |
SCI 204 | Topics in Science II * | 3 |
SCI 323 | Topics in Applied Conservation | 3 |
ENSC 301 | Environmental Science I | 3 |
ENSC 302 | Environmental Science II | 4 |
- *
When these courses are on an environmental topic. Must be approved by the Environmental Studies program director.
Humanities and Social Sciences: Students in the major must take a minimum of eighteen (18) credits in the Humanities and Social Sciences from the approved list of courses below. All students in the program must take POSC 223 Environmental Politics.
CEEN 309 | Environmental Law | 3 |
ENGL 279 | Literature and the Environment ** | 3 |
ENGL 345 | Environmental Literature and Ecocriticism ** | 3 |
EVST 399 | Independent Study in Environmental Studies | 3 |
EVST 400 | Field Project in Environmental Studies | 3 |
HIST 377 | Science, Technology, and Society | 3 |
PHIL 205 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
POSC 223 | Environmental Politics | 3 |
RELS 372 | Religion and Science *** | 3 |
RELS 377 | Religion and Environmentalism *** | 3 |
SOC 303 | Urban Planning | 3 |
URBN 302 | Sustainable Cities | 3 |
SOC 250 | Introduction to GIS | 3 |
SOC 350 | Advanced Topics in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) | 3 |
SOC 307 | Research Methods | 3 |
With permission of Director and Instructor | ||
ECON 332 | Introduction to Environmental Economics | 3 |
ECON 432 | Applied Environmental Economics | 3 |
SOC 334 | Sustainable Development | 3 |
POSC 210 | Research Methods in Political Science | 3 |
With permission of Instructor and Director | ||
With permission of Instructor and Director | ||
POSC 318 | Community Organizing for Social Change | 3 |
With permission of Instructor and Diector | ||
RELS 204 | Religion and Social Justice | 3 |
With Permission of Instructor and Director | ||
RELS 205 | Urban America and Catholic Social Teaching | 3 |
With permission of Instructor and Director |
- **
Only one English course permitted
- ***
Only one Religious Studies course permitted
Capstone: All students in the major must take the three-credit capstone course during their senior year.
EVST 490 Senior Seminar in Environmental Studies
A minimum grade of C is required for all courses counting toward the major.
Minor
Requirements for a Minor in Environmental Studies:
Students in the minor must take at least fifteen (15) credits from the approved list of courses below. At least one course (but no more than two) must be from the approved list of science and engineering courses. Students should be advised that there may be pre-requisites they must meet in order to take advanced science courses. All students in the program must take POSC 223 Environmental Politics.
Sciences and Engineering:
BIOL 223 | Ecology | 4 |
BIOL 231 | Evolution | 4 |
BIOL 304 | Invertebrate Zoology | 4 |
BIOL 305 | Plant Biology | 4 |
BIOL 326 | Animal Behavior | 4 |
BIOL 409 | Marine Biology | 4 |
BIOL 431 | Freshwater Ecology | 4 |
BIOL 432 | Estuarine and Coastal Ecology | 4 |
CEEN 405 | Construction Planning and Scheduling | 3 |
ENGS 204 | Environmental Engineering Principles I | 3 |
ENSC 101 | Intro to Environmental Science | 3 |
MATH 151 | Topics in Modern Mathematics * | 3 |
ENVL 316 | Environmental Engineering Field Applications | 3 |
SCI 202 | Introduction Geology * | 3 |
SCI 203 | Topics in Science I * | 3 |
SCI 204 | Topics in Science II * | 3 |
SCI 210 | Introductory Oceanography | 3 |
SCI 221 | Introduction Meteorology | 3 |
SCI 323 | Topics in Applied Conservation | 3 |
ENSC 301 | Environmental Science I | 3 |
ENSC 302 | Environmental Science II | 4 |
- *
When these courses are on an environmental topic. Must be approved by the Environmental Studies program director.
Humanities and Social Sciences:
CEEN 309 | Environmental Law | 3 |
ENGL 279 | Literature and the Environment ** | 3 |
ENGL 345 | Environmental Literature and Ecocriticism ** | 3 |
EVST 301 | Special Topics in Environmental Studies | 3 |
EVST 399 | Independent Study in Environmental Studies | 3 |
EVST 400 | Field Project in Environmental Studies | 3 |
HIST 377 | Science, Technology, and Society | 3 |
PHIL 205 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
POSC 223 | Environmental Politics | 3 |
RELS 372 | Religion and Science *** | 3 |
RELS 377 | Religion and Environmentalism *** | 3 |
SOC 303 | Urban Planning | 3 |
URBN 302 | Sustainable Cities | 3 |
ECON 332 | Introduction to Environmental Economics | 3 |
ECON 432 | Applied Environmental Economics | 3 |
POSC 318 | Community Organizing for Social Change | 3 |
With permission of Instructor and Director | ||
POSC 210 | Research Methods in Political Science | 3 |
With permission of Instructor and Director | ||
SOC 250 | Introduction to GIS | 3 |
SOC 350 | Advanced Topics in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) | 3 |
SOC 334 | Sustainable Development | 3 |
SOC 307 | Research Methods | 3 |
With permission of Instructor and Director | ||
RELS 205 | Urban America and Catholic Social Teaching | 3 |
With permission of Instructor and Director | ||
RELS 204 | Religion and Social Justice | 3 |
With permission of Instructor and Director |
A minimum grade of C is required for all courses counting toward the minor.
- **
Only one English course permitted
- ***
Only one Religious Studies course permitted
Courses
EVST 090. Environmental Studies Elective. 3 Credits.
EVST 301. Special Topics in Environmental Studies. 3 Credits.
An intensive study of an environmental topic not currently listed in the course catalogue. The subject to be studied will vary from semester to semester.
EVST 399. Independent Study in Environmental Studies. 3 Credits.
An in-depth independent study in any field of Environmental Studies, undertaken with a faculty member in the appropriate field. Open only to students enrolled in the Environmental Studies major or minor. Permission of the sponsoring faculty member and the Environmental Studies coordinator is required.
EVST 400. Field Project in Environmental Studies. 3 Credits.
An experiential learning opportunity with an environmental organization or government agency - locally, domestically or abroad. Open only to students enrolled in the Environmental Studies major or minor. Permission of Environmental Studies coordinator is required.
EVST 490. Senior Seminar in Environmental Studies. 3 Credits.
In this course students will work as a group with a client — a governmental agency, public interest group, international organization, corporation, or research institution – on a significant issue in environmental policy. Designed as a capstone experience for students majoring in Environmental Studies, for whom it is a graduation requirement. Permission of the Environmental Studies program director required.