Environmental Studies

About the Program

The Environmental Studies Program offers a locally and regionally focused interdisciplinary minor program designed to help students integrate their major areas of study with the scientific, social scientific, and humanistic dimensions of environmental issues. Students who minor in Environmental Studies 1) learn to conduct critical analyses by deconstructing environmental problems or issues into their relevant scientific, social, and cultural dimensions, 2) develop an understanding of the multiplicity of values, norms, interests, incentives, and scientific disciplines that shape environmental issues, 3) learn to reconstruct environmental problems by engaging in dialogue across disciplines to identify both constraints and possibilities for problem resolution, and 4) become fluent in one or more current environmental issues, demonstrating an understanding of system dynamics and human problem-solving contexts.

The program faculty believe that environmental studies is best accomplished when carried on in conjunction with work in another major area of study. Students who elect to minor in Environmental Studies should consult with a second advisor familiar with the Environmental Studies program. Environmental Studies advisors will help students to design a minor program that will complement their majors and help them to focus their studies in areas of interest to them.