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The Department of Environmental Studies strives to increase awareness and appreciation of human connections with the rest of nature, and to stimulate advocacy for sustainable behaviors. The curriculum stresses sound interdisciplinary understanding of natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities disciplines in order to explore past, present, and potential ways of living on the earth. We are concerned with environmental issues at local, regional, national, and global levels, and we especially desire to help individuals and communities practice sustainable living by means of our research, teaching and service. Faculty and students collaborate in active and critical learning through community discourse, personal inquiry, and experiential learning. We intend that our students develop a personal aesthetic awareness of the earth, and that they engage in the inquiry, discovery, critical thinking, and debate that characterize the study of environmental issues.

The department offers majors in Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, and Sustainability and Business (offered jointly with the Department of Business). All three majors build upon a sound foundation in basic science, and both provide broad explorations of human interaction with the environment.

During the first two years of the Environmental Science and Environmental Studies majors, course requirements are nearly identical. The difference between the two majors emerges during the final two years in course selection: Environmental Science emphasizes scientific aspects of environmental questions, while Environmental Studies emphasizes humanistic, social, and political aspects. 

During the first year both majors take courses in Environmental Issues; Biology; Literature, Nature and the Environment (or appropriate substitute); and Economics in Context (or appropriate substitute). This two-semester program, called the Green Learning Community (GLC), provides an interdisciplinary framework to explore fundamental themes of environmental studies. Moreover, it develops academic, social, and affective skills necessary for successful college learning and collaborative professional work.

During the second year DES students look more deeply into the nature of environmental issues by taking courses in Society, Population, and Environment; Conservation and Preservation; and Environmental Policy.  In addition, the Conservation Field Lab teaches conservation field skills as well as data analysis and environmental communication arts. And, in the Environmental Sustainability Lab, students apply classroom learning as they propose, research, and bring about a sustainability project on the campus or the larger community. These interdisciplinary environmental issues courses ensure a broad understanding while preparing students for more advanced study.

In their third year, students in both majors take BIO 350 Ecology. In their third and fourth years, aided by a faculty advisor, students choose advanced courses according to their interests and career plans. Environmental Science majors choose science electives in environmental science or in biology, chemistry, physics, marine biology, and psychology.  Environmental Studies majors in the third and fourth years choose advanced courses from the following distribution groups: Conservation, Preservation, and Restoration; Environmental Policy and Management; Arts, Humanities, and Values; Global Ecology and Social Justice.

In both majors, the advanced courses not only stress deeper understanding, but also involve problem solving. Some courses examine the ways that human attitudes affect our environment, while other courses deal with hands-on tasks such as designing a conservation area, restoring a natural ecosystem, or considering technologies to reduce pollution. In order to ensure an intense direct experience of the natural world, the department offers a variety of field study courses. The curriculum culminates with the Senior Capstone in Sustainability in which students apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired to an in-depth study of the concept.

Philosophy

Because the study of environmental issues requires knowledge from a wide range of subjects, the department maintains a firm commitment to interdisciplinary education in our curriculum. Core courses in the department utilize knowledge and concepts drawn from the basic sciences as well as from the humanities and social sciences. Upper-division courses investigate environmental questions through disciplines such as literature, anthropology, economics, biology, history, political science, chemistry, physics, and ecology. Through all four years, our curriculum develops the skills necessary for dealing with environmental problems: writing, speaking, critical thinking, computing, research techniques, and media arts. The Environmental Studies Program prepares students to become informed citizens, competent professionals, and lifelong learners.

The Green Learning Community

As mentioned above, all entering first-year environmental students participate in a year-long learning community focused on the fundamental themes of environmental studies. The Green Learning Community includes courses as follows: 8 credits of biology, 3 credits of literature (or an appropriate substitute), 3 credits of economics and 3 credits of environmental issues for a total of 17 credits over two semesters. This interdisciplinary approach enables students to understand more clearly the complexity of environmental issues and at the same time improve skills in critical thinking, writing, oral communication, research, and use of computers. Experiential learning activities are central.

Center for Sustainable Communities

The Center for