Environmental Studies
News Notes, Fall 2006: Curriculum Revisions
The Environmental Studies Committee, consisting of advisors from each of the option areas, is proposing the most significant change in the ES curriculum since the program’s inception in the early 1990s. We therefore expect that the Environmental Studies program curriculum will see significant revisions over the next several years.
The ES program originally assembled sets of existing classes among the science and social science departments to provide the content and balance for this interdisciplinary major. The program then consisted of a few “core” classes along with option areas in biology, chemistry, geography, geology, and (most recently) social science and policy.
While the growing program developed a sound reputation over the years, it was clear we needed to address such issues as refining the various classes to focus more specifically on the needs of ES majors, increasing the cohort experience of our majors, and better integrating the curriculum into a truly interdisciplinary package.
The revised approach expands on the “core” concept:
- Freshman year: Three courses covering the various science disciplines, including chemistry, meteorology, hydrology, geology, and ecology.
- Sophomore year: Three courses introducing such social science concepts as economics, environmental law, and collaboration techniques augmented by guests working in various environmental fields
- Junior year: Courses in key environmental areas such as geo-hydrology, forest ecology, environmental policy, and ecology.
- Senior year: Project-oriented capstone experience.
In addition, the option areas may be revised to include such thematic areas as public lands, water resources, community studies, and geo-spatial technology.
Our intent is to better integrate the curriculum, combining the knowledge of the sciences and the process tools of the social sciences into a package that gives our graduates the ability to address increasingly complex environmental problems. The plan is to have most, if not all, in place by fall 2007.
