Environmental Studies Minor

This course provides an introduction to scientific methods and a scientific background upon which to base decisions concerning environmental issues. Topics include air, water and solid waste pollution, ecological concepts, population and conservation of natural resources. 

In this advanced composition course, students will read and write environmentally focused texts while working to move beyond proficiency toward becoming more accomplished writers who are attentive to process, sensitive to the rhythms and nuances of language, and deliberate about style. 

This course will focus on contemporary environmental topics, including: climate change, deforestation, species extinction, environmental pollution, natural resource use and sustainability. These topics will mainly be examined and discussed from a biological perspective. 

This course explores the philosophical basis for human concern for the environment and for non-human beings. By examining contemporary ethical theories, the course will ask whether human beings have a moral relationship to the natural world, where that responsibility comes from, and what the extent of that responsibility is. Diverse ways of thinking about the environment and the place of humans within it will be considered, along with their implications for personal fulfillment, for society, and for future generations. The course will also investigate the purpose and usefulness of particular activities, such as recycling, and public policies such as energy programs, as ways of addressing urgent environmental challenges.