Environmental Studies
Faculty
Melinda Krokus, Ph.D., Religious Studies, Chairperson
Bill Conlogue, Ph.D., English
Deanne Dulik Garver, Ph.D. Biochemistry
Richard Duque, Ph.D., Sociology
Christine Medley, MFA, Art
Sara Melick, M.S., Biology
Adam Shprintzen, Ph.D., History
Aaron Simmons, Ph.D., Philosophy
*Part-time
General Program Overview
The Environmental Studies program is designed to bring together courses in the humanities and sciences to encourage students to appreciate the complexity of issues related to the human - environment relationship. Moreover, the program emphasizes how approaches grounded in interdisciplinary thinking can help achieve sustainability and justice, preempt new environmental crises from happening, and create innovative solutions to existing problems. The program offers you a choice of three different areas of focus—Environmental Humanities, Environmental Justice, and Environmental Sciences—all of them grounded in an interdisciplinary, innovative partnership between the humanities, sciences, and social sciences.
Environmental Studies Goals
The Environmental Studies faculty will engage today’s student with a truly interdisciplinary and integrated approach to learning and problem solving. Students in the program will take foundational courses that will be team-taught and include perspectives from the humanities and the social and natural sciences. The three tracks of study will continue honing the students’ abilities to envision and implement creative, scientific, and just solutions to the environmental realities of today while focusing on their particular area of interest. By integrating science, ethics, communication, public policy, and the humanities our program will prepare students to be a part of the ecological transformation that will ensure a flourishing future for the planet.
Environmental Studies Objectives
The curricular objectives of the program are to enable students to:
1. learn to formulate research questions and explore the science of the natural world,
2. grapple with complex data sets through a critical lens,
3. recognize the moral issues related to our relationship to the environment,
4. develop an understanding of the ethical frameworks available to respond to these issues,
5. foster a sense of connection to the natural world,
6. navigate the workings of government and the legal system to promote responsible public policy,
7. appreciate the history of environmental issues,
8. communicate clearly about scientific ideas, and
9. advocate effectively for justice to a broader audience of policymakers and the public across a spectrum of political views