Students at Marywood University can earn an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies following the course outline below.
All EVST majors must take each of the following (3 courses, 9 credits)
Requirements List
All EVST Students must also take one course in each of the following categories: (5 courses, 15 credits)
Scientific Knowledge
Moral Issues and Ethical Frameworks
Public Policy and Government
Students must also take Animals in Modern History and African Environmental History (course numbers to be determined).
Connection to the Natural World
Effective Communication and Advocacy
| ART 416 | Social Impact Design | 3 |
| ENGL 425 | Rhetoric and Persuasion | 3 |
| ENGL 440 | Creating Digital Content | 3 |
| 483 | Social Justice Writing and Rhetoric | 3 |
| ENGL 484 | Political Writing and Rhetoric | 3 |
| ENGL 486 | Environmental Writing | 3 |
For the remainder of their courses, EVST students choose 1 of the 3 tracks outlined here:
Environmental Humanities Track
Students in this track will take a creative and/or humanistic lens to understanding the importance of the non-human environment to human flourishing, as well as how to utilize storytelling, spiritualities, and histories as tools for appreciating the environment and advocating for the natural world. How does our environment shape our culture, our identity, our history? How can we learn from studying past and current environmental issues by looking at texts, local archives, and oral histories?
For the capstone project in this track, students will produce either a creative project (e.g., a documentary or short film, a portfolio of creative writing, a digital archive or curated story, or a series of artworks) or a thesis project (e.g., outlining philosophical or spiritual frameworks in relation to a particular issue, studying local history/issues), all related to a local environmental issue they explore. Depending on the nature of the project proposed, students will take 0-9 credits of skills courses that enable them to complete their projects, such as graphic design or communication arts or writing. The remaining 12-21 credits are left to the student to choose from our EVST offerings in either Art, Literature, History, Music, Philosophy, Religious Studies, or Spanish, provided they take classes in at least three different disciplines.
Skills Courses (0-9 credits)
Students will work with EVST advisory board and academic adviser to lay out a capstone plan and choose appropriate skills courses as needed from this list:
Multimedia Communications courses, such as Audio Production, Film Production, Digital Editing, or Screenwriting, English Professional or Creative Writing courses, or Art courses such as Photography, Graphic Design, Illustration, Sculpture, or Painting.
*The courses must be approved by the program director or faculty advisory board.
Remaining EVST Credits (12-21 credits)
Students may choose from any of the EVST electives to complete the degree; 75% of these courses should be chosen from the humanities with an eye towards interdisciplinarity. For the purpose of this degree path, humanities disciplines include the following: Art History, English, History, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Spanish. Foundation courses may not double count here.
Environmental Justice Track
This track will focus on teaching students how to identify and respond to normative (moral, spiritual, epistemic) concerns that arise as a result of our interaction with the non-human world. Students will be introduced to a diversity of moral frameworks and equipped with collaborative research skills and integrative advocacy approaches, all aimed at informing/mobilizing stakeholders and shaping social and environmental policy in a way that reflects a serious concern for justice. Focus will be put on identifying the populations (human and non-human) most vulnerable to the risks associated with environmental degradation, through a lens informed strongly by intersectional analysis.
For a capstone project in this track, students could develop and/or analyze policy proposals, identify moral frameworks (and associated rights and obligations) for working through an environmental problem, propose/implement an advocacy plan around an environmental issue, or other similar justice-oriented approach.
Students will be required to take courses in Social Sciences and Philosophy and will be able to choose electives from Religious Studies, History, Social Sciences, Communication, and English.
Required Courses
1 of the following 2 courses (3 credits)
All of the following courses (12 credits):
Students must also take Environmental Justice (course number to be determined).
1 of the following 4 courses (3 credits):
| ENGL 425 | Rhetoric and Persuasion | 3 |
| 483 | Social Justice Writing and Rhetoric | 3 |
| ENGL 484 | Political Writing and Rhetoric | 3 |
| ENGL 486 | Environmental Writing | 3 |
Environmental Sciences Track
The Environmental Sciences track will consist of a foundational course, which provides an introduction to the evidence-based scope of current environmental issues, methods of measurement of environmental problems, data analysis and interpretation and information literacy in the field. An additional required course will address field ecology (including a lab). This track will teach students how to identify and measure the health of the environment, as well as to understand the scientific relationships that affect this health, and the workings of the natural world. For the capstone, students will do fieldwork and produce research papers on a relevant topic of environmental interest, such as studying water pollution issues in the Lackawanna River related to mining or acid runoff from farm production. Additional required courses will address field ecology (including a lab); science electives will include Resource Conservation, Earth Science, Chemical Analysis, Environmental Chemistry, and Special Topics in local environmental issues; as well as additional electives in Art, Literature, Philosophy, or Religious Studies.
Note: If a student takes any of the required courses as EVST foundations or the core, they must take additional EVST electives from humanities or social sciences in their place.
We encourage students to take core requirements connected to the environment, but the student may only double-count six credits of the core towards the major requirements; after that, they must take additional EVST electives. For example, if a student takes RST 240 Spirit and Nature for the upper-level Religious Studies core pathway course, it can also count as the course fulfilling the category of “Connection to the Natural World.”
Required Courses