Environmental Studies Minor

CURRICULUM COMMITTEE:
Richard Lehtinen (Biology), Chair
Daniel Bourne (English)
Matthew Mariola (Environmental Studies)
Setsuko Matsuzawa (Sociology)

Issues related to the natural environment require an interdisciplinary focus. To fully come to grips with these challenges, we need to understand the way in which technological advances and human behavior affect fundamental ecological processes, what political and psychological tactics may be harnessed to address the problem, and how nature is discussed, described, and experienced. The field of environmental studies provides the opportunity to integrate multiple disciplinary perspectives in order to think about and understand environmental issues. The program at Wooster encourages students to engage hands-on with environmental issues both inside and outside the classroom, and at both local and global levels.

Environmental Studies minors will become knowledgeable about core scientific concepts that are relevant to the environment; able to understand different ways of assessing the value of the natural environment; comfortable with different means of examining and communicating about the environment; and familiar with the ways in which social institutions contribute to environmental problems and potential solutions to those problems. They should also understand their own roles within the human-environment relationship.

The Environmental Studies minor will complement a major in a traditional department so that students combine a detailed understanding of the knowledge and methods within a discipline with a focus on a particular topic. Students with an Environmental Studies minor will complete their I.S. project within their major department. However, they are encouraged to include an environmental component to their I.S. when possible, and the Environmental Studies faculty will endeavor to help them to do so.