Requirements

Requirements

ES Coordinate Major

  • The major involves the completion of a departmental major and the following courses in environmental studies. (To fulfill the major requirement a grade of C- or better must be earned in a course. Courses offered to satisfy the College's distribution requirements and the requirements of the departmental major may also be double-counted toward the ES major requirement, except as noted.)

  • ES 101 Introduction to Environmental Studies, preferably taken as a first-year student.
  • An introductory science course (the following courses are recommended to meet the requirement: Environmental Studies/Geology 100, Environmental Studies/Geology 103, Biology 104, 109, Chemistry 109, Physics 103.) This course also satisfies the prerequisite for ES201.
  • ES 201 Perspectives in Environmental Science (same as Biology 158/Chemistry 105).
  • ES 202 Environmental Policy and Politics (same as Government 214), or ES 218 Environmental Economics (Same as Economics 218).
  • ES 203 Environment and Culture in North American History (Same as History 242.).
  • Senior Seminars : A culminating course of one semester is required of majors. Such courses are multidisciplinary, studying a topic from at least two areas of the curriculum. This course is normally taken during the senior year. Courses in the 2007-2008 academic year which will satisfy this requirement include ES 316, 338, 365 and courses numbered 390 and above. It is preferable to take this course during the senior year. Please check with the department for an updated list of courses satisfying this requirement. Students should contact the program for a current list of senior seminars.

  • Beyond the core courses, students must choose a concentration (listed below):
    —for History, Landscape, Values, Ethics, and the Environment, students choose from ES courses designated with a “c” 
    —for Environmental Economics and Policy, students choose ES courses designated with a “b”.
    —for the Interdisciplinary Environmental Science Concentration, students choose from ES courses designated with an “a” (in addition, Chemistry 210 Chemical Analysis and Chemistry 240 Analytical Chemistry Inorganic Chemistry count toward this concentration). ES science majors are strongly advised to take one of the ES science courses outside of their departmental requirements. ES science majors should consult with their ES science advisor in identifying a science course outside of their major.

Student-designed Environmental Studies Concentration:
Students majoring in ES have the option of designing their own concentration consisting of three courses in addition to the core courses and senior seminars. Student-designed concentrations are particularly appropriate for students interested in exploring environmental issues from a cross-divisional perspective. Students must submit a self-designed concentration form (also available from the program), explaining their plan of study to the program director by the first week of the first semester of the junior year, listing the three ES courses proposed, and explaining how the courses are related to the issue of interest to the student. Proposals must be approved by the program director.