Environmental and Sustainability Studies Minor

The Environmental and Sustainability Studies (ESS) minor provides an interdisciplinary course of study that examines a wide variety of perspectives on the relationship between humans and the environment. Students who minor in environmental and sustainability studies will acquire at least a basic scientific understanding of environmental processes, acquire some understanding of the significance of human societies' interactions with and impacts on the environment and cultivate a critical awareness of humans' ethical, political and aesthetic relationships to the environment.

Because the ESS minor is an interdisciplinary minor composed of courses drawn from across the disciplines, students who seek a minor in ESS will have the opportunity to link environmental studies to the curriculum requirements for their respective majors and the general education program.

Requirements

To fulfill the requirements for the minor, students must complete a minimum of 18 credit-hours in courses approved for the minor, including BIOL 213 and a capstone experience. Courses in the minor must have an environmental or sustainability focus. Courses appropriate to the minor will be drawn from across the curriculum and may include special topics offerings. The capstone experience may include internship, community service, independent study/research or creative project. Students seeking to complete the minor are required to consult with the program advisor regarding course approval.

Faculty

The Environmental and Sustainability Studies program involves an interdisciplinary course of study, and as such the faculty who teach courses for the minor are drawn from many academic departments and schools within the University. These include, but are not limited to, the following: art and design; biological sciences; business; computer science; chemistry; history and political science; language and literature; philosophy; religious studies and sociology, anthropology and criminal justice.

The Environmental and Sustainability Studies program is administered by the program advisor with the support of its affiliated faculty. For more information, please contact essFREESXU.