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Environmental Studies
Interdisciplinary Program Directors: Gordon Brown, Derek Larson,
Jamie Partridge
The greatest challenge for the coming century
is the transition to a sustainable society for human activities and
aspirations that does not threaten its ecological support systems.
Education is of crucial importance in achieving a balance between
ecology and humanity. Citizens who want a voice in determining the
fate of the planet require knowledge and experience in a wide variety
of disciplines, since this quest raises fundamental questions about
human values, lifestyles and our place in nature. The minor in
environmental studies takes a multidisciplinary approach to the study
of human interactions with the natural environment. It integrates the
different perspectives of the humanities, social sciences, biological
sciences, and physical sciences and applies these perspectives to
pressing environmental concerns.
Because environmental problems and potential
solutions do not stop at disciplinary boundaries, the environmental
studies minor draws from a wide range of academic disciplines to allow
students to study the linkage between disciplines too often kept
separate. The approved courses for environmental studies may vary
between years; all have been chosen because a significant portion of
the course content is devoted to environmental issues.
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