About

An overview and description of the Environmental Studies department at Denison University.

Humans and the Environment

In Denison’s Environmental Studies (ENVS) Program, you’ll find experiences that take you to the classroom, to the boardroom, and to the field. You’ll learn cutting-edge technologies, gather and evaluate information, and gain a profound understanding of the complexities of our environmental systems.

Accomplished faculty, interdisciplinary courses, top-notch facilities, small class sizes, and unique research and internship opportunities all are geared to help prepare you to become a leader in conservation.

Among issues of concern and investigation are:

Resource utilization
The impact of technology on ecosystems
Relationships between the environment and sociocultural systems
Geographic information systems analysis
Environmental economics and policy
Conservation of biological diversity
Nature writing, alternative dispute resolution
Environmental psychology
Environmental ethics
And many others

Mission Statement

Environmental studies is an interdisciplinary inquiry into the relationship between humans and the environment.The Denison Environmental Studies Program (ENVS) draws on work in the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities and the arts. It endeavors to bridge these many intellectual approaches and perspectives in the hope that students will gain deeper understanding of the environmental problems facing the world and of proactive opportunities for change.

Departmental Guidelines

Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary inquiry into the relationship between humans and the environment. Both a major and a minor are available to students with an interest in the rigorous study of these issues. The major requires students to develop a specific environmental focus as a concentration in addition to the environmental core and distribution courses. The minor in ENVS allows students to integrate an environmental perspective with their major field of study.

As a holistic interdisciplinary area, Environmental Studies draws on work in the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and the arts. It endeavors to bridge these many intellectual approaches and perspectives in the hope that students will gain a deeper understanding both of the environmental concerns facing the world and of proactive opportunities for change. Among issues of concern and investigation are resource utilization, the impact of technology on ecosystems, relationships between the environment and sociocultural systems, ecosystem management, geographic analysis, sustainable design, environmental economics and policy, conservation of biological diversity, nature writing, alternative dispute resolution, political ecology, environmental photography, sustainable agriculture and environmental ethics, among many others.