Degree Requirements

Environmental Studies Major

The Environmental Studies Major requires eight courses plus a thematic concentration (typically five courses) as part of a three-pronged program.

1.  Four required core courses:

2.  Four distribution courses: Students are to fulfill the requirements of the distribution categories listed below. No double counting is permitted among these distribution categories or between the distribution courses and the concentration. See the ENVS website for updates to the list of courses that may be used to fulfill these categories. Also note that some of these courses have prerequisites.

a.  One environmental methods course from the Humanities or the Arts. Examples include:

b.  One environmental course from the Social Sciences. Examples include:

c.  A two-course sequence in the Natural Sciences. Examples include: 

3.  A thematic concentration.  The concentration is a set of courses (typically five) that provides depth in an area of interest.  Concentration courses may not double count with the Core or Distribution categories above.  Approved concentrations are given on the ENVS website.  Examples include: Creative Environments, Ecosystem Conservation, Environmental Art History, Environmental Biology, Environmental Decision Making, Environmental Economics, Environmental Geoscience, Global Environmental Justice, Journalism, Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable Design, and Sustainable Development.  Students may also design their own thematic concentration, pending program approval, including coordinated double majors in Art History & Visual Culture, Biology, and Economics.  ENVS majors declare their concentration in the early Spring of sophomore year.  

ENVS Thematic Concentration Options

Students who major in Environmental Studies are required to fulfill the eight core/distribution courses (100, 200, 301, 401, an environmental science sequence of two courses, one environmental social science course, and one environmental arts/humanities course).

Additionally, majors each designate an area of concentration, which is intended to provide depth in an area of study relevant to the field. ENVS concentrations are all five courses

This document describes the design of nine different ENVS thematic concentrations:

• Creative Environments
• Ecosystem Conservation
• Environmental Decision Making
• Environmental Geoscience
• Global Environmental Justice
• Journalism
• Sustainable Agriculture
• Sustainable Design
• Sustainable Development

Note that students may propose their own self-designed thematic concentration, subject to the approval of the ENVS ProgramCommittee. These can take many forms, and in some cases could be designed around a second major in Art History and Visual Culture, Biology, Communication, Data Analytics, Environmental Science, Economics, Global Commerce, Global Health, or International Studies. See more information on these options at the end of this document. Other second majors may also be suitable, per approval of the ENVS Program Committee.

In all concentrations, other relevant courses may be added to these lists as they are developed and offered by faculty. Also note that appropriate Off Campus Study courses may count toward most thematic concentrations.

Creative Environments

This arts- and humanities-based concentration offers students the opportunity to explore a range of ways humans and societies have represented, performed, mediated, and otherwise imagined built and natural environments. By studying verbal, visual, and performative representations of the environment across periods and traditions, students will think critically about cultural constructions of built and natural environments.  By immersing themselves in the imaginative process and creating artistic works that engage the environment, students will reflect on the ways our personal and cultural assumptions about the environment inflect the ways we represent, narrate, and otherwise imagine both built and natural environments. ENVS majors with this concentration will achieve a solid grounding both in the critical assessment and interpretation of mediated environments and in the creative, imaginative making of such mediations. Students who pursue this concentration will be well-equipped for jobs in the environmental arts and humanities in particular, but the skills developed in this concentration have broad application to a wide array of career paths.

This concentration involves five courses, and students may choose whether to emphasize critical approaches or creative expression in the arts and humanities.  The difference is in balancing two courses from one category and three from the other. 

1,2) Two of the following Critical Approaches courses:

3,4) Two of the following Creative Expression courses:

5) One additional course from either group above.

Ecosystem Conservation

The Ecosystem Conservation concentration offers students an integrated understanding of ecological systems, including theoretical foundations, practical applications, and socio ecological connections. The three required courses provide a conceptual basis of systems ecology and the field, lab and data management skills that are essential for ecosystem practitioners. The choices provide opportunities for application of conservation concepts in complex political and biological environments. ENVS majors with a concentration in Ecosystem Conservation will be well-prepared for careers in such fields as environmental consulting, land use planning and regulation, land and water stewardship and geospatial analysis.

Environmental Decision Making 

This theme offers a lens onto the process by which environmental decisions are – and can – be made. It is not content-specific, though certainly a student could focus attention on a particular category of decisions – a particular policy area – for some of the coursework chosen as part of the theme. The courses included in the list below are all aimed at better understanding the factors that affect behavior and various frameworks in which environmental decision-making takes place ranging from the individual to the group, from the community to the institutional.

Some courses aim at skill-building while others emphasize a normative exploration or an emphasis on theory-building.

ENVIRONMENTAL Geosciences

The Environmental Geoscience concentration provides ENVS students with an option in the physical sciences. The fundamentals of geology are combined with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and elective choices in earth systems and landscape science.

Students choosing this option will complete the core and distribution requirements of the ENVS major and will fulfill their concentration as follows (concentration courses may not double-count with ENVS core or distribution courses).

GLOBAl ENVIRONMENTAL Justice

Global environmental justice is an important field of academic study and the basis for a major form of social action and practice. Questions of justice are multi-scalar and arise within societies and across nations, cultures and species. This theme examines how and why certain populations experience disproportionate environmental and health harms as well as unequal access to resources associated with well being. Key focus areas of the concentration include studying: 1) the structural factors underpinning injustices and inequalities, and 2) the meaningful inclusion of all people in environmental and social decisions impacting their communities. In sum, this concentration involves an interdisciplinary investigation of all three concepts in its title as ones that require careful analysis, and are often contested by activists and scholars: “global,” “environmental” and “justice.”

Journalism 

The Journalism concentration provides exploration and skill-building in long-format, in-depth storytelling that is both attractive to some ENVS majors and useful preparation for potential career paths.

Sustainable Agriculture

interdisciplinary perspectives on the issue of food production and food distribution. These perspectives should allow students to think critically about the environmental, social, and economic impacts of food production and distribution. To this end, students are expected to take two science courses related to plant biology, earth systems or climate change. Additionally, students will take a course on social movements and/or issues of justice to help identify the social factors that have played a role in the sustainability of food systems (e.g., worker’s rights, labor movement). The last requirement is flexible to include any food related course from any division, including courses off campus.

Sustainable Development

In 1987, the Brundtland Commission defined this term for the ages: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Our Common Future). While its focus may be largely on parts of the world where “needs” are unmet and poverty is endemic, a concentration in sustainable development will also seek to address the systemic nature of ecological, social, historical, and economic crises the world over. Therefore, the courses in this theme are generally international in their orientation and aimed at fostering a culturally sensitive understanding of the distinct challenges faced by developing countries and post-industrial societies in their socio-economic development trajectory.

Sustainable Design

This theme interrogates the ways we construct our built environment, with an eye to approaches that emphasize ecological harmony, local materials, waste reduction, energy efficiency, and stewardship in the form of both cultural and environmental sensitivity. While Denison does not have any curricular dedication to city planning or architectural studies, there are a variety of courses which students can combine into a liberal arts examination of the core issues in these areas of study. Students who select this theme have the option of choosing a technological/ structural or behavioral approach, and should be able to articulate individualized reasoning as to why particular courses are chosen for the orientation of interest.

Self-Designed Concentration Options

Students may propose their own self-designed thematic concentration, subject to the approval of the ENVS Program Committee. These can take many forms, and typically require the student to work with ENVS faculty to develop thematic description and a list of 5 courses to be taken, plus some alternate course selections. Self-Designed themes that involve Off Campus Study courses are welcome (up to two OCS courses may count toward the ENVS major for a semester abroad; up to three for a year abroad).

In some cases, a Concentration could be designed around a second major. If you are considering one of these, see the notes below. Listed here are courses taught in these disciplines which may be suitable for use within an ENVS concentration and also be used to satisfy requirements in the disciplinary major.

Environmental Science

The following EESC courses have clear relevance to ENVS:

Environmental Studies Minor

The Environmental Studies Minor requires six courses. Regular offerings are listed here for each category. Check with the ENVS program office or website for a list of special offerings that may be allowed to fulfill each requirement. Also note that some of these courses have prerequisites.

1. ENVS 100 - Integrated Environmental Studies
2. ENVS 200 - Environmental Analysis

Four distribution courses: Students are to fulfill the requirements of the distribution categories listed below. No double counting is permitted among these distribution categories. See the ENVS website for updates to the list of courses that may be used to fulfill these categories. Also note that some of these courses have prerequisites.

1. One environmental course from the Humanities or the Arts:

2.  One environmental course from the Social Sciences. 

3.  A two-course sequence in the Natural Sciences.

Additional Points of Interest