Environmental Justice and Sustainability, B.A.

The Environmental Justice and Sustainability major emphasizes the interconnectedness of environmental issues and their impacts on human society. This curriculum focuses on the ethics and socioeconomics at the intersection of human society and the environment. The Environmental Studies committee encourages students to pair Environmental Justice and Sustainability, which offers wide breadth among disciplines, with a second major in a single department to provide greater depth into a discrete topic. The major culminates with a capstone project consisting of an internship or experience in the student’s field of interest.

Requirements

A total of nine (9) courses, not including a capstone, which need not be taken for credit. Students are encouraged to double major in Environmental Justice and Sustainability (to explore linkages between disciplines) and a related field (to provide additional depth in a single discipline).

ECB 261 - Global Environmental Economics (1) (suggested prerequisites: ECB 101 or ECB 102 )
ENG 350 - American Nature Writers (1) or ENG 347
ENV 201 - Environmental Biology (1) or ENV 202
GEO 105 - Marine Life & Environments (1)
GEO 320 - Hydrogeology (1)
PHI 224 - Environmental Ethics (1)
SOC 320 - Sociology of the Environment (1) (see catalogue for prerequisites)

Two courses chosen from the following:

ANT 323 - Environment, Culture, and Sustainability (1)
ENV 201 - Environmental Biology (1) or ENV 202 (whichever not taken previously)
GEO 122 - Climate Change (1)
GEO 125 - Earth Resource Sustainability (1) or GEO 200
GEO 322 - Advanced Paleoclimatology (1)
POL 245 - Global Health (International Relations & Comparative Government) (1)
ENG 347 - Wilderness and the Arts (FEE) Taught at the Boundary Waters (Wilderness Field Station, Minnesota) (1) or ENG 350 (whichever not taken previously)

Capstone Experience:

An internship or experience in the field approved by the student’s ENV advisor. Must be taken for credit.

Graduating with Honors in Environmental Studies

Requires satisfying the following two requirements:

An average GPA of 3.5 in all courses counted for the ENV major;
A capstone project of sufficient intellectual depth to merit honors in Environmental Justice and Sustainability; each honors capstone will be evaluated by the student’s capstone committee (which is to be composed of three or four faculty, including the program chair and at least one other faculty member who is a regular member of the Environmental Studies Program committee) and should be discussed among the student and his/her capstone committee during construction of the capstone proposal.

Note: A major and minor in Environmental Science and Sustainability are also offered; however, students may not combine the Environmental Justice and Sustainability major with the Environmental Science and Sustainability major or minor.