Academic Departments and Programs

Environmental Studies

The Environmental Studies Program at The College of Idaho complements the College's mission of promoting lifelong learning, personal development, and community leadership through offering students an education in the complex relationships among natural systems and human cultures. The interdisciplinary program encourages students to question their own cultural and environmental attitudes and examine these values in their lives and work. In addition, the program provides students the necessary skills to think critically, obtain and analyze data, speak and write effectively about the environment, and actively engage in their communities.

Environmental Studies (ES) is a field of study that explores the various and complex relationships that exist between human beings and their environment. Because understanding these relationships requires a variety of critical perspectives, the major is interdisciplinary and writing-intensive: it includes courses in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The ES program includes components of ecology and environmental systems, the impacts of aesthetic representations of the environment, the history of environmental thought, the role of public policy and ethics in environmental decision-making, the various conceptions of "environment" held by different cultures, and the global nature of environmental problems.

Students interested in the following areas may find the ES Program particularly useful: careers in education, public policy, resource management, public health, public administration, international development, the non-profit sector, or the sciences; or graduate study in environmental law or policy, science, economics, or environmental literature.

Majors

Environmental Studies Major

Students pursuing an ES major complete all of the Core courses plus six to eight courses comprising a disciplinary Focus. Students are encouraged to complete some courses in the Core before beginning coursework toward the Focus. Students should consult an ES advisor for assistance with planning a course of study. Students wishing to substitute a second major for the Focus area must submit a formal, written request to the ES Chair to be considered by the ES Committee. Given the deeply interdisciplinary nature of the ES Core and the in-depth study involved in the Focus area, students completing the ES major, an additional three credits in the Fine Arts, and two additional courses in the Social Sciences have fulfilled three PEAKs: Humanities & Fine Arts; Social Sciences & History; and Natural Sciences & Mathematics.

Major Requirements:

The Environmental Studies Core (36 Credits)

The Environmental Studies Core introduces essential concepts in environmental studies, foundational approaches to the study of the environment, and the specific ways in which environmental studies are practiced in various disciplines. Courses in the Core should be taken as early as possible.

The Focus (18-24 units)

While the Core Courses in the major ensure that students acquire a substantive, interdisciplinary understanding of Environmental Studies, the Focus ensures that students also have training in a traditional discipline. In the Focus, students apply the knowledge gained in the interdisciplinary Core to specific fields. All foci include in-depth study within a single field or discipline and contain at least 10 upper-division units. In addition to the following foci, students may design a Focus in consultation with an ES advisor. Self-designed foci must be approved by the ES Program Committee. The ES Foci are not PEAK minors and may be completed only as part of the ES major.

Chemistry Focus

All human activity depends upon energy, chemical systems, and the earth's elemental cycles, and our dependence upon these systems has had profound affects on our environment. The water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles, for example, reflect the impact of human activity. Addressing environmental problems from a chemical perspective necessitates generating data about the properties of chemical systems, interpreting those data, and understanding the study of matter. In the Chemistry Focus, students study techniques for chemical analysis, the complexities of matter, the earth's elemental cycles, and electrochemistry, and gain experience conducting chemical analyses and interpreting scientific data. The Chemistry Focus provides students with a solid base of coursework that enables exploration of crucial concerns affecting the physical environment.

Labs associated with the following courses are also required. Students completing the Chemistry Focus may substitute for CHE-302 Organic Chemistry II either CHE-412 Biochemistry & Laboratory; or CHE-420 Inorganic Chemistry & Laboratory.

Requirements include:

Conservation Biology Focus

Understanding the biology of organisms, populations, and ecosystems is essential to addressing environmental issues. The ability to collect and interpret biological data reliably and to gather and interpret relevant scientific literature allows for the critical evaluation of ecological issues and contributes to sound environmental decision making. In the Conservation Biology Focus, students gain both a conceptual framework and the laboratory and field experience needed to understand the biological aspects of environmental issues.

Labs associated with the following courses are also required. To ensure that students have adequate quantitative preparation, they should complete MAT-212 Advanced Statistical Methods.

Requirements include:

 

Literature Focus

Our values, beliefs, and language relate deeply to environmental issues and attitudes. Similarly, the human imagination and the stories that we tell ourselves reflect and affect the physical environment. Studying the literary tradition allows us to reflect on historical assumptions and understandings about how humans relate to their world. In the Literature Focus, students examine the British, American, and World literary traditions, and study theories concerning how literature makes meaning for readers.
Requirements include:

Philosophy Focus

With the increasing power of modern science and technology to affect nature, reflections upon the place of humanity in the universe have taken on special urgency. These reflections include questions about the limits of scientific knowledge, the ethical obligations of humans to non-human life and the environment, and technology's impact on humanity's self-understanding. The philosophy emphasis enables a student to examine these and other issues thoughtfully by introducing the most important ideas in Western philosophy and developing students' abilities in critical analysis, argumentation, and presentation.

Requirements include:

 

Political Economy Focus

The study of the environment requires an understanding of natural systems and of values, beliefs and language. The application of this knowledge can lead to important social and environmental change. The focus in Politics and Economics, which emphasizes public policy, allows Environmental Studies majors to apply their knowledge to affect substantive change to their communities, regions, and society. A thorough comprehension of political and economic systems, philosophies, and methods is critical for students to become influential members of society.

Requirements include:

Self-designed Focus

In addition to the Foci listed above, students may design a Focus in consultation with an ES advisor. All self-designed Foci must include in-depth study within a single field or discipline and at least 10 upper-division units, and must be approved by the ES Program Committee by the end of the junior year. If you are interested in designing a Focus, see your ES advisor or the Chair of the ES Program.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of the Environmental Studies major, students should be able to:

  • Question their own cultural and environmental attitudes and examine these values in their lives and work.
  • Think critically and interdisciplinarily about environmental issues.
  • Gather and analyze data to answer environmental questions.
  • Communicate effectively (oral and written format) about the environment.
  • Actively engage in their communities to foster environmental stewardship.

Minors

Environmental Science Minor

The Environmental Science minor (Natural Sciences Peak) consists of a suite of courses that emphasize the physical, chemical and biological features of the natural world. The courses in this minor also offer close examination of selected environmental issues. This minor should be taken by students who have an interest in the environment and environmental issues. This minor is NOT open to students electing the environmental studies major.

Required Courses (18 credits):

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Think critically about environmental issues
  • Gather and analyze data to test environmental questions
  • Learn effective communication skills (written and oral) appropriate for the field
  • Develop problem solving skills appropriate for the field
  • Understand the nature and methodologies of science