Students who successfully complete the Environmental Studies major should…
Know – Understand…
- The basic science that frames and makes comprehensible current debates about environmental issues
- Various ways to assess and grasp the moral and ethical significance of environmental crises and the various possible responses to those crises
- The practical challenges (e.g., political, economic, etc.) associated with various possible responses to environmental crises
- The primary environmental issues confronting humans in the 21st Century (e.g., anthropogenic climate change, loss of biodiversity, resource consumption, etc.)
Do – Be Able to…
- Apply diverse perspectives and ways of addressing environmental questions (e.g., philosophical, economic, scientific, political, theological, etc.), transcending traditional disciplinary boundaries in favor of a more holistic perspective
- Apply the knowledge they have learned in the course of their studies to real-world issues, bridging the supposed gap between theory and practice
- Write, speak, and think clearly about the issues studied in the major and minor
Value…
- The diverse perspectives and values (cultural, religious, economic, political, etc.) amongst the various stakeholders in environmental challenges
- The importance of good science in framing environmental questions
- The role of both (a) personal transformation (e.g., lifestyle choices, consumptive dispositions, etc.) and social transformation (e.g., community involvement, political action, addressing environmental justice and environmental racism, etc.) in any response to environmental challenges