Environmental Studies

The material on this page is from the 1996-97 catalog and may be out of date. Please check the current year's catalog for current information.

Professors Straub (Religion) and Wenzel (Chemistry); Associate Professors Corcoran (Education), Kinsman (Biology), Smedley (Physics), Chair, and Eusden (Geology); Assistant Professors Hughes (Economics), Cowan (Sociology), Austin (Chemistry), and Bohlen (Environmental Studies)

Major Requirements. A student majoring in environmental studies must fulfill "core" course requirements, as well as the requirements of one of three "tracks." The three tracks are: Environmental and Natural Resource Policy; Culture, Society and the Environment; and Environmental Science. Core requirements are listed below; track requirements will be available from the Program Chair at the beginning of the fall semester.

Core Requirements. Environmental Studies 181, 202, 457-458, plus an internship in environmental studies, which may be fulfilled through a Short Term unit, Environmental Studies 360, or a faculty pre-approved summer internship. Environmental studies majors should take Environmental Studies 181 before the winter semester of the sophomore year, and Environmental Studies 202 in the winter semester of the sophomore year. Additional prerequisites for Environmental Studies 202 include a set of courses in the natural sciences, and one course each in the social sciences and humanities. The approved sets and lists of courses are given below. One of these prerequisite courses may be taken concurrently with Environmental Studies 202.

One of the following sets of natural science courses:
1. Biology 101s. Biological Principles.
  Biology 170. Ecology.
2. Any two of the following:
  Geology 103. The Surface of the Earth and Global Environmental Change.
  Geology 104. Plate Tectonics and the Earth's Interior.
  Geology 105. Planet Earth.
  Geology 106. The Hydrosphere.
3. Chemistry 107. Atomic and Molecular Structure.
  Chemistry 108. Chemical Reactivity.
4. Physics 107. Classical Physics.
  Physics 108. Modern Physics.
One course from the following:
Anthropology 102. Archeology and Human Evolution.
Anthropology 252. The Anthropology of Modernity.
Anthropology 253. Western North America: Native Cultures, Histories and Environments.
Economics 222. Environmental Economics.
Economics 227. East Asian Economic Development.
Economics 309. Economics of Less-Developed Countries.
Economics 336. Population Economics.
Education 233. Environmental Education.
Political Science 115. American Government and Public Policy.
Political Science 118. Law and Politics.
Political Science 171. International Politics.
Political Science 214. City Politics.
Political Science 258. Environmental Diplomacy.
Political Science 393. Environmental Justice.
Sociology 236. Urban Sociology.
Sociology 262. Environment and Development.
Sociology 310. Sociology of Science and Technology.
One course from the following:
Art 281. Realism, Impressionism, and Post-Impressionism.
Art 286. Romantic Landscape Painting.
Philosophy 211. Philosophy of Science.
Philosophy 212. Contemporary Moral Disputes.
Philosophy 256. Moral Principles.
Philosophy 272. Philosophy From Descartes to Kant.
Religion 215. Environmental Ethics.
Religion 228. Caring For Creation: Physics, Religion and the Environment. Same as Physics 228, Environmental Studies 228.
Rhetoric 278. The Rhetoric of Nuclear Culture.

General Education. Environmental Studies 228 serves as a third course for the natural science requirement.

Courses
210. Perspectives on Human Ecology. This course provides an immersion in the process of ecological thought and explores how ecological insights are redefining the humanities and social sciences. Readings and discussion draw on many disciplines, including ecological science, the history and literature of ecological ideas, ecological economics, systems theory, and environmental philosophy and ethics. Open to first-year students. Enrollment is limited to 30. Staff.

228. Caring for Creation: Physics, Religion, and the Environment. This course examines the natural environment through the lenses of physics and religion, with attention to the interaction between these disciplines. Major topical areas include creation in theology and physics, physics as a source for religious reflection, and the theology of nature, and major current environmental issues such as global warming and ozone depletion. Class meetings are supplemented with weekly discussion/laboratory sections. Not open to first-year students. Enrollment is limited to 30. This course is the same as Religion 228 and Physics 228. J. Smedley, T. Tracy.

360. Independent Study. This course provides an opportunity, on a tutorial basis, for a student to investigate a selected topic of individual interest. A report is required at the end of each semester of work. Topics are selected jointly by the student and tutor, and must be approved by the Program Chair. Written permission of the instructor is required. Open to first-year students. Students are limited to one independent study per semester. Staff.

Short Term Unit
s21. Strategic Planning in Environmental Studies. Students gain practical experience in strategic planning as they develop recommendations for key elements of Bates's new environmental studies program. Participants in the unit learn about the environmental studies field by researching current programs, assessing the needs and interests of the Bates community, and drafting recommendations for the new environmental studies program. Reading and research are done in environmental education, service-learning, ecological design, and organizational management. An extended trip to other New England colleges and an off-campus retreat are planned. Open to first-year students. Written permission of the instructor is required. Enrollment is limited to 12. Staff.