Environmental Studies major in the works?

Members of the Facebook group “Support the Environmental Studies Linked Major at Wesleyan” received the following message last night:

Good News: We now have a Environmental Studies Major at Wesleyan!!! It passed today at the faculty meeting! Thanks so much everyone for your help at support! I will keep this group running for a while for questions about the major. No news on declaring yet, but I will post info about declaring the major, courses, description etc etc in the coming weeks. Thanks so much again everyone!!

According to group creator Eliana Theodorou ’12, the major will go into effect in the fall. Rising sophomores will be able to declare it, and rising juniors will likely be able to switch as well. The group also notes that “Students will still have to fulfill requirements for another major to gain expertise in an area. The Environmental Studies major is linked so that students will be able to bring use their expertise from another major to the table when dealing with environmental issues.” The major requires one introductory course and seven electives, including a senior “capstone project” and senior colloquium. The Environmental Studies certificate will still be offered as well.

WesMaps still only lists the Environmental Studies certificate, and be aware there hasn’t been an official confirmation of this yet. Still, I see no reason to doubt this.

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25 thoughts on “Environmental Studies major in the works?

  1. Anonymous

    good passover question, 2:13.

    My understanding from listening to Barry Chernoff’s description, is that the environmental studies major was specifically designed to be interdisciplinary, as environmentalism spans disciplines. To ensure that environmental studies majors get an in depth understanding of one discipline (because that’s the point of a major), majors are required to also major in another, established, discipline.

  2. Anonymous

    good passover question, 2:13.

    My understanding from listening to Barry Chernoff’s description, is that the environmental studies major was specifically designed to be interdisciplinary, as environmentalism spans disciplines. To ensure that environmental studies majors get an in depth understanding of one discipline (because that’s the point of a major), majors are required to also major in another, established, discipline.

  3. Anonymous

    good passover question, 2:13.

    My understanding from listening to Barry Chernoff’s description, is that the environmental studies major was specifically designed to be interdisciplinary, as environmentalism spans disciplines. To ensure that environmental studies majors get an in depth understanding of one discipline (because that’s the point of a major), majors are required to also major in another, established, discipline.

  4. Anonymous

    None of our other interdisciplinary majors are “linked”. Why then is this “linked?”

  5. Anonymous

    None of our other interdisciplinary majors are “linked”. Why then is this “linked?”

  6. Anonymous

    None of our other interdisciplinary majors are “linked”. Why then is this “linked?”

  7. Eliana

    Environmental studies will be a linked major. This means you have to double major in something else, and not necessarily environmental science. It will allow students to focus on specific areas/themes within environmental studies by creating a four-course concentration. Also, majors will have spaces reserved in core classes for the major (i believe environmental economics is one of those classes). there will be a major description on wesmaps or the registrar’s website or something in the next few weeks.

  8. Eliana

    Environmental studies will be a linked major. This means you have to double major in something else, and not necessarily environmental science. It will allow students to focus on specific areas/themes within environmental studies by creating a four-course concentration. Also, majors will have spaces reserved in core classes for the major (i believe environmental economics is one of those classes). there will be a major description on wesmaps or the registrar’s website or something in the next few weeks.

  9. Eliana

    Environmental studies will be a linked major. This means you have to double major in something else, and not necessarily environmental science. It will allow students to focus on specific areas/themes within environmental studies by creating a four-course concentration. Also, majors will have spaces reserved in core classes for the major (i believe environmental economics is one of those classes). there will be a major description on wesmaps or the registrar’s website or something in the next few weeks.

  10. Anonymous

    wait, so there’s going to be Environmental Sciences AND Environmental Studies? won’t that be confusing?

    not to be a hater

  11. Anonymous

    wait, so there’s going to be Environmental Sciences AND Environmental Studies? won’t that be confusing?

    not to be a hater

  12. Anonymous

    wait, so there’s going to be Environmental Sciences AND Environmental Studies? won’t that be confusing?

    not to be a hater

  13. Anonymous

    Awesome. I’m a fan of this. Now, if only more of the certificates could be made actual majors. International Relations, for example? Yes, I know it’s an area of Gov’t study, but why not make it International Political Economy, like so many of our fellow NESCAC schools have?

  14. Anonymous

    Awesome. I’m a fan of this. Now, if only more of the certificates could be made actual majors. International Relations, for example? Yes, I know it’s an area of Gov’t study, but why not make it International Political Economy, like so many of our fellow NESCAC schools have?

  15. Anonymous

    Awesome. I’m a fan of this. Now, if only more of the certificates could be made actual majors. International Relations, for example? Yes, I know it’s an area of Gov’t study, but why not make it International Political Economy, like so many of our fellow NESCAC schools have?

  16. Ben Post author

    That’s technically Earth and Environmental Sciences. Introduction to Environmental Studies is one of the classes in the major, but the major is environmental science, not studies.

  17. Anonymous

    Haven’t we had an environmental studies major all along? Isn’t it the second E in E&ES?

  18. Anonymous

    Haven’t we had an environmental studies major all along? Isn’t it the second E in E&ES?

  19. Anonymous

    Haven’t we had an environmental studies major all along? Isn’t it the second E in E&ES?

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