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Environmental Studies

The Sustainability Minor

With a changing climate and mounting concerns about “sustainability” across a wide spectrum of disciplines, the Sustainability Minor provides students the opportunity to explore sustainable development, climate change, business sustainability, socio-ecological resilience, and related issues from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.  Resilience refers to the ability of communities to effectively respond to short-term, long-term and abrupt changes to the environment.

Students choose courses from the Environmental Studies Program’s list of approved courses in the Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and Physical and Life Sciences.  It is an excellent addition to any major including Anthropology, Business Administration, Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Communications, Ethnic Studies, Global Studies, History, Liberal Studies, Political Science, Sociology, and Women’s Studies.  (The minor cannot be completed by students enrolled in the Environmental Studies major -- they already study sustainability!  But there are a host of other great options).  If students find a class that they think will fit the minor, you can apply to have it included in the minor.  And there will be more courses that fit the minor in the future.

To learn more about the Sustainability Minor, contact one of our excellent advising faculty or an academic advisor, and consult the catalog.  Then select the Sustainability Minor in your degree planner. It is that simple to enroll and get to work.

What are the current core classes?

Students are required to take the following four classes:

ENVS 100 - Introduction to Environmental Studies 

ENVS  305: Resilience and Society

GEOG 310: Climate and Life in the Anthropocene (Anthropocene? Here is a link to find out more. )

PHIL 340 - Ethics and the Environment 

Then they may choose any two (2) electives from the Environmental Studies Course Lists, or other appropriate classes.  Selections should be made in consultation with program faculty.

Arts and Humanities Courses:

Social Sciences Courses:

Natural Sciences Courses: 

 Students who want to include other classes need only discuss their plans with an ENVS advisor or faculty to get approval.

Sustainability Minor Worksheet from Student Advising Services