Environmental Studies

253.535.7128
www.plu.edu/environmental-studies
teska@plu.edu

Course Prerequisites and Substitutions

Courses listed below denoted with an asterisk (*) require completion of all necessary prerequisites. In consultation with the Chair of the Environmental Studies Program, students majoring in a natural science discipline and who have taken a higher level CHEM course (115 or above) will be allowed to substitute another course in place of any courses listed below denoted with a pound sign (#).

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS
40 semester hours, completed with a grade of C- or higher and with a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher in those courses.

1. Multidisciplinary Courses in Environmental Studies
   4 semester hours By examining the broad dimensions of environmental studies, these courses present various perspectives that highlight the complex relationships between people and the environment and that transcend the boundaries of any particular discipline. Students select one of the following multidisciplinary courses that anchor their understanding of environmental issues. The course should be completed prior to enrolling in either ENVT 350 or 499.
   • ENVT/GEOS 104: Conservation of Natural Resources
   • ENVT/RELI 239: Environment and Culture
2. Disciplinary Breadth in Environmental Studies
   Each course explores the key content, ways of inquiry, conceptual framework, and modes of communication of the discipline. Students take courses from each of three areas of study that provide an in-depth exposure to environmental issues within a discipline.

1. The Environment and Science
   8 semester hours These courses emphasize the understanding of scientific knowledge that underpins environmental issues. The interpretation and presentation of data along with concepts of science are stressed. Students select two courses (from two different departments) from the following:
   • BIOL 116: Introductory Ecology
   • BIOL 366: Comparative Ecology of Latin America*
   • BIOL 367: Conservation Biology & Management*
   • BIOL 368: Ecology*
   • BIOL 369: Marine Biology*
   • CHEM 104: Environmental Chemistry#
   • GEOS 332: Geomorphology*
   • GEOS 334: Hydrogeology*
2. The Environment and Society
   8 semester hours These courses focus on the understanding of the institutions within which environmental decisions are made and investigate the implementation and implications of environmental decisions. The courses also consider how human communities have shaped and been shaped by their environment and how these relationships have changed over time. Students select two courses (from two different departments) from the following:
   • ANTH 368: Edible Landscapes, The Foraging Spectrum
   • ECON 111: Principles of Microeconomics: Global and Environmental
   • ECON 311: Energy and Natural Resource Economics*
   • ECON 313: Environmental Economics*
   • ECON 315: Investigating Environmental & Economic Change in Europe*
   • HIST 370: Environmental History of the US
   • POLS 346: Environmental Politics and Policy
3. The Environment and Sensibility
   8 semester hours These courses examine the ways in which nature shapes and is shaped by human consciousness and perception. The courses critically interpret the values and assumptions that structure human communities and their relationships with the earth’s ecosystems. Students select two courses (from two different departments) from the following:
   • ENGL 234: Environmental Literature
   • PHIL 226: Environmental Ethics
   • PHIL 327: Philosophy, Animals and the Environment
   • RELI 247: Christian Theology (when topic is “Women, Nature, and the Sacred” only)
   • RELI 365: Christian Moral Issues (when topic is “Christian Ecological Ethics” only)
   • RELI 393: Topics in Comparative Religions (when topic is “Native Traditions in Pacific Northwest” only)

• Interdisciplinary Advanced Courses in Environmental Studies
  12 semester hours Each student will complete these three synthesis courses that integrate methods and content of various academic perspectives to develop approaches to complex environmental challenges. The courses serve to raise questions, create products, or produce explanations that cannot be addressed within the framework of a particular discipline.
  • ENVT 350: Environmental Methods of Investigation
  • ENVT 498: Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Analysis
  • ENVT 499: Capstone: Senior Project

Additional Requirements for an Environmental Studies major

• A complementary major or minor in another discipline
• A minimum of 20 semester hours of upper division course work in the Environmental Studies major
• Completion of a pre-approved experiential learning activity (see program faculty for specific requirements)

MINOR

24 semester hours, completed with a grade of C- or higher and with a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher in those courses.

1. Multidisciplinary Courses in Environmental Studies
   4 semester hours Students select one of the following multidisciplinary courses that anchor their understanding of environmental issues. This course should be completed prior to enrolling in ENVT 350.
   • ENVT/GEOS 104: Conservation of Natural Resources
   • ENVT/RELI 239: Environment and Culture
2. The Environment and Science
   8 semester hours Students select two courses (from two different departments) from the following that examine the scientific foundations of environmental issues:
   • BIOL 116: Introductory Ecology
   • BIOL 366: Comparative Ecology of Latin America*
   • BIOL 367: Conservation Biology and Management*
   • BIOL 368: Ecology*
   • BIOL 369: Marine Biology*
   • CHEM 104: Environmental Chemistry#
   • GEOS 332: Geomorphology*
   • GEOS 334: Hydrogeology*
3. The Environment and Society
   4 semester hours Students select one course from the following that pursue the study of institutions where environmental perspectives and policies are applied and how these have changed over time:
   • ANTH 368: Edible Landscapes, The Foraging Spectrum
   • ECON 111: Principles of Microeconomics: Global and Environmental
   • ECON 311: Energy and Natural Resource Economics*
   • ECON 313: Environmental Economics*
   • ECON 315: Investigating Environmental & Economic Change in Europe*
   • HIST 370: Environmental History of the U.S.
   • POLI 346: Environmental Politics and Policy
4. The Environment and Sensibility
   4 semester hours Students select one course from the following that examine the ways in which nature shapes and is shaped by human consciousness and perception:
   • ENGL 234: Environmental Literature
   • PHIL 226: Environmental Ethics
   • PHIL 327: Philosophy, Animals and the Environment
   • RELI 247: Christian Theology (when topic is “Women, Nature, and the Sacred” only)
   • RELI 365: Christian Moral Issues (when the topic is “Christian Ecological Ethics” only)
   • RELI 393: Topics in Comparative Religions (when topic is “Native Traditions in Pacific Northwest” only)
5. Environmental Methods of Investigation, ENVT 350
   4 semester hours
   • ENVT 350: Environmental Methods of Investigation