Environmental Thought and Practice
Environmental Thought and Practice
Office: Clark Hall
Phone: (434) 924-3964
Environmental Thought and Practice is a new major developed by a diverse group of faculty from across the University who are committed to addressing current environmental issues within a broadly interdisciplinary framework. Environmental problems concern natural phenomena whose dimensions are appropriately described by environmental scientists. However, the "problems" themselves result from changes in public perception that are contingent upon cultural constructs and historical events. Attempts to solve these problems necessarily fall within the political sphere, but policy debates draw in principles and discourses from philosophy, economics, and ethics. In short, understanding and solving environmental problems demands the ability to connect ideas from such diverse disciplines as anthropology, literature, history, ethics, politics, ecology, the earth and atmospheric sciences, economics, and land use planning.
The major is designed for students with a strong interest in the theory and practice of environmental issues. Each spring a maximum of 15 students will be selected for the program from a pool of applicants. Students will be chosen on the basis of prior academic performance, faculty recommendation, and an essay explaining the student's interest in the field. The program will provide students with a background for continued study in graduate and professional schools or careers in business, government, NGOs, or advocacy groups.
The Environmental Thought and Practice interdisciplinary major requires four prerequisites, three core classes, and seven electives. Before enrolling in the major students must meet the College's natural sciences and social sciences area requirements. Prerequisites include economics, mathematics, environmental sciences and urban planning. Examples of core courses include EVSC 230/ETP 230 Politics, Science, and Values: Introduction to Environmental Policy and ETP 401 Environmental decisions, and some electives include PLAN 554 Environmental Ethics and Sustainability, LAR 512 History of Landscape Architecture, GFAP 424A Special Topics in American Politics: Politics of the Environment, and PLAN 306 Land, Law, and Environment.