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Environmental
Studies
The Environmental
Studies Program provides an interdisciplinary approach
to the study of human interactions with the environment.
Of central concern are the impact of technology on natural
environments and its implications for human welfare. The
program seeks to apply the different perspectives of the
humanities, social sciences, biology, and the physical
sciences to environmental and natural resource issues.
These perspectives, combined with complementary training
in a traditional discipline, will prepare students for
graduate work and careers in the environmental sciences,
law, public health, public policy, or public administration.
Because careful
course selection is necessary to achieve specific objectives,
students are urged to consult as early as possible with
the program director and other members of the Environmental
Studies Program Committee (names available in the Environmental
Studies office).
Students
should consult the course descriptions for prerequisites
and plan accordingly. Descriptions of new program courses
and activities in addition to those listed below may be
found in supplements to this catalog issued by the Registrar,
and the Environmental Studies Course Description Supplement
available in the Environmental Studies office. New students
are encouraged to begin the social science component of
the major with ENVS 101.
Advanced
Placement.
While Advanced Placement credit in Environmental Science
applies toward college requirements, it does not apply
for Environmental Studies credit.
Students
who wish to major in Environmental Studies should:
1. Consult
with a member of the Environmental Studies Program Committee
or with the Program Director.
2. Pick up
a checklist of major requirements form from the Environmental
Studies office.
3. Select
an advisor who is a member of the Environmental Studies
Program Committee (names listed in the Environmental Studies
office).
4. In consultation
with advisor, complete the Registrar's Declaration of
Major form along with the checklist of major requirements.
5. Submit
these forms, signed by advisor, to the Program Director
for approval. The proposal, when approved, constitutes
an agreement between the student and the Environmental
Studies Program as to the content of the student's major.
Please consult with your advisor for approval before making
any changes to avoid any problems at graduation time.
Deadline.
Deadline for major proposal submission is normally the
end of the student's sophomore year. If ENVS is the student's
second major, it may be submitted at the end of the student's
junior year.
Major.
The major consists of a minimum of 15 hours of course
work in the Natural Sciences, 18 hours (six courses) in
the Social Sciences and Humanities, and a statistics course.
In addition, some of the courses have prerequisites that
are not listed here. At least 20 of the credit hours counted
toward the major must be taken at Oberlin. Courses must
be selected to meet the following requirements (N.B. -
If the ENVS requirements change after the major is declared,
students can choose to comply with either the requirements
in place at the time of their declaration of major or
the revised requirements.)
Please consult
individual departmental listings for full course descriptions
and availability in a given semester and year. Not all
of these courses are offered every year.
Social
and Behavioral Sciences/Arts and Humanities Requirements.
Majors must take six courses totaling at least 18 hours
in Social Sciences and Humanities consisting of the following:
1. Environmental
Studies 101 (Environment and Society) is required of all
majors. It is normally to be taken during the first two
years.
2. A total
of five additional courses in the Social Sciences and
Arts and Humanities to be chosen from the following list.
ENVS 208 (Environmental Policy) or ENVS 231 (Environmental
Economics) MUST be one of the five, and no more than two
of the five courses may be cross-referenced with a single
department or program. ENVS 208 may count as an elective
Environmental Studies course. Majors may take POLT 237
and 321 in addition to ENVS 208. At least one Humanities
course is highly recommended.
Also, majors
may choose TWO courses from the following list (see program
courses listing) that counts toward major credit: ENVS 291,
310, 490, and 491. (ENVS 490 and ENVS 491 combined counts
for three hours.)
Certain courses
previously offered can also be counted towards the ENVS
major. These include ECON 241, HIST 251, 324, 330, POLT
237, ENGL 378, EXWR 103, 114, PHIL 212, 225.
Natural
Sciences Requirements. Majors must take at least 15
hours of coursework in the Natural Sciences from the following
list. Biology 120, either Geology 160 or 162, and either
Chemistry 101, 102, 103 or 151 MUST be included among
these 15 hours. The balance of the 15 hours in natural
science must be selected from courses in the Biology,
Chemistry, Geology, and/or Physics Departments, and they
must EITHER count towards one of those four majors OR
be cross-referenced with Environmental Studies.
Additional
Requirement.
Majors must take ONE course in statistics or research
methods selected from the following: Biology 206 or 318,
Chemistry 211, Mathematics 090, 100, 113, or 114, Sociology
211. (N.B. - of these courses, only those in Biology and
Chemistry can also be counted as part of the 15 hours
in natural science).
Minor.
A student may pursue a minor in Environmental Studies by
submitting a plan of study for approval (the minor form
is available from the Registrar's Office) and a one-page
rationale to the program director. A minor must include
a minimum of 15 hours in at least five Environmental Studies
courses, including two or more components of work at the
non-introductory level. There must be at least seven hours
of work in the natural sciences and at least seven in social
sciences and/or humanities. At least ten hours must be taken
at Oberlin.
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General.
In addition to course work, the following opportunities
are available to students interested in environmental
problems.
1. Internships
with government agencies (e.g., public schools, Forest
Service, EPA) or private organizations (e.g., Nature Conservancy,
International Audubon Society, National Science Foundation)
involved in some aspect of environmental research, regulation,
or advocacy may be a valuable learning and career planning
experience. Internships may be undertaken during Winter
Term, an off-campus semester, or in the summer. Normally
these internships do not earn academic credit. Files of
volunteer and paid internships are maintained in the Resource
Center of the A.J. Lewis Center for Environmental Studies.
2. During
Winter Term the Environmental Studies Program
often sponsors an on-campus group project which provides
an opportunity for students to earn Winter Term credit
as either participants, group leaders, or coordinators.
In recent years projects dealt with architecture and
ecological design, Black River Watershed education,
and community gardens.
3. A detailed
description of the Honors Program is available
in the Department office. Interested students should
discuss their plans with the Program Director, or a
member of the Program Committee by the beginning of
their sixth semester. In order to demonstrate potential
to undertake independent research, honors candidates
should enroll in a research seminar or private reading
that same semester. (In exceptional cases they may show
this potential by some equivalency to the junior project).
Candidates must then submit a 3-5 page proposal for
a senior thesis to the ENVS Program Committee by September
20 of their senior year. This is a substantial project
of independent, interdisciplinary research in environmental
studies, undertaken in consultation with at least two
Honors advisors from different departments, at least
one of whom must be a member of the Environmental Studies
Program Committee. Upon submission of the thesis on
or around April 30, a one hour oral examination will
be scheduled for the first week of May.
4. The
program sponsors a series of public lectures
by guest speakers and faculty members.
5. Students
may schedule a private reading course during
their junior or senior years. In the past, students
have taken private readings in ecological design, ecological
economics and eco-feminism.
Joyce
Gorn Memorial Prize. In the spring semester, the
Program Committee awards the Joyce Gorn Memorial Prize
to one or more students for outstanding work on an extracurricular
or off-campus environmental project.
Ann
Schaening Memorial Fund.
Funds are available to assist students with Winter Term
projects in Environmental Studies. Interested students
may submit a project proposal to the Program Chair for
approval by the Environmental Studies Program Committee.
Social
Science Courses:
Economics
231
Environmental Economics
331
Natural Resource Economics
Environmental
Studies
101 Environment
and Society
208 Environmental
Policy
320 Gender,
Nature & Culture
322 Energy
and Society
335 Technology
and the Environment
History
145 Waterways
and History
252 American
Environmental History
338 Colloquium
in U.S. Urban Environmental History
Politics
237 Green
Political Theory
Humanities
Courses:
Art
048 Visual
Concepts and Processes: What's Natural Isn't Real
65 Problems
in Painting: What Is Real Isn't Natural
Emerging
Arts
204 Eco-Arts
English
255 In
Search of America: The Concept of Nature in Early American
Writing
378 Literature,
Wilderness and the Human Imagination
Environmental
Studies
330 Environmental
Ethics
Philosophy
225 Environmental
Ethics
Natural
Science Courses:
Biology
120
Genetics, Evolution and Ecology
205 Community
Ecology
206 Population
Ecology
318
Evolution
411
Seminar: Conservation Biology
Chemistry
101
Structure and Reactivity
102
Chemical Principles
163 Origins
and Treatment of Cancer
Environmental
Studies
316 Systems
Ecology
324 Fundamentals
of Building Performance
340
Environmental Systems Modeling
Geology
115 Biology,
Geology and Politics of Reefs
160
Physical Geology
162
Environmental Geology
242
Groundwater Hydrogeology
330
Sedimentary Geology
Physics
055
Principles of Solar Energy
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Courses
in Environmental Studies
First and Second
Semester. An introduction to social, economic, technological,
and political aspects of environmental problems with emphasis
on major theorists and ideas that have influenced the environmental
movement. Different schools of thought on the relationship
between humankind and nature will be discussed with the aim
of providing students with a broad understanding of issues,
causes, and possible solutions to the array of environmental
problems.
Enrollment Limit:
50. Open to first- and second-year students, including consent
seats.
Mr. Orr, Ms.
Janda, Mr. Macauley
208. Environmental
Policy 3 hours
3SS
First and
Second Semester. An introduction to national environmental
policy with emphasis on major issues of climate change, the
loss of biodiversity, and the issues of growth. The course
includes discussion of regulatory policies, taxes, market
solutions, and other policy options applied to energy policy,
transportation policy, endangered species, and materials use.
Recommended Preparation: One course in politics or environmental
studies. Identical to POLT 208. Enrollment
Limit: 25.
Mr. Orr,
Mr. Macauley
231. Environmental
Economics 3 hours 3SS,
QPh
First
Semester. Identical to ECON 23
Ms. Gaudin
291. Colloquium
on Sustainable Agriculture 3 hours
3SS
Second Semester.
A conversation on farms, farming and the agrarian foundations
of civilization, with special attention to the interaction
between philosophy, policy, and practice. The course includes
discussion of different schools of thought about agriculture,
culture, and rural life including Thomas Jefferson, Liberty
Hyde Bailey, Albert Howard, Louis Bromfield, Wendell Berry,
and Wes Jackson. The course includes visits to farms in central
Ohio. Enrollment Limit: 25. Consent of instructor required.
310. Ecological
Design 3 hours
3SS
Second Semester.
An upper-division seminar for seniors on ecological design,
i.e. the intersection of human intentions with the ecologies
of particular places. The course will include a broad survey
of ecological design strategies from different cultures
along with special emphasis on recent work in architecture,
community design, energy systems, landscape management,
and ecological engineering and the work of Carol Franklin,
John Lyle, William McDonough, Sim van der Ryn, and John
Todd. Consent of instructor required. Enrollment Limit:
12.
320. Gender,
Nature & Culture 4 hours
4SS
First Semester.
The topics of gender and culture are key to students' study
of human interactions with the environment as well as intra-human
interactions. This interdisciplinary course offers opportunity
to critically reflect upon how culture, gender and nature
in Western society have been and continue to be shaped.
The starting point will focus on ecosocial context, which
explores the intersections of gender, race class, sexual
orientation, and ecological setting/history. Drawing upon
material from the disciplines of Religion, Women's Studies,
Environmental Studies and Sociology, students will explore
the complex role of humans as dominant agents of biogenetic
and ecosocial transformation. Students will immediately
apply theory via academically-based community service (ABCS)
projects or research papers. Recommended Preparation:
Background in Women's Studies, African-American Studies,
Sociology or Environmental Studies. Enrollment Limit: 15.
Consent of instructor required.
322. Energy
and Society 4 hours
2SS,
2NS
First Semester.
This course covers the environmental, social, and economic
trade-offs of different energy sources (fossil fuels, renewables,
nuclear) and some of the geopolitical issues involved in
energy consumption across end-use sectors (e.g., transportation,
industry, residential and commercial buildings, and agriculture)
in the U.S. and internationally. Labs will investigate the
local energy infrastructure that surrounds and supports
our daily life.
324. Fundamentals
of Building Performance 4 hours
4NS
Second Semester.
An introduction to quantitative aspects of physical building
performance and the fundamentals of building science. Issues
include energy efficiency, solar geometry, thermal comfort,
indoor air quality, and occupant behavior, with an emphasis
on ecologically responsible design. Labs will stress field
visits and on-site measurements in local residential, commercial,
and educational buildings.
330. Environmental
Ethics 3 hours
3HU
First Semester.
This course explores the application of ethics to environmental
issues and problems. It begins with an overview of major
moral theories such as Aristotelian virtue ethics, Kantianism
and utilitarianism, along with rights-based and feminist
views. The course then considers in detail arguments and
ideas concerning the treatment of nonhuman animals, the
preservation of species, the status of natural objects and
ecosystems, the claims of future generations, and the role
of individual and corporate responsibility. It examines
ethical perspectives related to the land, agriculture, biosphere
and place as well as controversies about the use of property,
resources and technology. Nonwestern perspectives on such
topics are also investigated. Enrollment Limit: 15.
331. Topics
in Environmental Economics 3 hours
3SS,
QPh
Second
Semester. Identical to ECON 331.
335.
Technology and the Environment 3 hours
3SS
Second
Semester. This course involves a close and critical examination
of technology and its relation to the natural and built
environments. We will explore the impact of technology
upon landscape, animals, place, human and nonhuman nature,
the body, perception, and our communities. After a consideration
of major theories of technology (technological evolution,
determinism, drift and extension), we will discuss specific
technologies associated with written language, the domestication
of fire, clocks, computers, automobiles, television, genetic
engineering, hand tools, and cybernetic organisms. We
will look at attempts and movements to develop appropriate,
ecological or human scale technology and examine practical
and theoretical issues related to power, participation,
gender, and "techno-nature." Students will be encouraged
to pursue research, writing, or community projects as
they relate to their chosen fields. Consent of instructor
required. Preference
given to Environmental Studies majors. Enrollment Limit:
15.
401,
402. Honors 3-5 hours
3-5EX
Consent
of instructor required.
490. Introduction
to the Black River Watershed 2 hours
2EX
First
Semester. This course will introduce students to our local
watershed, the Black River, through a combination of lectures,
field trips, and discussions. Topics covered will include
local geology, ecology, natural and social history, and
contemporary political and economic issues. Students will
also be introduced to the principles of place-based, interdisciplinary
watershed education designed to promote appreciation for
environmental challenges among students in the local public
schools. Each participating Oberlin College student will
develop a lesson plan on a specific aspect of the watershed
preparatory to testing their skills in a local classroom
under the supervision of a public school teacher during
the following semester. This course is required for
enrollment in ENVS 491. Consent
of instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 24. Restricted
to juniors and seniors. Preference given to Environmental
Studies majors.
491. Practicum
in Environmental Education 2 hours
2EX
Second
Semester. Students will apply what they learned in ENVS
490 by working intensively with a selected teacher in
one of the local elementary, middle or secondary schools
to develop curricula and special projects centered on
the local watershed and the environmental challenges it
faces. Students will continue to learn about the dynamics
of the Black River Watershed as they gain first-hand teaching
experience. The practicum will involve one classroom session
per week in addition to one weekly discussion with other
participants. Prerequisite:
ENVS 490 or equivalent. Note: CR/NE grading. Consent of
instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 16. Discussion
group format.
995 Private
Reading 1-3 hours
1-3EX
Consent
of instructor required.
Resource
Faculty
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Resource
Faculty
Art: Ms.
Schuster
Biology:
Mr. Benzing, Ms. Garvin, Mr. Laushman
Chemistry:
Mr. Elrod, Ms. Stoll
Economics:
Ms. Gaudin
English:
Mr. Hobbs, Mr. McMillin, Mr. Young
Environmental
Studies: Ms. Janda, Mr. Macauley, Mr. Orr, Mr. Petersen,
Ms. Wolfe-Cragin
Rhetoric
and Composition: Ms. McMillin
Geology:
Ms. Parsons-Hubbard, Mr. Simonson
History:
Ms. Stroud
Philosophy:
Mr. Ganson
Politics:
Mr. Kahn, Ms. Sandberg, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Wilson
Russian:
Mr. Newlin
Sociology:
Mr. Norris
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