Environmental Studies
Oberlin offers both a major and a minor in environmental studies. Our program seeks to create a learning environment that fosters an understanding of the causes and consequences of our environmental predicaments, as well as help our students develop the creative problem-solving skills to design a more sustainable relationship between humans and the rest of the natural world.

Program Facts
- Program Type: Major, Minor
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- Bachelor of Arts (BA)
- Department: Environmental Studies
Chair
Karl Offen,Professor of Environmental Studies
Contact
- Janet Cali
- 440-775-8973
- envs@oberlin.edu
Quick Links
Curriculum
Ours is an interdisciplinary program that investigates and considers solutions for various environmental challenges facing our world through critical thinking, community engagement, and skill development.

Environmental Studies Faculty
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Paul Brehm
Assistant Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies
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Janet Fiskio
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Comparative American Studies
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Benjamin Hobbs
AJLC Facilities Manager and Community Outreach Coordinator
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Kip Grosvenor Hutchins
Visiting Instructor in Anthropology, East Asian Studies, and Environmental Studies
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Roger Laushman
Associate Professor of Biology and David Orr Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
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Brad Melzer
Visiting Lecturer in Environmental Studies
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Karl Offen
Professor of Environmental Studies
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Swapna Pathak
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies
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John Petersen ’88
Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology
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Chie Sakakibara
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies
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Md Rumi Shammin
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
Affiliated Faculty
Cheryl Cottine
Assistant Professor of ReligionMatthew (Matt) Elrod
Robert and Eleanor Biggs Professor of Natural Science and Professor of Chemistry and BiochemistryCynthia (Cindy) Frantz
Professor of Psychology and Environmental StudiesRoger Laushman
Associate Professor of Biology and David Orr Associate Professor of Environmental StudiesT. S. McMillin
Professor of EnglishThomas (Tom) Newlin
Professor of RussianChristie Parris
Assistant Professor of SociologyAnn Sherif
Professor of JapaneseWhere Fieldwork Is Really Fieldwork
Environmental studies majors have access to abundant resources on campus and beyond.

Environmental Studies News
The Transition From Student Senate to Washington, D.C.
December 8, 2020
Talking Sustainability with Oberlin’s Green EDGE Fund
November 13, 2020
'Whale Snow': Five Questions with Author Chie Sakakibara
November 12, 2020
Engaged Liberal Arts
At Oberlin you’ll take what you’re learning in your courses and put it into practice through Research, Internships, Study Away, and Experiential Learning.
