Thematic Areas
Thematic Areas
Climate Change
Environmental Studies prepares students to tackle the complex challenge of climate change through research opportunities and courses that foster interdisciplinary awareness and creative problem-solving.
Sustainability in Business
Sustainability in business examines the complex relationships between natural resources and businesses and the evolving roles and responsibilities of organizations in society.
Environmental Health
Environmental Health is a collaborative effort of multiple disciplines — human medicine, veterinary medicine, epidemiology, ecology, sociology, among others — working locally, nationally, and globally to attain optimal health for people, animals, and the environment.
Biodiversity and Conservation
Our Biodiversity and Conservation theme focuses on understanding living organisms, their communities, and how they interact with their habitats.
Environmental Humanities
Our environmental humanities theme offers multidisciplinary avenues through which to explore human relationships with the natural world in diverse landscapes, past, present and future, considering the multiple factors that drive human beliefs about nature and environment.
explore our thematic areas
Climate
Climate
Climate change is a complex interdisciplinary challenge requiring creative solutions that transcend any one field of study. Environmental Studies prepares students to tackle such challenges through expanding research, creating curricular opportunities, and connecting with the broader community to help students foster interdisciplinary awareness and creative problem-solving to address this global challenge.
Sustainability in Business
Sustainability in Business
In the language of business, society and the global economy are wholly owned subsidiaries of the planet. The planetary environment provides the food, water, air, minerals, energy, and other natural resources upon which all life — and businesses — depend. Sustainability in business examines this complex relationship and the evolving roles and responsibilities of organizations in society. Because business decisions affect communities and natural systems, studying sustainability in this context asks us to reassess the prevailing economic paradigm of infinite growth on a finite planet. It challenges students to use systems thinking to analyze the societal and environmental impacts of the industrial economy and explore ways companies can achieve profitability without sacrificing or degrading prosperity.
Environmental Health
Environmental Health
Environmental Health is a collaborative effort of multiple disciplines — human medicine, veterinary medicine, epidemiology, ecology, sociology, among others — working locally, nationally, and globally to attain optimal health for people, animals, and the environment. Environmental Studies provides courses and research opportunities for students to learn about the challenges threatening environmental, animal, and human health, as well as the holistic, transdisciplinary One Health approach necessary to develop the solutions to these challenges.
Biodiversity and Conservation
Biodiversity and Conservation
Our Biodiversity and Conservation theme focuses on understanding living organisms, their communities, and how they interact with their habitats.
Environmental Humanities
Environmental Humanities
Our environmental humanities theme offers multidisciplinary avenues through which to explore human relationships with the natural world in diverse landscapes, past, present and future, considering the multiple factors that drive human beliefs about nature and environment. These courses allow you to integrate sciences (natural and social), humanistic fields, arts and technical disciplines, together with community partners, to better understand social, economic and environmental sustainability challenges.
Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice
Recognizing the connections between social and environmental problems enables students and faculty to advance sustainability while addressing deep-rooted social concerns. Justice plays an important role in understanding and addressing many of society’s most important environmental challenges. Low-income communities and communities of color are on the front lines in the fight against climate change, food security, pollution control and many other urgent problems. Environmental Studies strives to raise awareness and understanding of these issues and foster solutions in partnership with community organizations.