Environmental Specialization
The Environmental Specialization area must have a coherent and cohesive focus with courses relevant to your intellectual and career interests. Courses for this requirement must be chosen in consultation with your SD advisor. Courses counted for other major requirements may not be counted in your Specialization. There are two general approaches for designing your Environmental Specialization:
- A topical specialization draws courses from multiple disciplines to grow your understanding of an important Environmental Studies topic (e.g., climate change, water, health, etc.). Below are sample topical specializations to give you an idea of how this approach can work. You are not limited to the specializations below; discuss other ideas you may have with your advisor.
- A disciplinary specialization works well for students who want to complete an Environmental Studies related minor (e.g., Anthropology, Atmospheric Science, Biology, Geology, Geography, Planning, Political Science, Recreation Management, Sustainable Technology, etc.). Work with your advisor to choose appropriate courses that relate to Environmental Studies (e.g., for a Biology minor, you’d choose ecology-focused courses rather than cellular-molecular biology courses).
Sample Topical Specializations
Note, as a rule of thumb you should take no more than one 1000-level course for your Specialization. Check the Undergraduate Bulletin for information on these courses, including course descriptions, prerequisites and which semester(s) they are offered.
- Animal Studies
- Climate change
- Communication & Outreach
- Conservation & Natural Resource Management
- Energy
- Environmental Humanities
- Food
- Globalization & Development
- Health
- Justice
- Policy & Politics
- Sustainability & Creative Practice
- Water
Animal Studies
(note: works well with the interdisciplinary minor in Animal Studies)
- PHL 2010 Animal Philosophy and Ethics
- ENG 2430 Animals & Literature
- GLS 3580 Animal Planet
- WRC 2100 The Lives of Animals
- SD 3250 Livestock Production and Management
- For more relevant course ideas, see minor in Animal Studies
Climate Change
(note: works well with the interdisciplinary minor in Atmospheric Science)
- BIO 1103 Global Climate Change and Earth's Life
- BIO 3313 Global Change Ecology
- BIO 3320 Air Pollution Effects on Plants and People
- GHY 1011 Global Climate Change
- GHY 3100 Weather and Climate
- GHY 3600 Climate Change, Snow and Ice
- PHY 3140 Environmental Physics
- PHY 3150 Atmospheric Science
- PLN 4030 Planning for Climate Resilience
- SD 4300 The Politics of Sustainable Development
- SD 3675 Outreach Skills for Sustainability
- COM 3177 Environmental Communication
- COM 3315 Political Communication
- RM 2000 Nature and Youth
- RM 3157 Environmental Education Skills
- RM 3630 Interpretive Methods
- COM 2105 Public Speaking in the Disciplines (note: this is sometimes offered with the topic “Environmental Communication”)
- COM 2600 Introduction to Journalism
- COM 3155 Persuasion
- For more relevant course ideas see the minor in Media Studies
Conservation & Natural Resource Management
- S D 3365 Conservation and Development
- S D 4600 Land, Livelihoods, and Agrarian Development
- GHY 3130 Geography of Biodiversity
- HIS 3237 Nature, Wilderness, and American Life
- BIO 3315 Conservation Biology
- BIO 3330 Local Flora
- ANT 4360 Primate Conservation
- GHY 3320 Environmental Issues in Appalachia
- GLY 3025 Principles of Paleontology
- PLN 3730 Land, Property, and Law
- RM 2140 Natural Resources: Becoming an Informed Citizen
- PHY 1830 The Physical Principles of Energy and Sustainability
- ANT 4610 Culture, Energy and Power
- TEC 2108 Introduction to Power and Energy Technology
- TEC 2601 Energy Issues and Technology
- TEC 3604 Sustainable Transportation
- TEC 4615 Renewable Energy Project Development
- SD 4300 The Politics of Sustainable Development
- PLN 4450 Inside the Sustainable City
- SD 3600 Environmental Humanities (if not already taken for your Env'tal Studies core)
- SD/ENG 3715 Literature and the Environment (if not already taken for your Env'tal Studies core)
- ENG 2430 Animals & Literature
- ANT 3680 Environmental Anthropology
- HIS 3237 Nature, Wilderness, and American Life
- HIS 3338 African Environmental History from Antiquity to 1500
- HIS 3339 African Environmental History since 1500
- PHL 2015 Environmental Ethics
- PHL 2010 Animal Philosophy and Ethics
- SD 3350 Contemporary Issues in Agriculture and Food
- SD 35XX Food Security and Sovereignty (special topics course; not yet cataloged)
- ANT 4255 Ethnobotany: Plants, People, and Culture
- FCS 4450 Contemporary Issues in Family and Consumer Sciences
- GWS 3400 Women, Food, and Nature
- GHY 3700 Geography of Food
- NUT 2351 Global Nutrition: Emerging Health Challenges
- SD 4300 The Politics of Sustainable Development (if not already taken for your Env'tal Studies core)
- SD 3375 Sustainable Economics and Community Development
- S D 3700 Environment and Development in the Global South (if not already taken for your Env'tal Studies core)
- S D 4600 Land, Livelihoods, and Agrarian Development
- ANT 3635 Political Anthropology
- ANT 4565 Agrarian Studies and Rural Development
- GWS 2525 Global Women's Issues
- GWS 4300 Transnational Topics in Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies
- GHY 1020 Geographic Diversity and Globalization
- GLS 2000 Contemporary Global Issues
- GLS 3100 Globalization and Development
- GLS 3200 Alternative Globalizations
- GLS 4200 Global Development and Difference
- PS 2120 International Politics and Foreign Policy
- PS 4220 Globalization
- SOC 4850 Global Sociology
- SD 35XX Sustainable Development and Health (special topics course; not yet cataloged)
- SD 35XX One Health (special topics course; not yet cataloged)
- ANT 4265 Anthropology and Global Health
- PH 2000 Introduction to Public Health
- PH 3130 Environmental Health
- PH 3250 Community Health
- BIO 2200 Human Microbiology
- FCS 2110 Global Awareness: Examining the Human Condition
- GHY 4005 Geography of Health and Disease
- NUT 2351 Global Nutrition: Emerging Health Challenges
- HIS 3420 History of Western Medicine and Public Health
- SOC 2055 Health Inequalities
- S D 2800 Environmental Justice and Sustainability (if not already taken for SD core)
- S D 3460 Labor, Social Justice, and Sustainable Development
- SD 3475 Gender, Inequality, and Sustainable Development
- ANT 3610 Anthropology of Environmental Justice
- ANT 3620 Political Ecology and Sustainability
- ANT 3655 Anthropology of Immigration
- ANT 4245 Hegemony and Power
- GLS 4200 Global Development and Difference
- SOC 3150 Environmental Sociology
- SOC 4750 Wealth, Power, and Privilege
- PS 4175 Public Opinion
- PS 4670 Environmental Politics
- PS 3280 Public Policy Analysis
- PLN 4460: Environmental Policy & Planning
- ECO 2620 Environmental and Resource Economics
- ECO 4621 Environmental Economics and Policy
- SOC 4600 Political Sociology
Sustainability & Creative Practice
- SD/ART 35XX Sustainability and Creative Practice (special topics course; not yet cataloged)
- ART 2019 Art for Social Change
- THR 2017 Theatre for Social Change
- IDS 3260 Creativity: Methods & Practice
- PS 3910 - Art, Culture, and Politics
- SSU 2460 Somatics and Sustainable Practices
- For more relevant course ideas see the minor in Creative Engagement and Social Change
- GLY 1104 Water: Mountains to Sea
- IDS 3010 H2O: We Are Water
- SD 35XX Sustainable Development and Health
- BIO 4240 Aquatic Biology
- BIO 4557 Ichthyology
- CHE 2550 Introduction to Environmental Chemistry
- GHY 3320 Environmental Issues in Appalachia
- GLY 3703 Issues in Environmental Geology
- GLY 4630 Hydrogeology
- TEC 3606 Sustainable Water and Wastewater Technology