Environmental Studies Major & Minor Requirements
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Environmental StudiesOlin-Rice Science Center, Room 249 651-696-6274
esson@macalester.edu
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Environmental Studies Major | Environmental Studies Minor
General Distribution Requirements
ENVI 106, ENVI 220, ENVI 130, ENVI 133, ENVI 150, ENVI 160, ENVI 170, ENVI 204, ENVI 235, ENVI 240, ENVI 277, ENVI 360 and ENVI 370 count toward the general distribution requirement in mathematics and natural science. ENVI 172, ENVI 203, ENVI 215, ENVI 225, ENVI 231, ENVI 232, ENVI 237, ENVI 239, ENVI 252, ENVI 254, ENVI 258, ENVI 259, ENVI 270, ENVI 275, ENVI 335, ENVI 337, ENVI 368, ENVI 375, ENVI 477 and ENVI 478 count toward the general distribution requirement in social science. ENVI 221, ENVI 230, ENVI 234, ENVI 236, ENVI 262, ENVI 264, ENVI 268, ENVI 274, ENVI 280, ENVI 281, ENVI 340, ENVI 343 count toward the distribution requirement in humanities.
General Education Requirements
Courses that meet the general education requirements in writing, quantitative thinking, internationalism and U.S identities and differences will be posted on the Registrar's web page in advance of registration for each semester. Additional information on general distribution requirements and the general education requirements can be found in the graduation requirements section of this catalog.
Advanced Placement
Students who received a score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) environmental science exam will receive 4 credits towards the College's graduation requirement but it does not fulfill any requirements for the ES major.
Honors Program
The Environmental Studies Department participates in the honors program. Eligibility requirements, application procedures and specific project expectations for the department are available from either the department office or the Academic Programs and Advising Office.
Topics Courses
ENVI 194 ENVI 294 ENVI 394 ENVI 494
Topics are occasional courses, offered by instructors at their own initiative or in response to student requests. They will be announced at registration. Topics courses, depending on their content, may satisfy major requirements or college distribution requirements. This will be noted in the course description available for registration. (4 credits)
Independent Study
The department offers independent study options in the form of independent projects, internships, preceptorships and Honors independent projects. For more information contact the department and review the Curriculum section of the catalog.
Environmental Studies Major
Major Requirements
The Environmental Studies major consists of 7 courses (26 credits) in environmental studies plus a 7-course emphasis.
1. Foundations Courses: These courses are meant to introduce students to the range of topics and approaches utilized in studying environmental issues.
- ENVI 170 - Ecology and the Environment
- ENVI 215 - Environmental Politics/Policy
- ENVI 234 - U.S. Environmental History
- ENVI 240 - The Earth's Climate System
- ENVI 280 - Environmental Classics
2. Disciplinary or Interdisciplinary Emphasis: The emphasis allows students to gain depth, either by learning how one discipline approaches environmental issues or by taking an interdisciplinary perspective to understand a particular environmental theme or problem. The emphasis is a series of seven courses, at least two at the 300- or 400- level (except for the Chemistry emphasis), to provide depth that includes a methods course and a research-based course.
Disciplinary Emphases:
- Anthropology
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Economics
- Education Studies
- English
- Geography
- Geology
- History
- Mathematics/Computer Science
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Political Science
- Psychology
Interdisciplinary Emphases:
- Climate Science and Policy
- Communication Studies
- Community and Global Health
- Environmental Justice
- Food Systems
- International Environment and Development
- Sustainable Design
- Urban Sustainability
3. Capstone: As the capstone course for the ES major, this combined internship and seminar course provides students the opportunity to reflect on their career goals while gaining "real world" experience working for a local nonprofit, agency, or company. Students reflect on the skills they have gained, network with professionals in the field, and chart out a plan for their first five years out of college. The courses are to be taken concurrently in the fall semester of the senior year.
Preapproved Disciplinary Emphases
Anthropology
Required course: (choose 1)
Methods course: (choose 1)
- ANTH 230 - Ethnographic Interviewing
- ANTH 232 - Field Methods and Research Design
- ANTH 368 - Life Histories/Cultures/Selves
Research course: (choose 1)
Elective courses: (choose 4)
- ANTH 115 - Biological Anthropology
- ENVI 225 - 100 Words for Snow: Language and Nature
- ANTH 239 - Medical Anthropology
- ENVI 259 - Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic
- ANTH 340 - Human Evolution
- ANTH 363 - Anthropology of Development
- ANTH 387 - Darwin and Evolutionary Thought
Biology
Required courses:
- CHEM 111 - General Chemistry I: Structure and Equilibrium
- BIOL 180 - Biodiversity and Evolution
- BIOL 190 - Genetics
Methods course (choose 1)
- STAT 155 - Introduction to Statistical Modeling
- ENVI 359 - Big Data in Ecology (Prerequisites are ENVI 170 and either STAT 112 or STAT 155 )
- ENVI 385 - Wildlife Monitoring Techniques Techniques (Prerequisites are ENVI 170 and either BIOL 180 or ENVI 240 . Recommended STAT 155)
Research course: (choose 1)
- BIOL 302 - Invertebrate Animal Diversity
- BIOL 318 - Soil Ecology
- ENVI 359 - Big Data in Ecology (if not taken as a methods or elective course)
- ENVI 362 - Arctic Ecology (if not taken as an elective course)
- BIOL 366 - Plant Ecophysiology
- ENVI 370 - Ecosystem Ecology
- BIOL 380 - Animal Behavior: Fundamentals and Applications
- BIOL 476 - Research in Biodiversity and Evolution
- BIOL 480 - Research in Paleobiology
Elective course: (choose 2)
- BIOL 110 - Plants, Environment, and Society
- GEOG 239 - Neotropical Landscapes
- ENVI 310 - Agroecology
- ENVI 359 - Big Data in Ecology (if not taken as a methods or research course)
- ENVI 362 - Arctic Ecology (if not taken as a research course)
- ENVI 394 - Global Change Biology
- Or 1 approved elective course (may be a pre-approved study away course)
Note: Courses in the methods and research categories could be electives if they aren't counted for one of those other categories.
Chemistry
Required courses:
- CHEM 111 - General Chemistry I: Structure and Equilibrium
- CHEM 112 - General Chemistry II: Energetics and Reactivity
- CHEM 115 - Accelerated General Chemistry can be substituted for CHEM 111 and 112
- CHEM 211 - Organic Chemistry I
- CHEM 212 - Organic Chemistry II
- CHEM 222 - Analytical Chemistry
Methods course: (choose 1)
Research course: (choose 1)
- CHEM 320 - Computational Chemistry
- CHEM 394 - Research in Organic Chemistry
- CHEM 394 - Research in Biochemistry
Economics
Required courses:
- ECON 119 - Principles of Economics
- ECON 361 - Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis
- ECON 371 - Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis or ECON 381 - Introduction to Econometrics
Methods course: (choose 1)
- MATH 135 - Applied Multivariable Calculus I
- MATH 137 - Applied Multivariable Calculus II (MATH 137 is recommended when possible)
Research course:
- ENVI 231 - Environmental Economics and Policy or ENVI 235 - Climate Change: Science, Economics, and Policy
Elective courses: (choose 2)
- ENVI 231 - Environmental Economics and Policy (if not counted as Research course)
- ENVI 235 - Climate Change: Science, Economics, and Policy (if not counted as a Research course)
- ENVI 239 - Neotropical Landscapes
- ECON 426 - International Economic Development Capstone
- ECON 431 - Economics of Public Policy
Note that this emphasis fulfills the requirements for a minor in Economics
Educational Studies
Required courses:
- EDUC 220 - Educational Psychology
- ENVI 275 - Outdoor Environmental Education in Theory, Policy and Practice
- EDUC 330 - Philosophy of Education
Methods course (choose 1):
- EDUC 380 - Research Methods for Education and Advocacy
- EDUC 390 - Teaching and Learning in Urban Schools
Research course (choose 1):
Elective courses:
- Choose 1 of the following
- Choose 1 of the following:
English
In order to complete an English emphasis as part of an Environmental Studies major, students will take seven courses with the ENGL prefix (may include cross-listed courses). At least four of the seven required courses should be cross-listed between English and Environmental Studies or have a writing project in which students choose an environmental theme or focus. Courses should be distributed as follows:
Required courses:
- One Writers of Color course at any level
- One Pre-1900 literature course at the 200-level or above
Methods course:
- One foundation methods course (any ENGL course at the 100-level except ENGL 150); these courses serve as prerequisites for 300-level courses
Choose 1 of 2 tracks:
A. Creative Writing
-
ENGL 150 - Introduction to Creative Writing (prerequisite for all other Creating Writing classes)
-
Two Creative Writing electives, chosen in consultation with an advisor
-
Research Course: Creative Writing Capstone course (preferably taken in Senior year)
B. Literature
- ENVI 262 - Studies in Literature and the Natural World or any other cross-listed ENVI/ENGL literature course
- Two electives, chosen in consultation with an advisor
- Research Course: Literature Capstone course (preferably taken in Senior year)
The English emphasis has the following restrictions:
- No more than two 100-level courses may count (including ENGL 150).
- No internships or preceptorships may count.
- No more than two literature courses taken on a study abroad program may count (for which prior approval of the chair is required).
- Neither AP nor IB nor ENGL 101 may count
- ENGL 125 - Studies in Literature taken at Macalester may count, but when it is granted by the Registrar as credit for AP or IB, it may not count.
Geography
Required course:
Methods course: (choose 1)
- GEOG 225 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
- GEOG 352 - Remote Sensing of the Environment
- GEOG 277 - Qualitative Research Methods in Geography
Research course: (choose 1)
- ENVI 477 - Comparative Environment and Development: A Seminar in Political Ecology
- ENVI 478 - Another World is Possible: The Political Economy of Urban Sustainability
Elective courses:
- Choose 1 of the following 200-level courses:
- Choose 1 Regional Geography course:
- Choose 2 additional 200 or 300 level Geography courses:
- GEOG 204 - Earth and the Environment: Elements of Physical Geography
- GEOG 234 - Migration, Environment and Place Identity(ies): Exploring Geographies of Home, Mobility and Place
- GEOG 239 - Neotropical Landscapes
- GEOG 241 - Urban Geography
- ENVI 254 - Population 8 Billion: Global Population Issues and Trends
- GEOG 256 - Health Geography
- GEOG 261 - World Urbanization
- GEOG 341 - City Life: Segregation, Integration, and Gentrification
- GEOG 352 - Remote Sensing of the Environment
- GEOG 364 - GIS and Community Partnerships
- GEOG 365 - Urban GIS
- GEOG 367 - Environmental Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- GEOG 368 - Health GIS
- GEOG 372 - Advanced Remote Sensing
- ENVI 375 - Rural Landscapes and Livelihoods
- GEOG 378 - Statistical Research Methods in Geography
Geology
Required courses:
- ENVI 360 - Paleoclimate
- Choose 2 of the following:
Methods course: (choose 1)
- CHEM 111 - General Chemistry I: Structure and Equilibrium
- MATH 137 - Applied Multivariable Calculus II
- GEOG 225 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
- PHYS 226 - Principles of Physics I
Research course: (choose 1)
Elective courses: (choose 2)
- Any additional research course
- GEOL 105 - Geohazards
- GEOL 201 - Geological Excursions
- GEOL 260 - Geomorphology
- GEOL 303 - Surface/Groundwater Hydrology
History
Research course: (choose 1)
- ENVI 340 - US Urban Environmental History
- ENVI 343 - Imperial Nature: The United States and the Global Environment
Methods course
Elective courses (choose 5)
- At least 4 of the 7 required courses should be cross-listed between history and Environmental Studies (or otherwise have a clear environmental focus)
Mathematics/Statistics/Computer Science
Required courses:
- COMP 123 - Core Concepts in Computer Science
- MATH 137 - Applied Multivariable Calculus II
- MATH 237 - Applied Multivariable Calculus III
Methods course:
Research course:
- Any 400-level course (must have same prefix as electives)
Elective courses: (choose 2 with the same prefix, in addition to a research course)
- MATH 236 - Linear Algebra
- STAT 253 - Statistical Machine Learning
- MATH 279 - Discrete Mathematics
- COMP 302 - Introduction to Database Management Systems
- MATH 312 - Differential Equations
- COMP 320 - Computational Biology
- MATH 365 - Computational Linear Algebra
- MATH 432 - Mathematical Modeling
- COMP 435 - Data Visualization
Note that many upper-level MATH and COMP courses have additional prerequisites.
Philosophy
Required courses:
Methods course:
Research course:
- To be chosen in collaboration with advisor
- ENVI 274 - Spinoza's Eco-Society: Contractless Society and Its Ecology
Elective courses: (choose 3)
- To be chosen in collaboration with advisor
Physics
Required courses:
- Choose 1 of the following
- PHYS 226 - Principles of Physics I
- PHYS 227 - Principles of Physics II
- PHYS 331 - Modern Physics
Methods course:
Research course: (choose 1)
- PHYS 614 - Independent Project
- A summer REU or on-campus research experience approved by the Physics Department
Elective courses:
- 1 or 2 courses above the 300 level (2 courses if PHYS 614 was not taken)
Political Science
Methods course:
Research course (choose 1)
Choose 1 of 2 tracks:
A. American Politics
-
Choose 1 of the following
-
Electives: (choose 3)
-
POLI 394 - Politics of the 4th Branch
B. International Politics
-
Choose 1 of the following
-
Electives: (choose 3)
Psychology
Required courses:
- PSYC 254 - Social Psychology with Environmental project focus
- ENVI 270 - Psychology of Sustainable Behavior
- PSYC 272 - Health Psychology or PSYC 377 - Moral Psychology
Methods course: (choose 1)
Research course:
- PSYC 380 - Community Psychology and Public Health with Environmental project
Elective courses: (choose 2)
- 2 Psychology courses at the 200 or 300 level chosen in consultation with your advisor
Preapproved Interdisciplinary Emphases
Climate Science and Policy
Consensus is growing on the national and international scale that climate change is real and urgent action is needed. However, responses differ among policy makers and other actors about the methods we should use to implement energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions. This interdisciplinary emphasis examines the climate change problem and the most effective policy and development options for carbon mitigation strategies. Students can opt for an emphasis that weighs more heavily on either the science or policy dimensions.
Required courses (choose 2):
- ENVI 130 - Science of Renewable Energy
- ENVI 232 - Food, Agriculture and the Environment
- ENVI 273 - Psychology and/of Climate Change
Methods course: (choose 1)
- POLI 269 - Empirical Research Methods
- ENVI 360 - Paleoclimate
- GEOG 277 - Qualitative Research Methods in Geography
- GEOG 378 - Statistical Research Methods in Geography
Research course: (choose 1)
Elective courses: (choose 3)
- GEOL 105 - Geohazards
- ENVI 130 - Science of Renewable Energy (if not taken as a required course)
- ENVI 150 - Climate and Society
- ENVI 180 - Oceanography
- POLI 205 - US Politics and Policymaking
- ENVI 231 - Environmental Economics and Policy
- ENVI 232 - Food, Agriculture and the Environment (if not taken as a required course)
- ENVI 235 - Climate Change: Science, Economics, and Policy
- ENVI 258 - Geog of Environmental Hazards
- ENVI 350 - Renewable Energy Systems
- ENVI 360 - Paleoclimate (if not taken as a methods course)
Note that ECON electives require ECON 119 - Principles of Economics as a prerequisite.
Communication Studies
Communication of environmental ideas and beliefs by individuals, institutions, societies, and cultures are central to the definition and solution of environmental problems. This emphasis focuses on how environmental messages and media (traditional and social media) are crafted, distributed, and received. This includes a wide range of themes including journalism, social marketing, risk communication and collaboration and conflict.
Required courses:
- MCST 110 - Texts and Power: Foundations of Media and Cultural Studies
- ENVI 270 - Psychology of Sustainable Behavior
- Choose 1 of the following: (if both are taken, the other can serve as an elective)
Methods course: (choose 1)
Research course:
- The required courses fulfill this requirement
Elective courses: (choose 3)
- MCST 114 - News Reporting and Writing
- ENVI 225 - 100 Words for Snow: Language and Nature
- ART 233 - Photography I
- MCST 357 - Advanced Journalism: New Media
- One of these electives could also include:
- University of St. Thomas - COJO 372 - Environmental Communications
- University of St. Thomas - COJO 480 - Communication Ethics
NOTE: Students completing this emphasis are required to also register for a Media and Cultural Studies minor (there are no additional courses required). It is understood that students will seek out opportunities to develop environmental themes in their project/portfolio work in the non-ES courses. Please discuss with the Environmental Studies Chairperson any suitable courses that are not listed above as electives.
Community and Global Health
The emphasis in Community and Global Health (CGH) aims to connect the Environmental Studies major with the College's Concentration in Community and Global Health. Environmental conditions are known to have a significant impact on human health. Students in the CGH emphasis receive an introduction to the issues involved in health issues and then can take a broad interdisciplinary approach to these issues or tailor the emphasis with a focus on science, social science or humanities.
Required courses:
Methods course: (choose 1)
- STAT 125 - Epidemiology
- STAT 155 - Introduction to Statistical Modeling
- GEOG 225 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
Research course: (choose 1)
Elective courses: (choose 3)
- STAT 125 - Epidemiology (if not taken as a methods course)
- STAT 155 - Introduction to Statistical Modeling (if not taken as a methods course)
- PHIL 220 - Bioethics
- GEOG 225 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (if not taken as a methods course)
- ANTH 239 - Medical Anthropology
- ENVI 258 - Geog of Environmental Hazards
- INTL 282 - Introduction to International Public Health
- BIOL 320 - Computational Biology
- ENVI 335 - Science and Citizenship
- BIOL 357 - Immunology
- GEOG 368 - Health GIS
Environmental Justice
Poor and minority populations have historically borne the brunt of environmental inequalities in the United States, suffering disproportionately from the effects of pollution, dispossession of land, resource depletion, dangerous jobs, limited access to common resources, and exposure to environmental hazards. This interdisciplinary emphasis focuses on the ways that race, ethnicity, class, and gender have shaped the political and economic dimensions of environmental injustices, along with more recent political movements pushing to rectify environmental injustices and to develop new possibilities for understanding the human place in nature.
Required core course:
Methods course: (choose 1)
- STAT 155 - Introduction to Statistical Modeling
- GEOG 225 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
- ANTH 230 - Ethnographic Interviewing
- GEOG 277 - Qualitative Research Methods in Geography
- GEOG 352 - Remote Sensing of the Environment
Research course: (choose 1)
- ANTH 232 - Field Methods and Research Design
- ENVI 337 - Energy Justice
- ECON 342 - Economics of Poverty in the US
- ENVI 343 - Imperial Nature: The United States and the Global Environment
- GEOG 368 - Health GIS
Elective courses: (choose 3)
- ENVI 221 - Environmental Ethics
- ENVI 231 - Environmental Economics and Policy
- ENVI 277 - Sustainable Cities: Urban Environmental Science
- GEOG 250 - Race, Place and Space
- GEOG 256 - Health Geography
- ENVI 258 - Geog of Environmental Hazards
- ENGL 265 - Literature and Human Rights
- ENVI 270 - Psychology of Sustainable Behavior
- ENVI 368 - Sustainable Development and Global Future
Food Systems
The food system emphasis allows focus on an interconnected set of biological, technological, economic, and social issues that connect to how food systems work. Food system topics include small and large scale food production, access and consumption issues as well as a concern for the biophysical properties to agroecological systems.
Required courses:
Methods course:
- TBD in consultation with your advisor. Depending on student interest, this could be a natural science or social science methods course. Some suggestions are ANTH 230 - Ethnographic Interviewing, GEOG 225 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems, and STAT 155 - Introduction to Statistical Modeling.
Research course: (choose 1)
- ENVI 335 - Science and Citizenship
- BIOL 366 - Plant Ecophysiology
- ENVI 477 - Comparative Environment and Development: A Seminar in Political Ecology
Electives: (choose 3 in consultation with your advisor)
- ENVI 194 - Food in French and Francophone Cultures: The Local and the Global
- ENVI 239 - Neotropical Landscapes
- ENVI 252 - Water and Power
- INTL 290 - World to Table: Global Food Studies
- BIOL 318 - Soil Ecology
- BIOL 366 - Plant Ecophysiology
- ANTH 369 - Food and Culture
International Environment and Development
This interdisciplinary emphasis focuses on the concept of sustainable development by tracing historical and contemporary understandings of wealth and resource distribution within and between countries. These courses provide students with a grounding in the economic, political, and cultural conceptions of development, focusing on states in the Global South.
Required course:
Methods course: (choose 1)
- GEOG 225 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
- ANTH 230 - Ethnographic Interviewing
- POLI 269 - Empirical Research Methods
Research course: (choose 1)
- ENVI 343 - Imperial Nature: The United States and the Global Environment
- ENVI 368 - Sustainable Development and Global Future
Elective courses: (choose 4)
- POLI 221 - Global Governance
- ENVI 231 - Environmental Economics and Policy
- ENVI 232 - Food, Agriculture and the Environment
- POLI 242 - Political Economy of Development
- ENVI 252 - Water and Power
- ENVI 343 - Imperial Nature: The United States and the Global Environment
- ANTH 363 - Anthropology of Development
- INTL 367 - Postcolonial Theory
- ENVI 368 - Sustainable Development and Global Future
- ECON 426 - International Economic Development Capstone
- ENVI 477 - Comparative Environment and Development: A Seminar in Political Ecology
Sustainable Design
By marshaling natural resources in creative ways and on an unprecedented scale, industrial nations have developed new methods of converting the raw materials of nature--wood and metal, soil and water, coal and oil--into an economy capable of delivering fantastic comfort, abundance, and convenience to a steadily growing number of people. Yet the material advances of the industrial revolution are also directly responsible for many of the most serious environmental problems that now confront humanity. This interdisciplinary emphasis combines coursework at Macalester and DIS - Copenhagen to develop the skills of sustainable design: the active attempt to re-design the material world in ways that mitigate or eliminate the negative environmental impact of the buildings, products, and industrial systems on which the modern world relies.
Required courses:
Methods course: (choose 1)
- DIS Copenhagen Program - Architecture Foundations Studio
- DIS Copenhagen Program - Sustainable By Design
Research course:
Elective courses:
- 3 other Art or Architecture courses (from Macalester or on study away program)
Urban Sustainability
Required courses:
Methods course: (choose 1)
- ANTH 230 - Ethnographic Interviewing
- GEOG 241 - Urban Geography
- GEOG 262 - Metro Analysis
- POLI 269 - Empirical Research Methods
- SOCI 269 - Social Science Inquiry
- GEOG 277 - Qualitative Research Methods in Geography
- GEOG 341 - City Life: Segregation, Integration, and Gentrification
- GEOG 365 - Urban GIS (requires prerequisite)
Research course: (choose 1)
- GEOG 476 - Transportation Geography Seminar
- ENVI 478 - Another World is Possible: The Political Economy of Urban Sustainability
Elective courses: (choose 3)
- GEOG 203 - Introduction to Urban Ecology
- POLI 204 - US City and Metro Politics
- AMST 250 - Race, Place and Space
- GEOG 261 - World Urbanization
- GEOG 262 - Metro Analysis
- ENVI 264 - Convergence: Art/Science/Design in Our City
- ENVI 277 - Sustainable Cities: Urban Environmental Science
- HIST 281 - The Andes: Landscape and Power
- HIST 284 - Imaging the Modern City
- Any additional methods or research courses listed above
Environmental Studies Minor
Minor Requirements
The Environmental Studies minor consists of 5 courses (20 credits) in Environmental Studies. These courses should have the ENVI designation or cross-listed. At least one course should fulfill either the college general distribution requirement in social science or humanities/fine arts, and one should be a natural science course with a lab section. The five courses may not include internships or independent studies. Courses from study away may be counted with permission of the department chair.