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Nov 24, 2024
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2022-2023 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Environmental Science Major
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Environmental Science at Ohio Wesleyan is an interdisciplinary, natural science approach to the environment within the context of the liberal arts. Diverse courses provide you with an integrative, scientific understanding of the environment with an emphasis on approaches to addressing current environmental challenges.
Once you’ve taken your core classes, you can explore the environment through upper-level natural science courses in a wide range of disciplines. Every major will complete a capstone project.
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Learning Objectives
- Students will be able to explain how a wide range of interdisciplinary factors (social sciences, natural sciences and humanities) contribute to environmental issues.
- Students will understand the relationship and connections between diverse natural sciences in the context of environmental issues. For example, what kinds of tools, research methods, and perspectives do the geological vs. the biological sciences contribute to our understanding of climate change?
- Students will develop skills in (1) experimental design, (2) data analysis and interpretation, (3) using scientific instruments and techniques in the context of exploring and solving environmental problems. Examples of problems with an environmental dimension where natural science could be applied include environmental management, ecological restoration, monitoring and assessment, natural hazard response and mitigation, cultural conflicts, the built environment, ethical issues, human health, natural resource extraction, poverty, and war.
- Students will develop skills in detecting and conceptualizing complex connections within and across disciplines in real-world environmental issues based on their experiences with engaged projects. For example, the contributions of botany, zoology, geology and chemistry in tandem with social science perspectives and interpersonal relations could be explored in a watershed restoration project. This implies a capacity to engage in real-world problem solving.
- Students will be able to connect global environmental concerns to local places and communities and address environmental problems with natural science methodologies in a global context and from diverse cultural and geographic perspectives.
Major Requirements
Core Requirements (7 units) for Environmental Science major:
Independent Project (1 unit):
A significant project developed in consultation with the Chair of the Department consisting of at least one unit of independent study (ENVS 490 or equivalent) or internship (ENVS 495 or equivalent). Project may be the outgrowth of travel learning courses, summer science research, theory into practice grant projects, etc. Project will be refined and presented as part of ENVS 198/498 taken during the senior year.
One (1) social science / humanities unit from:
Six (6) additional natural science or physical geography classes selected from the options below.
Students may choose Option 1 or Option 2:
Option 1: One (1) introductory natural science unit from:
Option 2: Six (6) natural science/physical geography units:
(no more than three from the same discipline)
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