Goucher College 2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalogue

Nov 23, 2024

Goucher College 2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalogue PLEASE NOTE: This is an archived catalog. Programs are subject to change each academic year.

Environmental Studies Major

Upon declaring the environmental studies major, students choose one of two concentrations: environmental science (ESCI) or environment and society (ESOC). Students complete all required courses within their chosen concentration as well as a set of required courses designed to cultivate breadth. All environmental studies students complete the environmental studies core curriculum consisting of introductory and mid-level coursework and a senior capstone course. At the introductory level, all students (majors and minors) take courses spanning the natural and social sciences. Introductory courses in environmental science and environment and society are designed to introduce students to the biological, physical, and chemical science of environmental change, as well as the human dimensions (social/political/cultural/economic) of such change.

At the intermediate level, all environmental studies majors complete the core courses ES 311 Environmental Analysis & Statistics and ES 230 Feminist Political Ecology, which draw from and integrate a range of disciplines to help students master a set of key concepts and analytical methods fundamental to environmental studies. During their senior year, students actively integrate the approaches and methodologies they have practiced and experimented with at the 100 and 200, 300 and 400 levels toward further research on a particular problem, issue, or theme of their choosing, based on their research and future career interests. This integration starts in a methodology course in which students select an environmental issue and propose to address it, and the integration culminates in the capstone course in which students implement their research proposal. Completing an internship is encouraged, but not required.

All majors must complete the Environmental Studies core sequence, as follows:

Note:

Writing proficiency in the major is fulfilled in ES 230 Feminist Political Ecology.

Majors choose a concentration in either Environment and Society (ESOC) or Environmental Science (ESCI) and complete required courses and breadth requirements. Students must receive at least a C- in all courses taken toward the completion of the major or minor.

ESOC Concentration

Additional courses:

Breadth for ESOC:

Choose one:

ESCI Concentration

Additional courses:

CHE 111 - Principles of Chemistry I with Lab (4 Cr.)
BIO 102 - Explorations in Biology I: Life in Context (4 Cr.)
ES 238 - Ecology (4 Cr.)
16 Credits from the following options. At least two courses must have a laboratory component and at least six credits must be at the 300- or 400-level.
ES 200 ,ES 206 , ES 415 , BIO 254 , BIO 278 , BIO 338 , BIO 345 , BIO 456 , BIO 484 , CHE 230 , CHE 355 , CHE 370 , CHE 372
Select on breadth ES course at either the 300- or 400-level from the following list:
ES 375 , ES 391 , ES 324 , EC 326 ,ES 405 , ES 410 , ES 430 , ES 435

Qualifications Required to Graduate with Honors

Honors are decided by a vote of the program faculty just prior to Commencement using the following guidelines:

A student must achieve a grade point average of 3.5 or higher in all 200-, 300-, and 400-level courses that count toward the major.

A student must demonstrate a superior grasp of environmental studies skills and theories as well as their applications by completing either an academic thesis or a theoretical grounded body of analytical work that includes substantial written documentation.