Web address: www.newpaltz.edu/environmentalstudies

Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary program drawing on social and physical science, the humanities and the arts to provide students a broad understanding of the relationship between humans and the earth. Housed within the Departmental of Geography & Environmental Studies, the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) program emphasizes environmental policy and social and economic aspects of the environment while providing a background in earth science. Much of environmental studies focuses on public and political discourse about scientific uncertainty, assessment of risks, and economic costs and benefits. Students majoring in Environmental Studies gain theoretical perspective and practical experience through a combination of coursework, activism, policymaking, applied-learning opportunities, and a capstone seminar.

The Environmental Studies minor gives an overview of the causes and consequences of our current environmental problems and provides basic tools and understanding students will need to become active participants in the solutions. Coursework comes from several academic departments in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the School of Science & Engineering.

For more information about the Environmental Studies program, please contact:

Salvatore Engel-DiMauro
Science Hall 115
engeldis@newpaltz.edu
845-257-2991

Environmental Studies (BA) Program Learning Outcomes

  • Define concepts and utilize methods from the social sciences as they pertain to analysis of environmental policies and institutions.

  • Apply basic concepts and methods of physical science to environmental problem solving.

  • Describe the interdependent relationship between human and natural systems at scales ranging from local to global.

  • Apply systems and sustainability concepts and methodologies to analyze interactions between social and environmental processes.

  • Assess the ethical dimensions of ecological degradation and its disparate impact on different populations.

  • Describe how power and social position relate to one’s experience with and attitudes toward the environment and environmental problems.

  • Interpret political struggles over environmental issues and identify ways in which individuals can be agents of change fostering a more just and sustainable society.