Environmental Studies

Wabash College’s Environmental Studies minor provides students with an opportunity to apply a liberal arts perspective to environmental issues and questions of sustainability, linking traditional scientific study of the environment to the role the environment plays in human experience and society. Human society relies on a healthy, functioning global ecosystem for its survival, but human activities often damage the environment and undermine its capacity to support us. While such environmental degradation has occurred throughout human history, environmental issues have increasingly moved to the forefront of public discourse, even to the point of being considered the greatest existential threat to humanity. Addressing issues of biodiversity and ecological resiliency in our curriculum is an essential aspect of our stated mission to educate responsible, humane leaders. Students minoring in Environmental Studies are expected to help catalyze more environmental interest and action on campus, supporting a transformation to a renewable, more sustainable, Wabash College.

The minor is open to students of any major. Environmental Studies minors are encouraged to participate in co-curricular activities led by collaborations between students and experienced faculty from a multitude of disciplines. Three core courses focus on natural science, social science, and the humanities, while two additional elective courses provide disciplinary breadth to a student’s approach to the field. A senior capstone course invites interdisciplinary reflection, as students compose an essay that integrates coursework from their minor requirements across multiple disciplines.
 
The program is administered by the Environmental Studies Committee.

Student Learning Goals

Demonstrate scientific literacy with respect to prominent environmental issues, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

Engage with and respond thoughtfully to works and/or topics related to human relationship to the environment, considering social, political, economic, and aesthetic aspects of the environment in the human experience.

Consider and respond to information related to environmental challenges and solutions, drawing from approaches including the natural sciences, humanities, and/or behavioral sciences.