Environmental Studies Major
David M. Dobson, Associate Professor of Geology and Earth Sciences, Environmental Studies Coordinator
Environmental Studies provides an interdisciplinary program that emphasizes the relationship between humans and the environment. It allows students to study and address such fundamental issues as the quality of the Earth’s environment and the sustainable use of its natural resources.
The program focuses on justice, global awareness and service to the larger community while respecting the concept of nature as sacred and Guilford’s Quaker heritage. The Guilford environmental studies program is an overlap of many disciplines, including the humanities, social sciences, business and policy studies, arts, and natural sciences.
Degrees Offered
The Bachelor of Arts is offered in Environmental Studies.
Major Requirements
Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary major that requires a second disciplinary major and an advisor in each. Students and advisors can use the Advising Checklist to ensure accuracy. The major requires a minimum of 32 credit hours (eight courses).
- ENVS 101 Introduction to Environmental Studies – 4 credits
- PSCI 319 Modern Environmental Problems – 4 credits
- IDS 472 Environmental Planning – 4 credits
- Science support courses (1 course from each of three levels) – 12 credits
Level 1- BIOL 112 Integrative Biology: Organisms, Ecology and Evolution
- CHEM 105 Chemistry of Recycling
- CHEM 110 Real World Chemistry
- CHEM 111 Chemical Principles I
- GEOL 121 Geology and Environment
- GEOL 141 Oceanography
Level 2
- BIOL 212 Environmental Science
- BIOL 224 Field Botany
- BIOL 233 NC Freshwater Fishes
- BIOL 235 Vertebrate Field Zoology
- CHEM 341 Instrumental Analysis
- MATH 112 Elementary Statistics*
Level 3
- BIOL 334 Animal Behavior
- BIOL 336 Ornithology
- BIOL 438 General Ecology
- ENVS 330/GEOL 230 Environmental Pollution
- GEOL 223 Hydrology
- GEOL 340 Images of the Earth
- GEOL 416 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
- One course from non-science support courses – 4 credits
- ART 254 Sculpture and the Environment
- ECON 222 Micro: Public Policy
- ECON 301 Research Methods
- ECON 344 Environment Resource Economics
- ENGL 225 American Literature Survey I
- ENGL 228/REL 120 American Nature Writing
- ENVS 220/ART 220 The American Landscape
- HIST 227 Urban Environmental History
- HIST 324 American Rivers
- PHIL 242 Environmental Ethics
- PSCI 318 Environmentalism in Early America
- PSY 344 Environmental Psychology
- SOAN 322 Environmental Anthropology
- One course from either science or non-science support courses listed above, or from the list below: 4 credits
- IDS 437 Barrier Islands: Ecology and Development
- IDS 482 Ecofeminism and Environmental Justice
Total credits hours required for A.B. degree in Environmental Studies – 32 credits
*ECON 301 may be substituted by petition for MATH 112. Appropriate internships or independent studies can be substituted for both science and non-science electives by petition and approval of the program coordinator.
