Environmental Studies Minor

Requirements

Environmental Studies presents different perspectives on the relationships between humans and the planet's life-support system. It seeks to develop in students a deep awareness of the complex, highly dynamic nature of the world we inhabit, including interactions among population, the biological and physical environments, resources, technology, social organization and culture. The portion of the planet we occupy in the Pacific Northwest is exceptionally diverse for its latitude and affords rich opportunities for study and participation.

Students may elect this minor as a means of adding an environmental perspective to their major field of study. Because our whole being and our very survival as a species are so intimately connected with a healthy biosphere, Environmental Studies is highly interdisciplinary with almost every field in the liberal arts curriculum involved. While the field traditionally draws most heavily from the natural and social sciences, studies in the humanities are also important for developing skills in communication and interpretation.

Requirements

• A student must complete a minimum of 24 (minimum 10 from Linfield) semester credits, including:
  ENV 101 Human Ecology: Process and Pattern in the Natural World (3)
  ENV 102 Human Adaptations and the New Global Order (4)
• Four more courses chosen from the list below, including at least one 300 or 400 level and one in a natural science.
• ENV 040 Community Service
• ENV 485 Environmental Problem-Solving Seminar
• One course of the four courses may be an internship or independent study. At least one must be outside the division of the student's major and one outside the department of the major.
• Only two courses counted for the minor may also be counted toward Linfield Curriculum or major requirements.

Courses offered through the Division of Continuing Education

ANT 321 Cultural Ecology and Evolution Adaptation and change in human systems, especially as related to biophysical environmental processes. Dual inheritance and other theories about adaptation and change. 3 credits. (DG, IS, or VP) BIO 108 Ecology of Ecosystems Examination of the diversity and complexity of ecosystems plus critical processes, including nutrient cycling, productivity, and energy flow. Analysis of human impacts on these ecosystems, with considerations of ecosystem resilience and restoration efforts. 3 credits. (NW) BIO 313 Classification of Plants & Plant Communities Principles and methods of classification and identification of plants and plant communities. Focus on identification of major flowering plant families and ecoregions in Oregon or other geographic area. Field observation and laboratory examination of plants. 3 credits. (NW) BIO 320 Introduction to Ecology An introduction to the basic principles of general ecology. Aspects of organismal, ecosystem, population and community ecology will be covered. Emphasis on terrestrial ecosystems. Lecture and one required field trip. Prerequisite: completion of mathematics proficiency requirement or consent of instructor. 3 credits. (NW) BIO 355 General Ecology The study of basic principles of general ecology. Aspects of organismal, ecosystem, population and community ecology. Emphasis on terrestrial ecosystems. Lecture and field trips. Prerequisite: completion of mathematics proficiency and general biology. 3 credits. (NW) BIO 375 Field Zoology Field techniques and principles used to study populations of birds and mammals, emphasizing those of the Pacific Northwest. Includes identification and classification, population ecology, adaptations to the environment, field techniques, and preparation of museum specimens. Lecture and Laboratory. Prerequisites: either 110/111, or 205; completion of mathematics proficiency. 3 credits. (NW) ECO 312 Environmental Economics Economics of urban environments including problems of population, energy, air and water pollution and solid waste disposal. Prerequisite: ECO 210. 4 credits. ENG 304 Environmental Literature Introduction to nature writing and its lessons about the environment. Practice in writing in the genre. Authors studied may include Annie Dillard, Gary Snyder, John McPhee, Mary Austin, Edward Abbey, and Aldo Leopold. 3 credits. (IA, DA) ENV 040 Community Service Community Service activity helping with such environmentally related programs as parks, recycling, land-use planning, greenway clean-up and marking of bicycle and walking paths. Minimum of 35 hours of service. 1 credit. Note: May be repeated once for credit with different content. ENV 101 Human Ecology Process and Pattern in the Natural World Study of basic ecological principles and concepts that describe the structure and function of ecosystems and define human relationships to the environment; how scientists study the natural world and approach environmental problem-solving; the ecological context in which humans and other species evolved; the evolutionary processes that give rise to adaptation and new species; and the diversity of biological systems and how we manage them. 3 credits. (IS, DG) ENV 102 Human Ecology Human Adaptations and the New Global Order Social scientific findings and ways of understanding humanity’s place in nature and our current ecological predicament; causes and consequences (environmental, demographic, economic, political, and cultural) of humankind’s transition from food foraging to Neolithic modes of adaptation (horticulture, pastoralism, intensive agriculture, agro-industrialism) and the emergence of large, state-organized, class-stratified societies; human culture - its characteristics, pervasiveness; cultural similarities and differences across humanity. 4 credits. (DG, IS)

ENV 302 Shoreline Ecology The oceans as a habitat for life; oceanographic processes affecting shore life, field observations of representative shore habitats of the northern Oregon coast; laboratory examinations of selected shore dwelling animals and plants. 3 credits. (NW) ENV 303 Human Ecosystems Exploration of scientific concepts and principles pertaining to the interrelationships among living organisms, humans and their environments; impact of past and current human activities on these natural processes; environmental economics, politics and ethics. 3 credits. (NW) ENV 305 Environmental Issues and the Physical Sciences An application of the physical sciences, principally the earth sciences, to the understanding of human impact on the earth, including such topics as radioactivity, nuclear power and nuclear waste, hazards from earthquakes, volcanoes, mining and toxic chemical wastes, water pollution, acid rain, the greenhouse effect, desertification and problems posed by increasing urbanization and intensive agriculture. Prerequisite: completion of mathematics proficiency requirement or consent of instructor. 3 credits. (NW) ENV 307 Issues in Science: Georesources Survey of the various natural resources of Oregon. Including surface waters, soils and those resources derived from extractive processes such as mining and drilling. Basic geological processes that generated the resource, the mechanics of extraction and/or utilization and their overall impact on Northwest environment and economy. Appreciation of the old adage, "All wealth derives from the earth ." Prerequisite: completion of mathematics proficiency requirement or consent of instructor. 3 credits. (NW) ENV 308 Water Resources Focus on the importance of water, the variety of surface and groundwater sources and the extensive use we make of them in transportation, energy, industry, agriculture and municipalities. Impacts on water resources, including overuse and pollution, along with recent efforts to improve water quality and conservation, will also be considered. 3 credits. (NW) ENV 485 Environmental Problem-Solving Seminar Analysis of case studies of attempts to resolve environmental problems, followed by work by student teams to resolve local environmental problems. Prerequisite: senior standing, minimum one science or ENV course. 2 credits. HST 257 The Pacific Northwest The development of the Pacific Northwest. Early exploration and settlements. Institutional growth, urbanization, resource development. The impact of national events and trends upon the region. 3 credits. (VP, DA) PHI 306 Environmental Ethics Moral and aesthetic reasoning applies to questions of value about land, air, water and human species. Particular attention to issues surrounding human disruption of ecosystems. 3 credits. (UQ, WI) PHY 103 Physical Geology The earth's crust and mantle with emphasis on physical and chemical processes. Concepts of energy, uniformity, and plate tectonics. Erosion by various agents, volcanism, earthquakes, and mountain building. Lecture, discussion, and laboratory, including mapping and field work. Prerequisite: completion of mathematics proficiency requirement or consent of instructor. 3 credits. (NW) PHY 105 Meteorology A study of weather phenomena: clouds, pressure systems, wind, cyclonic storms, precipitation, atmospheric electricity, weather modification. Effect of weather on human activities. Lecture and discussion. Prerequisite: completion of mathematics proficiency requirement or consent of instructor. 3 credits. (NW) PHY 107 Energy and the Environment Introduction to the concept of energy (kinetic, potential, thermal) and the physical laws governing energy transformation. Forms of energy consumed by society (fossil fuels, nuclear waste, global warming). 3 credits. (NW)

Some of these are travel courses offered in the summer term.