2019-2020 University Catalog archived
Environmental Studies (ENV)
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Environmental Studies offers both an interdisciplinary major and an interdisciplinary minor, requiring an understanding of the sciences, social sciences, and the humanities, designed to educate students in a broad class of issues related to the environment and humanity’s place in the natural world. Students employ this interdisciplinary approach to develop a comprehensive understanding of the causes, consequences, and solutions to environmental problems. This is not only an academic experience but also an expansion of the students’ capacities as citizens, allowing them to become aware of the scientific, ethical, and policy issues they will face in their local communities, their professions, and in the broader world community.
The major consists of a set of required and elective courses designed to provide a broad platform of knowledge upon which to build a career and graduate study in the environmental area. Many elective courses are drawn from course offerings in other departments. Students choose from among different elective tracks in the major to focus their coursework around specific themes, including Conservation Biology, Water Resources, Environmental Humanities, Climate Change, and Environmental Economics. Students also have the option of designing their own elective track around a different theme, with approval of the program faculty. All majors and minors complete a capstone project, which can take a variety of forms and is intended to bring together their supporting interdisciplinary coursework in a formative, culminating experience. The major is designed to educate students in a broad class of issues related to the environment and to humanity’s place in the natural world, while supporting a wide variety of career choices (research, government, corporate, non-governmental organizations) and graduate school options.
The Environmental Studies minor is a series of related courses intended to both complement and enhance the student’s chosen major(s) in a different discipline. Interested students are encouraged to talk to the director of the program early in their academic careers in order to discuss which course of study is more appropriate to their academic needs and career plans.
See the description of the Environmental Studies major leading to BA degree or Environmental Studies minor to understand the interdisciplinary nature of the program and the organization of its curriculum.
An understanding of environmental issues is a key component of a liberal arts education. At Washington and Lee, we take an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the causes and consequences of environmental problems and the development and implementation of solutions to these environmental problems. Faculty and students from across the campus integrate natural sciences, social sciences, the humanities, and law through study, research, and a variety of cocurricular activities, including numerous public lectures and service-learning projects. Students develop disciplinary expertise and an understanding of how insights from different disciplines must be integrated to address environmental problems. This process involves both academic experience and expansion of the students’ capacities as citizens, enabling them to become aware of the scientific, ethical, and policy issues they will face in their local communities, their professions, and in the global community.
Faculty in Environmental Studies are appointed from departments across the university including Accounting, Biology, Business Administration, Economics, English, Philosophy, Geology, Politics, and Sociology and Anthropology. More information is available on the program’s website at http://www.wlu.edu/environmental-studies-program.
HONORS: An Honors Program in environmental studies is offered for well-qualified majors; see the program head for details.
Program Head: Robert Humston
James R. Kahn, 2019-2020, interim
Core Faculty
First date is the year in which the faculty member began service as regular faculty at the University. Second date is the year of appointment to the present rank.
James F. Casey, Ph.D.—(1998)-2007
Associate Professor of Economics
Ph.D., North Carolina State University
Gregory J. Cooper, Ph.D.—(1999)-1999
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Chelsea R. Fisher, Ph.D.—(2019)-2019
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies
Ph.D., University of Michigan
Mary Lisa Greer, Ph.D.—(2003)-2009
Associate Professor of Geology
Ph.D., University of Miami
Eugene William Hamilton III, Ph.D.—(2001)-2013
Professor of Biology
Ph.D., Syracuse University
David Jorgensen Harbor, Ph.D.—(1992)-2004
Professor of Geology
Ph.D., Colorado State University
Robert Humston, Ph.D.—(2008)-2018
Professor of Biology
Ph.D., University of Miami
Lawrence E. Hurd, Ph.D.—(1993)-1993
John T. Herwick, M.D., Professor of Biology
Ph.D., Syracuse University
James R. Kahn, Ph.D.—(2000)-2000
John F. Hendon Professor of Economics
Ph.D., University of Maryland
Harvey Markowitz, Ph.D.—(2003)-2019
Professor of Anthropology
Ph.D., University of Chicago
Interdisciplinary Major
Interdisciplinary Minor
ENV 110 - Introduction to Environmental Studies
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: First-year or sophomore standing or instructor consent. An interdisciplinary introduction to environmental studies with an emphasis on how societies organize themselves through their social, political and economic institutions to respond to environmental problems. The course begins with a discussion of the development of environmental thought, focusing on the relationship between humans and the environment. Participants then discuss alternative criteria for environmental decision making, including sustainability, equity, ecological integrity, economic efficiency, and environmental justice. The course concludes with an examination of contemporary environmental issues, including global warming, invasive species, energy and the environment, tropical deforestation, and the relationship between the environment and economic development in developing countries. Kahn.
ENV 111 - Environmental Service Learning
Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
Credits: 1
Prerequisites: ENV 110 and instructor consent. Practical application of student knowledge of environmental issues based on supervised volunteer work in the greater Rockbridge community. Students will participate in a service-learning environment. Topics will include environmental education, campus sustainability, conservation and sustainable agriculture in the surrounding region. The course culminates with a paper integrating students’ knowledge with practical application throughout the term. Staff.
ENV 120 - Environmental Systems, W&L Campus, and LEED
Credits: 1
How does our campus’ built environment interleave with larger systems issues such as climate change, environmental degradation, and sustainability? This course examines these larger systems issues in our local context. Campus grounds and specific buildings are explored for environmental and social impacts with mitigation options considered. Students become conversant in the U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating systems, and investigate how W&L could minimize adverse impact on the environment and maximize credits within a LEED Campus master site framework. This course provides a large systems context for the LEED lab Spring Term course (ENV 220) but is not a prerequisite. Trimmer.
ENV 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar
Credits: 3
First-Year Seminar. Prerequisite: First-year class standing only. Limited to 15 students, these seminars are reading- and discussion-based with an emphasis on papers, projects, studio work, or hands-on field experience rather than exams. First-Year Seminar. Prerequisite: First-year class standing only.
ENV 201 - Environmental Science
FDR: SC
Credits: 3
Prerequisite or corequisite: ENV 110. Restricted to ENV majors or minors, or others by instructor consent. A foundation in the natural sciences for environmental studies students, this course introduces foundational concepts in earth ecological sciences and their application in understanding human-environment relationships. Local, regional, and global environmental case studies are considered. Hamilton.
ENV 202 - Society and Natural Resources
FDR: SS1
Credits: 3
Prerequisite or co-requisite: ENV 110 and declared major or minor in environmental studies A foundation in the natural sciences for environmental studies students, this course emphasizes understanding how socio-economic conditions are studied to inform and shape environmental policy. Local, regional, and global environmental case studies are considered. Kahn.
ENV 203 - Environmental Humanities
FDR: HU
Credits: 3
Prerequisite or co-requisite: ENV 110 and declared major or minor in environmental studies. An introduction to the examination of human-environment relationships arising from the humanities, this course draws broadly upon the fields of philosophy, history, cultural anthropology, eco-criticism, art and art history, and the emerging interdisciplinary field of environmental humanities. Students receive a broad introduction to humanist perspectives on environmental challenges and solutions and preparation for examining specific fields in greater depth later in their studies. Staff.
ENV 207 - Nature and Place
(REL 207) FDR: HU
Credits: 3
This course explores a variety of ideas about and experiences of nature and place Through a consideration of work drawn from diverse disciplines including philosophy, religious studies, literature, art, and anthropology. Questions to be Considered may include: what is the nature of place in our societies, and is there a place for nature in our cultures? How have human beings made places for themselves to dwell in or out of nature? What might make a place a sacred place? Are there any sacred places? Kosky.
ENV 220 - Campus Sustainability Consulting and LEED Expertise
Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
Credits: 3
ENV 120 provides a large systems context for this course (ENV 220) but is not a prerequisite. Using the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating systems and working alongside sustainability consultants, students investigate the W&L campus grounds and facilities and develop detailed action plans for the university, in order to meet sustainability and climate goals and maximize credits toward a LEED Campus designation. The consulting teams present their findings to decision makers in order to assist W&L in achieving LEED Silver Certification or better for all new construction and major renovations. Trimmer, Harbor, Junkunc.
ENV 250 - Ecology of Place
Credits: 4
Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Think globally, study locally. This course explores globally significant environmental issues such as biodiversity conservation, sustainable delivery of ecosystem goods and services, and environmental justice, as they are manifested on a local/regional scale. We examine interactions among ethical, ecological, and economic concerns that shape these issues. Students are fully engaged in the development of policy recommendations that could guide relevant decision makers. The course incorporates readings, field trips, films, and discussions with invited experts. Cooper, Hurd.
ENV 288 - Key Thinkers on the Environment
(HIST 288) FDR: HU
Credits: 3
“Key thinkers on the environment” are central to this course, ranging from ancient greats such as Aristotle to modern writers such as David Suzuki and E.O. Wilson about the ecosystem crises of the Anthropocene. We highlight certain 19th-century icons of environmentalist awareness and nature preservation, such as Alexander von Humboldt in Europe and Humboldtians in America, including Frederic Edwin Church and Henry David Thoreau. Rupke.
ENV 295 - Special Topics in Environmental Studies
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: ENV 110 or BIOL 111. This courses examines special topics in environmental studies, such as ecotourism, the environment and development, local environmental issues, values and the environment, global fisheries, global climate change, tropical deforestation and similar topics of importance, which could change from year to year. This is a research-intensive course where the student would be expected to write a significant paper, either individually or as part of a group, of sufficient quality to be made useful to the scholarly and policy communities. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
Winter 2020, ENV 295A-01: Special Topics in Environmental Studies: Water Policy and Politics (3). Current dynamics of conflict over water resources, and their influence on local and international policy, politics, and economics. We discuss the legality of water rights trade, conflicts of agriculture and conservation, water pollution, and the Super-PAC solution. Students investigate the ecology of susceptibility of freshwater systems to biological invasions. And we study the way the global community tackles the refugee problem stemming from diminishing fresh water in the developing world. Students follow three major international case studies to guide our investigation of water resources: (1) water rights on the Colorado, (2) industry and pollution in the Great Lakes, and (3) desertification and refugees in Sub-Saharan Africa. Bleicher.
Fall 2019, ENV 295A-01: Special Topics in Environmental Studies:Food, Drink, and the Holocene (3). Prerequisites: ENV 110, BIOL 111, or instructor consent. How can the lessons of the last 12,000 years of human history help us make our food systems more sustainable today? This course investigates the ways people eat and drink in the Holocene (approximately 10,000 BC to now) to understand how human-environment interactions have changed through time. Using approaches drawn from archaeology and history, students examine the foodways of past societies –like the Maya, Vikings, Aztecs, early Virginians, and more – and learn the complex stories of how and why some food systems work and why others collapse. Fisher.
ENV 365 - Advanced Topics in Environmental Ethics
(PHIL 365) FDR: HU
Credits: 3
This course examines selected topics in environmental ethics. Topics may vary from year to year, and include the proper meanings and goals of environmentalism; the goals and methods of conservation biology; major environmental issues in current political debates; and balancing the ethical concerns of environmental justice and our responsibilities to future generations. Cooper.
ENV 390 - Special Topics: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Environmental Issues
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: ENV 110 and 9 credits at the 200 level or above in the environmental studies major. This course examines causes of, consequences of, and solutions to contemporary environmental problems. Though topics vary from term to term, the course has a specific focus on the integration of environmental science, policy, and thought so students understand better the cause and effect relationships that shape the interaction between human and environmental systems. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Staff.
ENV 396 - Pre-Capstone Research Seminar
Credits: 1
Prerequisite: Declaration of a major or minor in environmental studies. In this seminar, students develop a proposal for the research that they will conduct in the subsequent Winter-term class, ENV 397. Both quantitative and qualitative research projects are encouraged and all research projects must have an interdisciplinary component. Students develop their research questions, prepare progress reports, annotated bibliographies, discussions of data, methods, and the significance of their proposed research. The final product is a complete research proposal which serves as a blueprint for the capstone research project. Students are also responsible for reviewing the work of classmates. Staff.
ENV 397 - Senior Seminar in Environmental Studies
Experiential Learning (EXP): YES
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: ENV 110 and completion of any two of the three remaining areas for the Program in Environmental Studies, and instructor consent. ENV 396 is strongly encouraged as preparation. An interdisciplinary capstone course intended for students in the environmental studies program. Students analyze a particular environmental issue and attempt to integrate scientific inquiry, political and economic analysis and ethical implications. The particular issue changes each year. Staff.
ENV 401 - Directed Individual Studies
Credits: 1
Prerequisite: ENV-110 and instructor consent. Students undertake significant original research or creative activity in the area of environmental studies, under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
ENV 402 - Directed Individual Studies
Credits: 2
Prerequisite: ENV-110 and instructor consent. Students undertake significant original research or creative activity in the area of environmental studies, under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
ENV 403 - Directed Individual Studies
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: ENV-110 and instructor consent. Students undertake significant original research or creative activity in the area of environmental studies, under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Staff.
ENV 493 - Honors Thesis in Environmental Studies
Credits: 3-3
Prerequisite: Senior standing, honors candidacy, and consent of the environmental studies faculty. Honors Thesis. Staff.
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