Upcoming Events
- September 16, 2008
Talk: “Moment of Opportunity”
DAVIS BOOKHART
Davis Bookhart is the manager of Energy Management and Environmental Stewardship at Johns Hopkins University and the Chair of the Johns Hopkins University Sustainability Committee. Davis Bookhart will be speaking to the campus and wider community about ways in which changes in practices, environments, and policies are feasible and can be made—and made today. His talk is sponsored by SEARCH, the Solomons Environmental and Archaeological Research Consortium.
Did You Know . . . ?
. . . that sea nettles (jellyfish) in the Chesapeake region never leave the area; they hide on the bottom during the winter. And what are they doing all that time? According to biology professor Walter Hatch, “Sucking down plankton.”
Drawing by Sarah Claggett '08
St. Mary's Project Spotlight
Rosemary Hartman’s project looks at the nutritional value of eight invasive, edible wild plants. Rosemary tested the plants for lipids, sugars, starch, protein, and calories and then compared them to five cultivated analogs, concluding that the largest differences were usually in amount of sugar and starches. As a side note, Rosemary observed that eating invasive species would serve to control the population of these exotic species.
Program Overview
Degree Requirements | ENST Courses
Environmental Studies is broadly defined as the study of nature, including the relation of humans to the rest of the natural world. Presently, human activities are altering the life systems of our home planet. Species extinction, atmospheric pollution, and loss of ancient forests are common knowledge, as is the planetary impact of human populations and consumption habits. These problems have a biological basis that requires the application of the scientific method to understand them, to discern cause and effects, and to pose scientifically tenable solutions. However, concern for and stewardship of the planet is not solely the purview of the scientist. Our understanding of these issues is impossible without social, cultural, political, ethical, and economic considerations. The work of understanding these trends and forming alternate visions for the future draws upon ideas, information, and insight from disciplines across the curriculum as well as from co-curricular activities.
The goals of the minor are two-fold: 1) to achieve cross-disciplinary perspectives on environmental studies, and 2) to create a community of concern among students and faculty who participate in the study area—a community that encourages learning how to act as well as to understand. Even if no environmental problems existed, students and faculty would study how natural systems function, how the arts and social studies reveal connections between humanity and nature, and how the environment has nurtured philosophical and religious ideas about the place of humans in the universe.
Degree Requirements
Currently, environmental studies is offered as a minor. To complete a minor in environmental studies, a student must satisfy the following requirements designed to establish the breadth and depth of knowledge consistent with the goals of the environmental studies study area.
- General College requirements
- All requirements in a major discipline of study
- At least 22 semester-hours in courses having an environmental focus, completed with a grade of C or higher must be achieved, as follows:
- 2 credits of ENST 233: Environmental Perspectives.
- BIOL 100 or 101: Contemporary Bioscience with an environmental focus: (see "Schedule of Classes" for correct section) or BIOL 271: Ecology and Evolution
- Elective courses: 16 semester-hours in courses with environmental studies focus, at least 8 of which must be at the 300-400 level, to be selected from at least three disciplines.
Because the required biology course provides an ecological basis for environmental studies, students should consider early enrollment in BIOL 100 or 101 with an environmental focus or BIOL 271. Confirm that the BIOL 100 or 101 is a section that fulfills the ENST requirement.
Partial List of Course Offerings with an ENST Focus:
- ANTH 302: Food and Culture (4AF)
- ANTH 341: Economic and Ecological Anthropology(4AS)
- BIOL 316: Tropical Marine Biology (4AS)
- BIOL 327: Ecology and Diversity of Maryland Plants (4AF)
- BIOL 337: Population/Community Ecology (4AS)
- BIOL 432: Limnology (4AS)
- BIOL 463: Ecology of Coastal Systems (4F)
- ECON 350: Environmental Economics (4E)
- ECON 354: Natural Resource Economics (4S)
- ENGL 102: English Composition, specific sections (see “Schedule of Classes” for environmental sections) (4E)
- ENGL 106: Introduction to Literature, specific sections (see “Schedule of Classes” for environmental sections) (4E)
- ENGL 230: Literary Topics, American Landscapes, or American Environmental Literature sections (4E)
- GEOL 130: Introduction to Geology (4)
- PHIL 304: Values Inquiry, Earth Ethics, specific sections (see “Schedule of Classes” for environmental sections) (4E)
- PHIL 321: Environmental Ethics (4AF)
- POSC 461: Studies in American Politics, Seminar on the Environment Section (4S)
- SOCI 355: Population Problems (4AS)
Each year the coordinator of the study area and other participating faculty designate certain courses, including new courses, topic courses, and special offerings that will satisfy elective requirements. A complete list of approved current offerings will appear in the “Schedule of Classes.”
Students with an interest in environmental studies are urged to consult with the study area coordinator or participating faculty members. Students are also encouraged to declare their participation in the environmental studies cross-disciplinary study area as soon as possible and no later than the end of the first week of their senior year. It is also suggested that students seek a secondary adviser from the participating faculty.
Students wishing to pursue their St. Mary’s Project in environmental studies may do so with the permission of their major department(s) and with the agreement of an environmental studies faculty member who serves as the project mentor. Project credit does not count as part of the required environmental studies curriculum.
