Environmental Studies

The global environmental crisis is already a major theme of the twenty-first century. The Earth holds an enormously complex set of relationships and processes, and we are part of that whole and dependent on it. Decisions we make now will affect the future of the planet. What world do we want to live in? How do we balance human needs with the needs of all the other species with whom we share the earth? These questions, and the heartfelt concern that underlies them, draw learners to a concentration in Environmental Studies.

The Environmental Studies concentration allows students to explore environmental issues from an interdisciplinary perspective and to include experiential components in their studies, using the world around them as a classroom. The natural sciences provide a foundation in the physical knowledge of the earth and its processes, while areas of study as diverse as psychology, social sciences, philosophy, literature, art, management, technology, activism and political science each bring important perspectives in understanding how humans relate and are related to the rest of the natural world. Each of these perspectives has bearing on the issues that the future holds, as the human population continues to grow.

Examples of study projects created by UI&U's B.A. learners and their mentors:

For more information, or to receive a brochure and DVD, please contact an enrollment counselor at 888-828-8575 or 802-828-8500 (outside the U.S.) or email admissions@myunion.edu.