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Environmental Studies
Office: 302 Olmsted Hall, Phone: (845)
437-7441, e-mail: biology@vassar.edu
Director: H. Daniel Peck; Steering Committee:
Stuart L. Belli (Chemistry), Randolph Cornelius
(Psychology), Andrew Davison (Political Science), Rebecca
Edwards (History), Harvey K. Flad (Geography), Leathem
Mehaffey III (Biology), H. Daniel Peck (English), Anne
Pike-Tay (Anthropology), Jill S. Schneiderman (Geology),
Christopher J. Smart (Chemistry), Peter G. Stillman
(Political Science), Jeffrey R. Walker (Geology).
Participating Faculty: Michael Aronna (Hispanic
Studies), Marianne H. Begemann (Chemistry), Frank Bergon
(English), Pinar BaturVander Lippe (Sociology), Stuart L.
Belli (Chemistry), Barbara Bianco (Anthropology), Robert K.
Brigham (History), Andrew Bush, Mario Cesareo (Hispanic
Studies), Mark S. Cladis (Religion), Randolph Cornelius,
Jeffrey Cynx (Psychology), Andrew Davison (Political
Science), Rebecca Edwards (History), Marc M. Epstein
(Religion), Harvey K. Flad (Geography), Brian J. Godfrey
(Geography), Diane Harriford (Sociology), Richard Hemmes
(Biology), Lucy Lewis Johnson (Anthropology), Paul Kane
(English), Brooks Kaiser (Economics), John H. Long, Jr.
(Biology), J. Bertrand Lott (Classics), Brian Lukacher
(Art), Brian G. McAdoo (Geology), Leathem Mehaffey III
(Biology), Kirsten Menking (Geology), Seungsook Moon
(Sociology), Leonard Nevarez (Sociology), Carolyn E. Palmer
(Psychology), H. Daniel Peck (English), Anne Pike-Tay
(Anthropology), Sidney Plotkin (Political Science), Ismail
Rashid (History), Margaret L. Ronsheim (Biology), Jill S.
Schneiderman (Geology), Christopher J. Smart (Chemistry),
Peter G. Stillman (Political Science), J. William Straus
(Biology), Patricia B. Wallace (English), Jeffrey R. Walker
(Geology).
Environmental Studies is a multidisciplinary program that
explores the relationships between people and the
environment as broadly conceived, encompassing all aspects
of the settingsnatural, built, or socialin which people
exist. It involves the natural sciences, social sciences,
and humanities. Environmental studies concerns itself with
the description and analysis of environmental systems; with
interspecies and species-environment relationships and the
institutions, policies, and laws which affect those
relationships; with aesthetic portrayals of the environment
and how these affect human perceptions and behavior towards
it; and with ethical issues raised by the human presence in
the environment.
Students majoring in Environmental Studies are required
to take courses offered by the Program, a set of courses
within a particular department, and other courses from
across the curriculum of the College. Therefore, a student
interested in the major should consult with the director of
the program as early as possible to plan a coherent course
of study. The director, in consultation with the steering
committee, will assign an advisor to each student. Advisors
are selected from the steering committee or participating
faculty of the program. The steering committee approves each
major's program, and is concerned not only with the formal
requirements but also with the inclusion of relevant
environmental courses in the student's chosen areas of
study, interconnections among groups of courses, and
adequate concentration in the methods of a discipline.
Students are admitted to the program by the director,
subject to the approval of their program of study by the
steering committee.
Requirements for the Major: 14 units to be
distributed as follows, with specific courses chosen in
consultation with the student's advisor and with the
approval of the steering committee. (1) The senior seminar,
Environmental Studies 301; (2) three other courses from
within the Program's own offerings, at or above the
200-level, one of which must be Environmental Studies 250,
Environmentalisms in Perspective, and at least one of which
must be at the 300-level; (3) the senior project/thesis,
Environmental Studies 300; (4) a sequence of five courses in
one department (or a set of five courses with a common
focus, such as law or environmental policy, from two or more
departments), including at least one at the 300-level; (5)
for students whose disciplinary concentration is in biology,
chemistry or geology, three courses, at least one at the
200-level, relevant to the major in a department outside
biology, chemistry or geology; for students whose
disciplinary concentration is not in the natural sciences,
three courses relevant to the major from the Departments of
Biology, Chemistry, or Geology, with at least one at the
200-level; (6) one full unit of field experience which may
come from field work, independent study, internships, or
course work taken during the Junior Year Abroad. Field
experience is expected to be carried out before the senior
thesis/project.
The unit of field experience is graded Satisfactory or
Unsatisfactory. The senior project/thesis is graded
Distinction, Satisfactory, or Unsatisfactory. After
declaration of the major, no required courses may be elected
NRO.
Senior Year Requirement: Environmental Studies
301. While not required for the major, Environmental Studies
103 and 150 are recommended for freshman and sophomores
interested in environmental studies.
Course Offerings
I. Introductory
100a. The Earth Around Us
(1/2)
(Same as Geology 100a) A series of lectures by geology
faculty on topics such as water quality, soil erosion,
global climate change, coastal development and evolutionary
change. A broad introduction to environmental problems and
their impact on all living things.
Two 75-minute periods.
103b. Earth System Science and Environmental Justice
(1)
(Same as Geology 103b) Exploration of the roles that
race, gender, and class play in contemporary environmental
issues and the geology that underlies them. Examination of
the power of governments, corporations and science to
influence the physical and human environment. We critique
the traditional environmental movement, study cases of
environmental racism, and appreciate how basic geological
knowledge can assist communities in creating healthful
surroundings.
Examples come from urban and rural settings in the United
States and abroad and are informed by feminist analysis. Ms.
Schneiderman, Ms. Sharpe.
Two 75-minute periods.
150a. The Environmental Imagination in Literature and
Science (1)
The troubled relationship between humans and the rest of
nature is a problem as urgent as any in our time. But if
environmental thinking is timely, it is not new. This
course, taught by a biologist and an environmental writer,
considers how our thinking about nature has developed and
how it shapes our ways of understanding and approaching
environmental problems. The readings, which include poetry,
fiction, essays, and scientific literature, focus on social
and philosophical constructions of nature, on the historical
interplay of humans and our environment, and the modes by
which we evaluate and attempt to solve environmental
problems. Readings and classroom discussions are
complemented by trips in the local area, to experience how
scientific methods can be used to measure nature and to test
ideas from our reading against experience in the field. Mr.
Straus, Mr. Nichols.
Two 75-minute periods.
One 4-hour lab or field trip.
151a. Earth, Environment, and Humanity (1)
(Same as Geology 151a)
201b. Religion Gone Wild: Spirituality and the
Environment (1)
(Same as Religion 201) A study of the dynamic relation
between religion and nature. Religion, in this course,
includes forms of spirituality within and outside the bounds
of conventional religious traditions (for example, Buddhism,
Christianity, and Jainism, on the one hand; ecofeminism, the
literature of nature, and Australian Aboriginal religion, on
the other). Topics in this study of religion, ethics, and
ecology might include: religious depictions of creation,
nature, and the position of humans in the environment;
religious aspects of environmental degradation and
contemporary ecological movements; environmental justice;
and environmentalism as a religion. Mr. Cladis.
Prerequisite: One course in Religion, or by
permission.
Two 75-minute periods.
250a. Environmentalisms in Perspective (1)
The purpose of this course, an introduction to the core
issues and perspectives of environmental studies, is to
develop a historical awareness of selected, significant
positions in the contemporary theory and practice of
environmentalism. In addition to studying different views of
the relationship between human beings and their environments
posited by different environmentalisms, the course
critically examines views of science (or the study of
nature), implications for policy, and the creation of
meaning suggested by each. Environmentalist positions under
consideration vary. By examining the roots of major
contemporary positions, students explore possible
connections among the ethical, scientific, aesthetic, and
policy concerns that comprise environmental studies. Mr.
Stillman, Mr. Cynx.
Required of students concentrating in the program. Open
to other students by permission of the director and as space
permits.
Prerequisite: sophomore standing or above.
Two 75-minute periods.
260b. Issues in Environmental Studies (1)
The purpose of this course is to examine in depth an
issue, problem, or set of issues and problems in
Environmental Studies, to explore the various ways in which
environmental issues are embedded in multiple contexts and
may be understood from multiple perspectives. The course
topic changes from year to year.
Topic for 2000/01: Environmental Hazards. The
study of environmental hazards is approached from a variety
of social science and policy perspectives and a variety of
types of hazards are examined. Consideration is given to the
psychological, social, cultural, political, and historical
contexts in which environmental hazards are perceived,
conceptualized, and addressed as both social and physical
problems. Questions are raised about notions of danger,
risk, and responsibility; the nature and production of
environmental knowledge; and changing views of what the
"environment" encompasses. Ms. Bianco, Mr. Cornelius.
Two 75-minute periods.
264b. "The Nuclear Cage": Environmental Theory and
Nuclear Power (1)
(Same as Sociology 264b.)
280a. Principles and Practices of Sustainable
Agriculture (1)
Developing a sustainable system of producing food and
fiber is one of the most important challenges facing human
societies. This challenge is as much social as scientific or
technological, because it is technically possible, even now,
to produce an adequate diet for a world population of over
twenty billion people. This course considers the two most
important aspects of agricultural sustainability: the
demands of consumers, and the abilities of producers to
satisfy those demands. Through the writings of such authors
as Wendell Berry, Sir Albert Howard, Wes Jackson, David
Kline, Aldo Leopold, Gene Logsden, Chris Maser, Sandra
Poste, Vandana Shiva, and Marty Strange, and through field
trips to local farms, we explore the physical, social,
economic, and environmental issues defining debates about
sustainable agriculture. Mr. Walker.
Two 75-minute periods.
One 2-hour lab.
287a. Special Studies in the Environment (1)
(Same as American Culture 287a.) Topic for 2000/01:
From the Natural History Museum to Ecotourism. From
the rise of the Natural History Museum, the Bureau of
Ethnology, and early endeavors to create a national
literature, the appropriation of American Indian lands and
American Indians (as natural objects) offered White
Americans a means to realize their own national identity.
Today, the American consumer- collector goes beyond the
boundaries of the museum and zoo and into ecotourism, which
claims to make a low impact on the environment and local
culture, while helping to generate money, jobs, and the
conservation of wildlife and vegetation. This course
examines historical and current trends in the way North
Americans recover, appropriate, and represent non-Western
people, cultural materials, and natural environments from
theoretical and ideological perspectives. Course readings
draw from the fields of museology, literature, archaeology,
anthropology, and environmental studies. Ms. Graham, Ms.
Pike-Tay.
By special permission.
Two 75-minute periods.
290a or b. Field Work (1)
Individual or group field projects or internships. Prior
approval of advisor and instructor supervising the work are
required. May be taken during the academic year or during
the summer. Participating faculty.
298a or b. Independent Research (1)
Individual or group project or study. Prior approval of
advisor and instructor supervising the work are required.
May be taken during the academic year or during the summer.
Participating faculty.
II. Advanced
300b. Senior Project/Thesis (1)
Recognizing the diverse interests and course programs of
students in Environmental Studies, the Program entertains
many models for a senior project/thesis. Depending on their
disciplinary concentration and interests, students may
conduct laboratory or field studies, literary and historical
analyses, or policy studies. Senior project/thesis proposals
must be approved by the steering committee.
[301a. Senior Seminar] (1)
In the Senior Seminar, Environmental Studies majors bring
their disciplinary concentration and their courses in the
Program to bear on a problem or set of problems in
environmental studies. Intended to be an integration of
theory and practice, and serving as a capstone course for
the major, the seminar changes its focus from year to
year.
Not offered 2000/01.
340b. Advanced Regional Studies (1)
(Same as Geography 340) Topic for 2000/01b: Inequality,
Land, Technology, and Food: The Political Ecology of
Agriculture. Mr. Engel-DiMauro.
355b. Environment and Land-Use Planning (1)
(Same as Geography 355b, Geology 355b.)
364b. Seminar on Selected Topics in Law and Technology
(1)
(Same as Science, Techonology and Society 364)
386b. Advanced Special Studies (1)
(Same as English 386b) Topic for 2000/01:
American Landscapes: Changing Conceptions of Natural
Beauty, 1820-1920.
399a or b. Senior Independent Research (1)
Individual or group project or study. Prior approval of
advisor and instructor supervising the work are required.
May be taken during the academic year or during the summer.
Participating faculty.
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