Requirements
This program is for students who are interested in understanding environment-society interactions through a social science lens. This will help prepare students seeking to enter environmental policy and governance careers, as well as those seeking to contribute to environmental success stories and inform positive socio-environmental change.
Future careers for students in this major could include environmental policy, local, state or federal environmental agencies, environmental law, environmental governance and management, environmental consulting, environmental education, environmental nonprofits, and graduate work in human-environment studies. The major focuses on providing social science foundations, including critical theoretical and humanities approaches, with a focus on equity, justice and policy applications.
This major is distinct from the Environmental Sciences major (science track and management track) which focuses more explicitly on science and would be appropriate for students seeking science-based careers. While this major includes basic scientific foundations in climate and ecosystem science, it does not involve extensive science credits and instead takes an interdisciplinary social science focus.
Students taking the Environmental Studies major are encouraged to pursue minors and certificates to complement the major and to focus on specific areas of interest, including: Climate science (ESM/GEOG); water resources (GEOG); GIS (GEOG); environmental science (ESM); sustainability (ESM).
Core Courses
Core courses will give students basic foundations in natural science, social science, environmental justice, policy, and methods in environmental studies.
Critical social science and environmental justice foundations
| Geog 230 | Environment and Society: Global Perspectives | 4 |
| | or | |
| ESM 330 | Environmental and Ecological Literacy | 4 |
| | | |
| Geog 345U | Resource Management | 4 |
| | or | |
| Geog 348U | Cultural and Political Ecology | 4 |
Environmental management and policy foundations
| ESM 222 | Applied Environmental Studies: Policy Consideration | 4 |
| ESM 335 | Introduction to Environmental Management | 4 |
Natural science foundations
| ESM 220 | Introduction to Environmental Systems | 4 |
| Geog 210 | Physical Geography | 4 |
| Mth 111 | Introductory College Mathematics I | 4 |
Mth 111 may be waived with ALEKS math placement score of 60 or above.
Methods
| ESM 333 | Methods of Data Collection, Analysis, Representation, and Modeling for Environmental Managers | 4 |
| ESM 334 | Methods of Data Collection, Analysis, Representation, and Modeling for Environmental Managers Lab | 2 |
| ESM 342 | Field Methods | 2 |
| Geog 380U | Maps and Geographic Information | 4 |
Electives
Electives include 300- and 400-level classes. At least 4 classes (16 credits) must be at the 400 level, including at least 1 class in ESM and 1 class in GEOG.
Students will take 6 elective courses with at least 4 from within 1 focal area.
Students may work with advisors to substitute other courses not on these lists (for example, relevant courses with a 410 course number).
Focal Areas
At least 4 of the 6 electives must come from one of the following areas:
Environmental justice and environmental humanities
| Anth 414 | Culture and Ecology | 4 |
| Anth 418 | Environmental Anthropology | 4 |
| BSt 304 | The Civil Rights Movement | 4 |
| BSt 305U/Hst 312U | African History, Before 1800 | 4 |
| BSt 325U | Race and Ethnicity in Latin America | 4 |
| BSt 357U | Caribbean Spirituality and Resistance | 4 |
| BSt 412 | Oregon African American History | 4 |
| BSt 414 | Racism | 4 |
| BSt 484 | African American Community Development | 4 |
| CFS 488 | Structural Oppression | 4 |
| CFS 489 | Activism for Social Change | 2 |
| ESM 487 | Environmental Justice | 4 |
| ELP 349U | Gandhi, Zapata and New Agrarianism | 4 |
| ELP 418 | Permaculture & Whole Systems Design: Principles and Practices for Sustainable Systems | 4 |
| Eng 368U | Literature and Ecology | 4 |
| Geog 348U | Cultural and Political Ecology | 4 |
| Geog 430 | Cultural Geography | 4 |
| Geog 462 | Sense of Place | 4 |
| Geog 467 | Community Resilience in Coupled Socio-Ecological Systems | 4 |
| Hst 339U | The Environment and History | 4 |
| Hst 440 | American Environmental History | 4 |
| Hst 491 | Reading Seminar | 4 |
| NAS 342 | Indigenous Gardens and Food Justice | 4 |
| NAS 348 | Indigenous Practices for Environmental Sustainability | 4 |
| NAS 392 | Indigenous Ways of Knowing | 4 |
| NAS 407 | Indigenous Ecological Healing Practices | 4 |
| PHE 443U | Environmental Health | 4 |
| PHE 450 | Epidemiology | 4 |
| PHE 452U | Gender, Race, Class and Health | 4 |
| Phl 310U | Environmental Ethics | 4 |
| Phl 449 | Philosophy of Sustainability | 4 |
| Psy 413 | Ecopsychology | 4 |
| Soc 320U | Globalization | 4 |
| Soc 330 | Sociology of Food Inequalities | 4 |
| Soc 337U | Prejudice, Privilege, and Power | 4 |
| Soc 465 | Environmental Sociology | 4 |
| SySc 350U | Indigenous and Systems Perspectives on Sustainability | 4 |
| WS 306U | Global Gender Issues | 4 |
| WS 308U | Topics in Gender, Literature, and Popular Culture | 4 |
| WS 332U | Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality in the United States | 4 |
| WS 369U | Global Reproductive Justice | 4 |
| WS 375U | Topics in Sexuality Studies | 4 |
Environmental policy and governance
| CR 305U | Ecology of War and Peace | 4 |
| CR 313 | Environmental Conflict Resolution | 4 |
| Ec 332U | Economics of Environmental Issues | 4 |
| Ec 430 | Resource and Environmental Economics | 4 |
| Ec 438 | Energy Economics | 4 |
| ELP 348U | Introduction to Global Political Ecology | 4 |
| Eng 498 | Ecology, Criticism, and Culture | 4 |
| ESM 429 | Environmental Impact Assessment | 4 |
| ESM 435 | Natural Resource Policy and Management | 4 |
| ESM 463 | Water Quality Policy & Management | 4 |
| ESM 464 | Climate Adaptation: Managing Environmental Risks and Vulnerabilities | 4 |
| ESM 483 | Marine Conservation and Management | 4 |
| Geog 347U | Environmental Issues and Action | 4 |
| Geog 412 | Global Climate Change Science and Socio-environmental Impact Assessment | 4 |
| PS 319U | Politics of the Environment | 4 |
| PS 389U | Environmental Political Theory | 4 |
| PS 449 | International Environmental Politics and Law | 4 |
| PS 477 | Global Food Politics and Policy | 4 |
Resource management and sustainable systems
Interdisciplinary skills
| Comm 327 | Environmental Campaigns | 4 |
| Comm 416 | Communicating Environmental Controversies | 4 |
| Comm 445 | Risk and Strategic Communication | 4 |
| Comm 448 | Science Communication | 4 |
| CR 313 | Environmental Conflict Resolution | 4 |
| Ec 427 | Cost-Benefit Analysis | 4 |
| ELP 350U | Introduction to Leadership for Sustainability | 4 |
| ESM 340 | Research Methods in Environmental Science | 4 |
| ESM 451 | Project Management for Scientists | 4 |
| Geog 420 | Field Methods in Physical Geography | 4 |
| Geog 425 | Field Methods in Human Geography | 4 |
| Geog 480 | Remote Sensing and Image Analysis | 4 |
| Geog 484 | Cartographic Applications of GIS | 4 |
| Geog 488/USP 591 | Geographic Information Systems I: Introduction | 4 |
| Geog 490 | GIS Programming | 4 |
| Geog 496 | Introduction to Spatial Quantitative Analysis | 4 |
| NAS 442 | Decolonizing Methodologies: Insurgent Research and Indigenous Education | 4 |
| Soc 396 | Social Research Methods, Social Statistics | 4 |
| Soc 397 | Social Research Methods | 5 |
| SySc 342U | Systems Thinking for Social Change | 4 |
| SySc 413 | Holistic Strategies for Problem Solving | 4 |
| USP 316 | Community Organizing and Social Change | 4 |
| Wr 327 | Technical Report Writing | 4 |
No more than one course taken under the undifferentiated grading option (pass/no pass) will be accepted toward fulfilling major requirements.
All courses used to satisfy the Environmental Studies major requirements, whether taken in the department or in other departments, must be graded C- or above or P.