[PRELIMINARY] Course Catalog 2025-2026
Environmental Studies and Sciences
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Swapna Pathak, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Sciences; director
Nicholas Anderman, Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and Sciences
Jessica L. Arnett, Assistant Professor of Comparative American Studies and Environmental Studies and Sciences
Paul A. Brehm, Associate Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies and Sciences
Passmore Chishaka, Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and Sciences and Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Food Justice
Jay Fiskio, Professor of Environmental Studies and Sciences
Benjamin Hobbs, AJLC Facilities Manager and Community Outreach Coordinator
Brad C. Melzer, Visiting Instructor of Environmental Studies and Sciences
Brendan Ortíz, Farm Practicum Coordinator, Mellon Food Justice Grant
John E. Petersen, Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Sciences and Biology
Md Rumi Shammin, David Orr Professor of Environmental Studies and Sciences
Aaron Van Neste, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and Sciences
Appointed by Courtesy
Cynthia McPherson Frantz, Professor of Psychology and Environmental Studies and Sciences
Affiliated Faculty/Staff
Matthew J. Elrod, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Christie L. Parris, Associate Professor of Sociology
Andrew D. Pike, Assistant Professor of Biology
Amanda H. Schmidt, Professor of Geosciences
Ann Sherif, Professor of Japanese
 Visit the program web page for up-to-date information on program faculty, visiting lecturers, and special events.
The Environmental Studies and Sciences Program at Oberlin College provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of human interactions with the environment. Faculty in environmental studies and sciences are engaged in research and teaching that span climate change, energy systems, systems ecology, natural resources and conflict, Indigenous environmental issues, political ecology, environmental economics, environmental humanities, environmental justice, food and agriculture, urban sustainability, U.S. environmental policy, and global environmental issues and politics. They collaborate with Indigenous, African diaspora, and Asian communities, as well as with local, county, and “Rust Belt” communities in the Great Lakes bioregion.
 See information about Research, Internships, Study Away, and Experiential Learning (RISE).
Explore Winter Term projects and opportunities.
Majors, Minors, and Integrative Concentrations
Curriculum
The environmental studies and environmental science majors both offer highly interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the relationship between humans and the physical and ecological environment we inhabit. The structure of both majors and the emphasis on interdisciplinarity are the same. The course requirements are different as outlined below.
What is the Same between the Majors?
- Students declaring either major choose a curricular pathway at the time they declare. The pathway process for both majors includes completing a pathway proposal, a capstone proposal and experience, and a pathway report.
- First-year students interested in either major are encouraged to take EVSS 101 their first year.
- There are many non-EVSS courses offered by several departments that may count to either major.
What is Different between the Majors?
- Students interested in environmental science are encouraged to also take CHEM 101 , BIOL 100 , and/or an introductory geosciences (GEOS) course their first year.
- The core natural science requirements for the environmental science major are more extensive than for environmental studies. These include five natural sciences courses with labs. The environmental science core courses can be counted toward an environmental studies major; it is easier to switch from an environmental science major to an environmental studies major than vice versa.
- Environmental studies requires more social science or humanities courses than environmental science, including a core course in environmental humanities.
- Certain curricular pathway focus areas are more naturally geared toward environmental studies (e.g., arts and the environment) while others lean toward environmental science (e.g., biological conservation). Most focus areas can be pursued via either major (e.g., climate change studies, food and agriculture, environmental justice).
Courses
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