Environmental Studies Major

Environmental Studies Major Core Courses

Return to the summary of requirements.

Environmental Studies Major Elective Courses

Return to the summary of requirements.

I. Objectives and Summary

Both the Environmental Studies (E-Studies) and the Environmental Science (E-Science) majors (ESS collectively) require completion of a “curricular pathway.” A curricular pathway is a course of study that equips a major with a depth of knowledge, analytical skills, and experiences related to understanding and addressing a particular topic or subject area. Although certain pathways may emphasize tools from particular disciplinary perspectives, the program recognizes that many of the most pressing contemporary issues in ESS are highly interdisciplinary and can be most successfully understood through a curricular plan that focuses course work across disciplines. For students interested in pursuing highly interdisciplinary topics such as climate change, urban agriculture, or water resource management, courses will necessarily be selected from multiple different departments and disciplines. In contrast, students wishing to pursue pathways that necessitate a strong background within one traditional discipline, (e.g., environmental chemistry, environmental policy, environmental economics, etc.) are encouraged to consider an appropriate double major in association with their pathway. We anticipate that students who successfully complete either ESS major will report their pathways to graduate schools and potential employers. However, the particular pathways completed will not be reported on a student’s Oberlin transcript.

II. Pathway Milestones and Due Dates

1. Pathway Area of Interest Selection: Due at the time the major is declared (reported on the “Checklist of ESS Major Requirements”).
    
2. Pathway Proposal: Students are encouraged to complete a pathway proposal as early as possible during the major as it aids advising and course selection. The Pathway Proposal must be approved by March 1 of sophomore year. For students who declare later, it is due at the time of declaration.
    
3. Capstone Experience Proposal: Students will complete the capstone proposal by the end of the second semester of their junior year. For students studying away that semester it is due on October 1 of their senior year.
    
4. Pathway report: The pathway report must be approved by April 1 (or November 1) of the student’s final semester.
    

Students should plan to discuss drafts of their documents well ahead of the final deadlines. Once finalized, students must submit their documents on the ESS Blackboard site and receive approval for each of these milestones from their advisor. This information will then be entered into the student’s academic record. The four milestones of the pathway are explained in greater detail below.

III. Pathway Milestones Explained

1. Pathway Area of Interest Selection: At the time that students declare an ESS major, they must discuss with their advisors and select an area of interest for their pathways from the list of those approved and record this on the “Checklist of ESS Major Requirements.”
    
2. Pathway Proposal: A complete pathway proposal is a single document that includes a “statement of goals and intent” and a proposed “course trajectory.” The statement of goals and intent describes the theme that the student intends to pursue, provides a rationale for the importance of that theme, and describes the specific goals with respect to knowledge, skills, and expertise and the intended outcomes. This statement must use the template described in the “Curricular Pathways for ESS Majors” document - available on the ESS program website under “Course Planning” and from the ESS program office. It should include the questions and directly and sequentially address each of the questions on that template. The course trajectory is a semester-by-semester sequence of courses that the student has taken and intends to take to complete the proposed pathway. Note that courses listed in this sequence should fulfill all requirements described in the “Checklist of ESS Major Requirements.” During each advising session after the first, the advisor will review the course trajectory with the advisee and appropriate adjustments will be made based on changes in focus and course availability.
   
   The pathway proposal is an agreement between a student, their advisor, and the ESS program. The responsibility of proposing, revising, and executing a focused pathway is the student’s. Students are also responsible for ascertaining that proposed courses are, in fact, scheduled to be offered during the semesters indicated in their course trajectory and that they will have the necessary prerequisites to take them (students may need to consult with instructors and departments to determine this). The responsibility of reviewing, requesting revisions, and approving each student’s pathway proposal rests with that student’s advisor. After a pathway proposal has been approved by a student’s advisor, course substitutions and other changes can occur with the approval of the advisor through the student’s senior year. If a student wishes to make substantial changes in the focus of their course of study, the pathway proposal must be revised, reviewed, and re-approved by that student’s advisor, and then resubmitted electronically to the ESS program.
3. Capstone Proposal: The capstone experience provides students with a concrete opportunity to apply, integrate, and further develop knowledge and skills from multiple courses in order to achieve the goals that student defines in the pathway proposal. The capstone experience can be fulfilled in a variety of ways including study away, summer fellowships, honors projects, private reading, independent research, certain courses (which must be approved by the student’s advisor), and Winter Term experiences. The capstone proposal articulates the way in which a proposed experience contributes to the pathway.The template for the capstone proposal is included in “Curricular Pathways for ESS Majors.”
    
4. Pathway Report: The pathway report provides each student with the opportunity to reflect on the ways in which the chosen pathway has (and has not) achieved the goals and intent specified in that student’s pathway proposal and to reflect on how the capstone experience contributed to the pathway. The report should address the specific questions and follow the format of the template provided in “Curricular Pathways for ESS Majors.” The ESS program will notify the registrar of successful completion of the report as a requirement for completion of the ESS major. In addition to its function as a reflective document, the pathway report will also serve as a portfolio document for the ESS program in its ongoing curricular assessment process.

IV. Areas of Interest for Pathways

Pathway areas of interest are topical areas that are supported by the Oberlin curriculum. Substantial flexibility exists within each area of interest that allows each student to tailor a unique pathway to acquire knowledge, skills, and experiences that a student defines in their pathway proposal. Students should consult with their advisor to select a course trajectory that meets the particular objectives that a student defines in their pathway proposal. Certain curricular pathways are more geared toward E-Studies (e.g., Arts and the Environment), others toward E-Science (e.g., Biological Conservation) and others are suitable for either major (e.g., Climate Change Studies).

The current list of pathway areas of interest and a more detailed description of the range of options and relevant course possibilities associated with each area of interest are included in the “Curricular Pathways for ESS Majors” document that is available from the ESS program office and the ESS program website under “Course Planning.” This document also includes the templates that ESS majors should use for their pathway proposals, capstone experience proposals, and pathway reports.