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Environmental Studies Major and Interdisciplinary Minor

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Academic Departments

In recent decades, issues related to the environment have emerged as key concerns at local, national, and international levels. 

The Environmental Studies major and interdisciplinary minor are designed to give students broad exposure to a range of environmental issues and to provide multidisciplinary approaches to understanding the complexity of factors that affect the environment and our understanding of it.

We are a broad department that includes Environmental Science, Environmental Social Science, and Environment Humanities in our curriculum. Our majors and minors are able to choose one of those tracks to focus on, and we offer courses in a number of different fields including anthropology, art, biology, chemistry, ecology, economics, English, geology and earth sciences, history, political science, and social justice. We are very proud of the interdisciplinary experience we offer our students.

As you plan your courses for the Environmental Studies major, you may find our Major Worksheet (PDF) helpful.

Student Spotlight Raul Galvan ’21

An Environmental Studies major at Davidson, Raul Galvan works with non-profits to protect, preserve and connect the Charlotte area’s most precious natural resources. Galvan serves as a Davidson Impact fellow for the Catawba Lands Conservancy and The Carolina Thread Trail. 

Read More

Courses You Might Take

ENV 201
Environmental Science

This course is an overview of the scientific concepts, principles, processes, and methodologies required to understand how ecosystems work. This knowledge will be applied to selected environmental problems to help students understand the scientific basis, estimate the risks associated, and evaluate alternative solutions for resolving and/or preventing them. 

ENV 202
Environmental Social Sciences

This course is an overview of social science approaches to environmental issues, with problem-based and topical approaches to the study of interactions between society and the environment. This course teaches students to integrate concepts and the qualitative and quantitative methods of the social sciences in interdisciplinary analyses of environmental issues.

ENV 203
Environmental Humanities

This course is an overview of humanistic approaches to environmental issues, including perspectives from art, cultural studies, history, literature, philosophy, and religion. It emphasizes humanistic methodologies such as close reading and analysis of primary and secondary materials in both written and visual forms.

Fellowship Opportunities

Fellowships are competitive awards and programs that provide funding and other resources for meaningful immersive work, like research, teaching, or service. Like scholarships, fellowships can also support academic study. 

These featured fellowships support a variety of experiences in and outside of the U.S. Interested candidates should contact Davidson’s Office of Fellowships to learn more about these fellowships and other programs.

Related Programs

Interested in Environmental Studies at Davidson?