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Sep 07, 2024
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2023-2024 Undergraduate Academic Catalogue [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Environmental Studies Minor
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Contact: Elizabeth Dahl, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Office: Donnelly Science Center, Room 360
Telephone: 410-617-2236
Website: https://www.loyola.edu/academics/environmental-sustainability-studies
Interest in the field of environmental studies has been growing as societies have begun to recognize the harm that unsustainable practices have wreaked over the course of human history. As population and rates of consumption both grow worldwide, attention to the environmental consequences has become increasingly important. Use of resources more quickly than they can be renewed, pollution of land, air, and water, and increasing encroachment into wildlife habitat already has had devastating effects worldwide. The legacy of disparities in who bears the burden of environmental degradation, based on race and economic standing, compels us to seek mechanisms for environmental justice, both locally and globally. Loyola University Maryland's Environmental Studies minor is an interdisciplinary minor, designed to enable students to explore this field of study with course selection designed in part by the student, but with the aid of the director of environmental studies. The student will develop a program which fits their particular career interests while providing a comprehensive understanding of issues connected with the environment. Students will study the interrelationships between environmental concerns and social, political, and economic institutions.
All minors will take a foundation course, which can come from Biology (BL 111 - Environmental Biology or BL 154 - Foundations of Biology III ) or Chemistry (CH 114 - Global Environment ). In addition to regular coursework, minors in Environmental Studies will develop a special research project or internship as a capstone experience, Environmental Studies Experience, which will count as an advanced course. All internships and research projects connected to Environmental Studies must be approved by the director of the Environmental Studies minor.
Students will take 7 courses in the minor, including the foundation course and the capstone. The five elective courses may be chosen from the list provided.
The Environmental Studies minor seeks to assist students in developing a truly integrated approach to the recognition of, and solution to, environmental problems. This approach will be guided by the Jesuit Catholic traditions of Loyola University Maryland and the Society of Jesus. Minors in Environmental Studies will have the knowledge, skills, and commitment to:
- Display a passion for the natural environment.
- Develop tools to advocate for environmental protection and environmental justice.
- Demonstrate the ability to draw on their strengths to respond to environmental challenges at local, regional, and global levels.
- Demonstrate the ability to use speech and writing effectively and persuasively to address environmental issues and propose effective solutions to environmental problems.
- Be models for environmental justice education, through teaching, scholarship, and community outreach, with special emphasis on working in solidarity with the poor and racil minorities to prevent environmental degradation and address environmental injustices.
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Foundation Course
BL 111 - Environmental Biology , BL 154 - Foundations of Biology III , or CH 114 - Global Environment . This course will provide students with a basic introduction to environmental science, with an emphasis on earth science and the processes that contribute to the development and maintenance of biodiversity. Course topics include biogeochemical cycles, energy transformations, global climate, pollution, water resources, agriculture, population and community ecology, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, invasive species, biodiversity, ecosystem services, human population growth, human health and sustainability. Emphasis will be placed on human impacts and the diverse interdisciplinary nature of environmental studies.
Capstone
The Environmental Studies Experience course is a research or internship experience approved by the director of the environmental studies. The capstone experience is typically completed during the senior year, so students should identify an appropriate internship or research project, secure a faculty sponsor, and obtain approval of the environmental studies minor director by the end of junior year.
Approved List of Capstone Courses
Electives
Five electives from the approved list of courses. The following restrictions apply:
- No more than two of the five electives may come from any one department (e.g., biology, economics, history).
- Only one course may count for both the Environmental and Sustainability Studies Minor and either a major or another minor.
- Only two courses may count for both the core curriculum and the Environmental and Sustainability Studies Minor.
- Permission may be granted for students to enroll in courses in which prerequisites have not been met, following consultation with the appropriate department chair and director of the environmental studies minor. Students should also consider completing some prerequisites as part of their natural science, humanities, and social science core requirements.
- Students may include appropriate study abroad courses to fulfill part of their minor. These courses must be preapproved by the director of the Environmental Studies Minor.
Approved List of Environmental Studies Courses
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