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 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 racial minorities to prevent environmental degradation and address environmental injustices.