Philosophy and Goals

The Environmental Studies Program at Ursinus College promotes the knowledge and practice of interdisciplinary problem solving through rigorous coursework in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. This is achieved by developing specific problem solving skills while pursing environmental inquiry in specific areas of interest represented in the Environmental Studies curriculum. The areas of interest that Environmental Studies students at Ursinus pursue include focuses in anthropology, biology, chemistry, ethics, geology, law, policy, land and resource management, sociology, and the visual and performing arts. Beyond expertise in these areas of interest, Environmental Studies students at Ursinus develop expertise in methods of interdisciplinary problem solving. They develop skills in critical thinking and analytical methods designed to help them disentangle the complexity of environmental problems at all scales – local, state, regional, national, and international. These skills are necessary to both understand and develop solutions for problems that transcend any one area of expertise, as all environmental problems do.

Among the complex issues Ursinus Environmental Studies students study are global climate change, ecological change, biodiversity loss, water and air pollution, sustainable business planning, community planning, developed and developing world relations, industrial and sustainable food systems, and the creation of workable strategies to address these and other issues. Because environmental problems in the 21^st century require alternatives based in interdisciplinary critical thinking, Ursinus prides itself on preparing its Environmental Studies students well for advanced study in environmental problem solving and an increasingly competitive job market.