Student Learning Outcomes

Critical Thinking, Writing and Communication Skills

1. Students will be able to analyze representations of key concepts from environmental science, policy and values as they appear in mass media, society, literature, theory and/or empirical scholarship.
2. Students will be able to elucidate the key points of a complex article or research work in environmental studies, and to critique the theoretical framework, methodology and findings of that study.
3. Students will be able to appreciate the societal (social, political, economic, cultural and/or ethical) variables that contribute to environmental degradation and to consider critical thought and responsive activism toward resolving environmental problems.
4. Students will be able to demonstrate ability to effectively present research to professional and lay audiences in written and oral form.

Understanding the Content and Context of ES

1. Students will be able to appreciate the history and key concepts of environmental studies as a field linking disciplines together and tying scholarship to activism and the resolution of environmental problems.
2. Students will be able to understand the relationship between environmental studies research and field/application settings, and to document and reflect on one's individual fieldwork and/or civic engagement as related to environmental studies concepts and goals.

Research Skills

1. Students will be able to access and assess a complex literature base on a specific environmental studies topic, and to evaluate the usefulness and limitations of individual sources for that specific topic.
2. Students will be able to design and complete a research project that illuminates an environmental studies topic in a fresh way and includes original interpretation of data collected.

Course-Specific Learning Outcomes

Each of our courses has specific student learning outcomes as does our program as a whole. View the following courses below to find out what they are.

• Environmental Studies 101: Seminar in Environmental Studies
• Environmental Studies 243: Introduction to Nature Writing
• Environmental Studies 244: Japanese Nature Writing
• Environmental Studies 260: Environmental Science
• Environmental Studies 261: Environment and Society
• Environmental Studies 282: Environment, Community and Values
• Environmental Studies 370: Environmental Science, Policy and Problem Solving
• Environmental Studies 490: Senior Seminar