The interdisciplinary environmental policy major provides an  extensive introduction to the study of domestic and international  environmental policy. Students combine a foundation course in  environmental studies with courses in environmental economics, domestic  environmental policy and law, international environmental policy and  politics, and courses in environmental science. Diverse electives allow  students to explore topics from introductory Geographic Information  Systems (GIS) to endangered species policy to environmental and human  health. Students complete the Environmental Policy Practicum capstone  seminar in the senior year.

Environmental policy majors are encouraged to take Environmental Studies 118 (spring) in their first year and Environmental Studies 233 and 271 (fall) and Environmental Studies 234 (spring) in their sophomore year. Students pursuing this major must complete at least one course at the 300 level or above selected from category III below. No more than one course at the 100 level may be used to fulfill category III. No requirement for the major may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory. AP credit can fulfill core course requirements based on exam performance and coverage. Exemption from Environmental Studies 118 is granted with an AP test score of 5, allowing advanced placement into other courses. Environmental Studies 401 and 402 provide one credit for the senior year and typically are taken in addition to a normal four-course semester. Courses not listed below, such as those offered by some off-campus study programs, may count toward the major pending prior approval by the program director.

Requirements for the Major in Environmental Policy

  

I. Required Environmental Studies Core Courses

Environmental Studies	118 Environment and Society
	271 Introduction to Ecology
Economics	133 Principles of Microeconomics
	231 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics

   

IIa. All of the Following Courses

Biology	131 Biodiversity or
	164 Evolution and Diversity
Environmental Studies	233 Environmental Policy
	234 International Environmental Policy
Mathematics	212 Introduction to Statistical Methods or
	231 Applied Statistics and Regression Analysis

     

IIb. Two additional environmental studies policy courses approved by student’s advisor

III. Humans and the Environment (Two courses not all taken from the same discipline unless that discipline is environmental studies)

Anthropology	256 Land, Food, Culture, and Power
Economics	341 Natural Resource Economics
Environmental Studies	126 Environmental Activism
	212 Introduction to GIS and Remote Sensing (if not used to satisfy IV below)
	241 Environment and Social Inequality
	265 Global Public Health 266 Environment and Human Health (if not used to satisfy IV below) 268 Hazardous Waste and Environmental Justice 297B Sustainable Development
	298A History of American Environmental Policy 319 Conservation Biology (if not used to satisfy IV below) 336 Endangered Species Conservation 340 Conflict, Negotiation, and Environmental Justice 342 Marine Conservation and Policy 346 Global Food Policy 398 World Religions and the Environment
History	364 Environmental and Health History in Africa
	394 Ecological History
	445 Nuclear Madness
	446 Global Health History 498A 20th-Century Environment History
Science, Technology, and Society	215 Weather, Climate, and Society
	253 Energy, Power, and the American Century, 1901-2001
	358 Climbing the Oil Peak

IV. Three of the Following Courses

Biology	211 Taxonomy of Flowering Plants
	237 Woody Plants
	257j Winter Ecology
	259j Plants of the Tropics
	334 Ornithology
	354 Marine Ecology
	357 Physiological Ecology
	373 Animal Behavior
	452 Behavioral and Physiological Ecology
Chemistry	141 General Chemistry
	142 General Chemistry
	217 Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Studies
	212 Introduction to GIS and Remote Sensing or 214j Introduction to GIS and Spatial Analysis 266 Environment and Human Health 319 Conservation Biology 352 Advanced and Applied Ecology 356 Aquatic Ecology 358j Ecological Field Study
Geology	141 Earth and Environment or 146 Deciphering Earth History
Physics	141 Foundations of Mechanics or
	143 Honors Physics
	145 Foundations of Electromagnetism and Optics

   

V. One of the Following Capstone Courses

Environmental Studies	493 Environmental Policy Practicum or
	494 Problems in Environmental Science (open only to double majors in biology)

VI. Senior Colloquia

Environmental Studies

401, 402 Senior Colloquium (one credit for the year)

 

The interdisciplinary environmental science major also begins with the foundation course in environmental studies and is followed by core courses in environmental economics, biology and ecology, chemistry or physics, geology or GIS, and mathematics. Students select a focus area to explore in depth. Current focus areas include conservation biology, applied ecology, marine science, environmental chemistry, and environmental geology. Students can also propose well-structured alternative focus areas. The senior capstone seminar provides a hands-on approach to environmental science research.

 

Environmental science majors are encouraged to enroll in Biology 163 (fall) and Environmental Studies 118 (spring) in their first year and Environmental Science 271 (fall) in their sophomore year.  Majors must complete at least two courses at the 300-level or above selected from categories III and IV below. No more than one course at the 100 level may be used to fulfill category III. No requirement for the major may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory. AP credits can fulfill core course requirements based on exam performance and coverage. Exemption from Environmental Studies 118 is granted with an AP test score of 5, allowing advanced placement into other courses. AP credits also can provide advanced placement in focus areas, but in no case can AP credits reduce the number of required focus area courses below five. Environmental studies majors electing the science concentration should consult with the program director or the advisor for their selected focus area as early as their first year at Colby to identify any courses beyond the major requirements that may be desirable to meet their postgraduate goals, especially graduate or professional school. Environmental Studies 401 and 402 provide one credit for the senior year and typically are taken in addition to a normal four-course semester.

Requirements for the Major in Environmental Science

I. Required Environmental Studies Core Courses

Environmental Studies	118 Environment and Society
	271 Introduction to Ecology
Economics	133 Principles of Microeconomics
	231 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics

 

II. Required Science and Mathematics Courses

Biology	164 Evolution and Diversity
Chemistry	141 and 142  General Chemistry or 145 or
Physics	141 Foundations of Mechanics and 145 Foundations in Electromagnetism and Optics
Geology	141 Earth and Environment  or 146 Deciphering Earth History or
Environmental Studies	212 Introduction to GIS and Remote Sensing or 241j Introduction to GIS and Spatial Analysis

 

For students electing the conservation biology or marine science focus area:

Mathematics

121 Single-variable Calculus and either Mathematics 212 Elementary Statistics or 231 Applied Statistics and Regression Analysis

 

For students electing the environmental geology or environmental chemistry focus area:

Mathematics

121 Single-variable Calculus and 122 Series and Multi-variable Calculus

 

III. Humans and the Environment (Two courses, not taken from the same discipline unless that discipline is environmental studies)

Anthropology	256 Land, Food, Culture, and Power
Economics	341 Natural Resource Economics
Environmental Studies	126 Environmental Activism
	212 Introduction to GIS and Remote Sensing Studies (if not used to satisfy II above)
	233 Environmental Policy 234 International Environmental Policy 265 Global Public Health 266 Environment and Human Health
	268 Hazardous Waste and Environmental Justice
	297B Sustainable Development
	298A History of American Environmental Policy
	319 Conservation Biology
	336 Endangered Species Conservation 340 Conflict, Negotiation, and Environmental Justice 342 Marine Conservation and Policy 346 Global Food Policy
	352 Advanced and Applied Ecology 356 Aquatic Ecology
	358j Ecological Field Study
	398 World Religions and the Environment
History	364 Environmental and Health History in Africa
	394 Ecological History
	445 Nuclear Madness
	446 Global Health History 498A 20th-Century Environmental History
Science, Technology, and Society	215 Weather, Climate, and Society
	253 Energy, Power, and the American Century, 1901-2001
	358 Climbing the Oil Peak

 

IV. Focus Area (Five courses from one of the following focus areas and an additional corresponding culminating experience chosen in consultation with advisor. The Environmental Studies Program will consider well-structured proposals for additional focus areas.) Advanced Placement credits can provide advanced placement in focus areas but cannot reduce the number of required focus-area courses below five.

 

A. Conservation Biology

Biology	163 The Cellular Basis of Life or  336 Endangered Species Conservation
Environmental Studies	319 Conservation Biology
	352  Advanced and Applied Ecology

 

Two courses from the following:

Biology	211 Taxonomy of Flowering Plants
	237 Woody Plants
	254 Marine Invertebrate Zoology
	257j Winter Ecology
	259j Plants of the Tropics
	334 Ornithology
	354 Marine Ecology
	357 Physiological Ecology
	373 Animal Behavior
	452 Behavioral and Physiological Ecology
Environmental Studies	212 Introduction to GIS and Remote Sensing or 214j Introduction to GIS and Spatial Analysis (if not used to satisfy II above) 336 Endangered Species Conservation or 342 Marine Conservation and Policy 356 Aquatic Ecology 358j Ecological Field Study

Culminating Experience:

Environmental Studies

494 Problems in Environmental Science

B. Applied Ecology

Biology Environmental Studies

163 The Cellular Basis of Life 212 Introduction to GIS and Remote Sensing or 214j Introduction to GIS and Spatial Analysis (if not used to satisfy II above) 352 Advanced and Applied Ecology 356 Aquatic Ecology

One course from the following:

Biology	211 Taxonomy of Flowering Plants 237 Woody Plants 257j Winter Ecology 354 Marine Ecology 357 Physiological Ecology 382 Ecological Modeling   452 Behavioral and Physiological Ecology
Environmental Studies	358j Ecological Field Study

Culminating Experience:

Environmental Studies

494 Problems in Environmental Science

C. Marine Science

Biology

163 The Cellular Basis of Life 254 Marine Invertebrate Zoology 354 Marine Ecology

Environmental Studies

352 Advanced and Applied Ecology

One course from the following:

Biology     Chemistry	276 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy 357 Physiological Ecology 373 Animal Behavior 452 Behavioral and Physiological Ecology 217 Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Studies	342 Marine Conservation and Policy 356 Aquatic Ecology 358j Ecological Field

Courses offered by Bigelow Lab faculty may help fulfill this focus area requirement

197 Climate Change and the Oceans 297D Marine Ecosystem Response to Climate Change 297E Diversity and Function of Life in Oceanic Realms

Culminating Experience: 

Environmental Studies

494 Problems in Environmental Science or 491/492 Independent Study

D. Environmental Geology

Geology

225 Mineralogy 231 Structural Geology 251 The Record of Life on Earth 254 Principles of Geomorphology

One course from the following:

Geology

279j Geology of Bermuda 354 Glacial and Quaternary Geology 356 Sedimentation and Stratigraphy 361 Topics in Geochemistry 372 Quaternary Paleoecology

Culminating Experience:

Geology

491/492 Independent Study

E. Environmental Chemistry

Chemistry	217 Environmental Chemistry
	241, 242  Organic Chemistry
	331 Chemical Methods of Analysis

One course from the following:

Chemistry	332 Instrumental Methods of Analysis
	341 Physical Chemistry
	367 Biochemistry of the Cell
	411 Inorganic Chemistry

Culminating Experience:

Chemistry

481/482 Special Topics in Environmental                Chemistry

V. Senior Colloquium

Environmental Studies

401, 402 Senior Colloquium (one credit for the  year)

  

Students are encouraged to consider field courses offered by Colby or other approved programs such as: Biology 257j, 259j, Environmental Studies 358j, Geology 279j, SFS Sustainable Development in Costa Rica, and the Semester in Environmental Science at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole. Students electing the marine science focus area are strongly encouraged to consider a semester of off-campus study through programs offered by the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, School for Field Studies, the Duke University Marine Laboratory, the Maine Biological Laboratory, and other approved programs. An internship or research project in the discipline is strongly recommended. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in research projects, relevant field study, or internships to complement their academic work. Limited financial assistance is available to help environmental studies majors participate in research or internship opportunities.

Also available is an environmental science concentration in the chemistry major. This is a discipline-based program intended to prepare students for positions in firms or government agencies concerned with environmental issues, for graduate study, or for roles as educated citizens in a world increasingly confronted with environmental problems. Requirements are listed in the Chemistry Department section. Students may not double major in environmental studies/science and chemistry/environmental science.

The major in environmental studies–interdisciplinary computation provides an introduction to environmental studies as a discipline as well as training in computational techniques used in environmental policy and science. Students will become familiar with quantitative tools used to investigate environmental problems, especially GIS and remote sensing. No requirement for the major may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory. Advanced Placement credits can fulfill core course requirements based on exam performance and coverage. Students interested in this major should try to take Computer Science 151 in their first year (fall or spring) and Computer Science 231 (fall) and 251 (spring) in their second year. Students should consult with the Environmental Studies Program director or their computer science advisor when planning their capstone independent-study project. Environmental Studies 401 or 402 may be taken in the senior year in addition to a normal four-course semester.

 

Requirements for the Major in Environmental Studies-Interdisciplinary Computation

I. Required Environmental Studies Core Courses

Environmental Studies

118 Environment and Society 233 Environmental Policy 234 International Environmental Policy 271 Introduction to Ecology

II. Required Environmental Studies Courses

Environmental Studies

212 Introduction to GIS and Remote Sensing or 214j Introduction to GIS and Spatial Analysis     352 Advanced and Applied Ecology 356 Aquatic Ecology

III. One Course Selected from the following:

Environmental Studies

241 Environment and Social Inequality 265 Global Public Health 266 The Environment and Human Health 297B Sustainable Development 319 Conservation Biology 336 Endangered Species Conservation 342 Marine Conservation and Policy 346 Global Food Policy

   

IV. Required Computer Science Courses:

Computer Science
	151 Computational Thinking 231 Data Structures and Algorithms 251 Data Analysis and Visualization 341 Systems Biology I or 361 Object-Oriented Design 365 Computer Vision

V. Capstone Courses

Computer Science

491 or 492 Independent Study

VI. Senior Colloquia

Environmental Studies

401, 402 Senior Colloquium

 

Honors in Environmental Studies

Environmental studies majors with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 at the end of the January term of the junior year or with special program approval are eligible to apply for the Environmental Studies Honors Research Program. Interested students should contact a faculty sponsor during the spring semester of the junior year to discuss a project. Before the end of spring registration, students should secure a faculty sponsor and a faculty reader for their research project. Students who are studying abroad in the spring should try to make initial contact with a potential sponsor in the spring via e-mail, but may complete their proposal in the fall at the beginning of the academic year. The student must then petition the program for permission to undertake honors work. With approval from the program, students can register for Environmental Studies 491. Students wishing to change their honors project topic must petition the program for approval of the new topic. Honors research projects will be a total of six to eight credits and will be conducted during the student’s last two academic semesters (and may include Jan Plan). Also, students enrolled in Environmental Studies 493 or 494 may petition the program to expand their independent study for these courses into an honors project to be conducted in January and the spring semester.

Successful completion of the honors program will include an approved thesis, an oral presentation at the Colby Undergraduate Research Symposium, and a successful thesis defense as well as the completion of the required course work for the major. The student fulfilling these requirements will graduate “With Honors in Environmental Studies.” The decision whether or not the student will be approved to convert her or his seminar or independent study project to an honors project in the spring semester and continue in the Environmental Studies Honors Program by enrolling in Environmental Studies 484 will be made at the end of the first semester. In cases where requirements for honors have not been fulfilled at the end of the spring semester, Environmental Studies 484 (Honors Research) will revert to a graded Environmental Studies 492 (Independent Study).

The environmental studies minor is designed to introduce students to environmental issues and their ramifications in the context of the social and natural sciences. Course requirements provide flexibility, allowing students to study in areas of most interest to them.  Courses not listed below, such as those offered by some off-campus study programs, may count toward the minor pending prior approval by the program director.

Requirements for the Minor in Environmental Studies

(1) Environmental Studies 118
(2) Either Economics 133 and 231, or Anthropology 112 and either 256 or 355, or Environmental Studies 233 and 234
(3) Either Biology 131 or Biology 164 and Environmental Studies 271, or Geology 141 and 146 and one additional geology course, or Chemistry 141 and 142
(4) Two courses, including one numbered 300 or above, selected from the following group(s):

Group 1: At least one course selected from environmental studies core courses:

Environmental Studies	212 Introduction to GIS and Remote Sensing
	233 Environmental Policy 234 International Environmental Policy 241 Environment and Social Inequality 265 Global Public Health
	266 Environment and Human Health
	268  Hazardous Waste and Environmental Justice
	297B Sustainable Development
	298A History of American Environmental Policy
	319 Conservation Biology 336 Endangered Species Conservation 340 Conflict, Negotiation, and Environmental Justice 342 Marine Conservation and Policy 346 Global Food Policy
	334 International Environmental Regimes
	352 Advanced and Applied Ecology 356 Aquatic Ecology
	358j Ecological Field Study
	398 World Religions and the Environment

 
Group 2: If only one course is chosen from the environmental studies core group, then one additional course from:

Biology	211 Taxonomy of Flowering Plants
	237 Woody Plants
	254 Marine Invertebrate Zoology
	257j Winter Ecology
	259j Plants of the Tropics
	354 Marine Ecology
	357 Physiological Ecology
	452 Behavioral and Physiological Ecology
Chemistry	217 Environmental Chemistry
Economics	341 Natural Resource Economics
Geology	254 Principles of Geomorphology
Science, Technology, and Society	215 Weather, Climate, and Society 253 Energy, Power, and the American Century, 1901-2001
	358 Climbing the Oil Peak

If not used to satisfy the social science couplet:

Anthropology	256 Land, Food, Culture, and Power
	355 Development, Globalization, and Poverty
Economics	231 Environmental and Resource Economics
Environmental Studies	234 International Environmental Policy

Minors also are encouraged to have a hands-on environmental activity either of an experiential nature (internship or student teaching) or an academic nature (research paper or research lab). In many if not most cases, at least one of these may be required by one of the courses selected and thus satisfied automatically.

No requirement for the minor may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory. AP credit in a subject allows advanced placement but does not reduce the number of courses required for the minor.