Joseph A. Adler
Associate Professor of Religion
Priscilla A. Cooke
Assistant Professor of Economics
Miriam Dean-Otting
Associate Professor of Religion
M. Siobhan Fennessy
Assistant Professor of Biology
Bruce Gensemer
Professor of Economics
David E. Harrington
Codirector, Himmelright Associate Professor of Economics
E. Raymond Heithaus
Codirector, Jordan Professor of Environmental Science
Rosemary A. Marusak
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
George E. McCarthy
Professor of Sociology
Kenneth J. Smail
Professor of Anthropology
David N. Suggs
Associate Professor of Anthropology
Stephen E. Van Holde
Associate Professor of Political Science
Note: Additional faculty who teach courses approved for credit for the Environmental Studies Concentration constitute the program’s extended faculty. Consult a program codirector for a list.
The Environmental Studies Concentration provides an interdisciplinary framework for understanding the interactions of individuals, societies, and the natural world. The concentration seeks to address issues relating to the environment by bringing together the different perspectives of the humanities, life sciences, physical sciences, and social sciences. The academic program is enhanced by the 380-acre Brown Family Environmental Center at Kenyon College. The BFEC, within walking distance of campus, features a wide range of natural and managed habitats, and includes part of the Kokosing River (Ohio’s newest State Scenic River). In addition, Kenyon encourages students to think in more global terms through affiliations with the School for Field Studies (which provides classes in Australia, British West Indies, Costa Rica, Kenya, Mexico, and Pacific Northwest Canada) and with the Marine Science Education Network (through Duke University). Our goals are to increase basic knowledge in the relevant subjects and to learn techniques for evaluating complex issues, especially those with both technological and social components.
Understanding the place of humans in the world has long been a core goal of the liberal arts; the historical perspective is complemented by a future that depends on this understanding. Noting that human domination of the world environment has reached unprecedented levels, the president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science noted in her Presidential Address of 1997 that we should enter the "Century of the Environment" with a new "contract for science." The implications of our interaction with the environment extend well beyond either natural or social sciences, however, as ethics and aesthetics are integral to those interactions. Consequently, the Environmental Studies Concentration integrates many traditional, academic disciplines.
The program consists of four components: a one-semester introductory course, ENVS 12 (1/2 unit); three semester courses in "core" subjects (biology, chemistry, and economics for 1 1/2 units); a selection of 1 1/2 units (three courses) from affiliated courses in at least two departments; and a one-semester capstone seminar, ENVS 61 (1/2 unit). The concentration requires a total of 4 units. Affiliated courses are offered in anthropology, biology, chemistry, economics, history, philosophy, political science, sociology, and religion.
* ENVS 12 (1/2 unit) Introduction to Environmental Studies
ENVS 61 (1/2 unit) Seminar in Environmental Studies
BIOL 8 (1/2 unit) Introduction to Population and Environmental Biology
CHEM 10 (1/2 unit) Environmental Chemistry (CHEM 11,12 can serve as a replacement.)
ECON 11 (1/2 unit) Microeconomics
Anthropology Courses
ANTH 11 Contemporary Humans: Physical Anthropology
ANTH 33 Old World Prehistory
ANTH 57 Anthropology and Development
Biology Courses
BIOL 28, 29 Ecology and Experimental Ecology
BIOL 51 Marine Biology
BIOL 52,53 Freshwater Biology and Aquatic Biology Laboratory
Chemistry Courses
CHEM 41 Instrumental Analysis
CHEM 31, 32 Organic Chemistry
CHEM 56 Biochemistry
Economics Courses
ECON 36 Environmental Economics
ECON 45 Economic Analysis of Politics and Law
ECON 47 Economics of the Public Sector
ECON 77 Economics of Regulation
Philosophy Courses
PHIL 14 Practical Issues in Ethics
PHIL 20 Introduction to Moral Philosophy
PHIL 26 Environmental Ethics
PHIL 45 Social Justice and Equality
Political Science Courses
PSCI 54 North and South in the International System
PSCI 56 International Political Economy
PSCI 65 Politics of the Environment
PSCI 92 Science and Politics
Religion Courses
RELN 89 Religion and Nature
Because careful course selection is necessary to achieve specific objectives, students are urged to consult as early as possible with a program codirector and other faculty members in the Environmental Studies Concentration.
Please note: the * symbol designates a course particularly appropriate for first-year or upperclass students new to the environmental studies curriculum.
staff
The intention of this capstone course is to draw together and apply the concepts learned in earlier courses in the Environmental Studies Concentration. The focus of the course will be on case studies of natural resource management in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Teams of three to eight students will select topic areas, gather and organize primary literature and other resources, then critically assess current and alternative management practices. In this strongly interdisciplinary effort, we will explore ecological, economic, social, and legal issues that limit successful exploitation of resources. The teams will integrate their case studies as a collaboratively created web site that highlights the common bases of resource management in all environments. Students will be expected to develop and communicate their understanding of the complex and inseparable relationships of human need and environmental management. Prerequisites: junior or senior standing and ENVS 12. Enrollment limited
Staff
Students conduct independent research under the supervision of one of the faculty members affiliated with the Environmental Studies Concentration. Prerequisites: permission of instructor and one of the concentration codirectors.
Heithaus, Mauck
This course examines contemporary environmental problems, introducing the major concepts pertaining to human interactions with the environment. We will explore both local and global scales of this interaction. Course topics include basic principles of ecology, the impacts of human technology, roots of our perceptions and reactions to nature, the social and legal framework for responding to problems, and economic issues surrounding environmental issues. We will discuss methods for answering questions regarding the consequences of our actions, and especially focus on methods for organizing information to evaluate complex issues. The format of the course will be three-quarters discussion and lecture, one-quarter "workshop." The workshops will include field trips, experience with collecting data, and application of computer modeling. No prerequisites.
Staff
Students conduct independent research under the supervision of one of the faculty members affiliated with the Environmental Studies Concentration. Prerequisites: permission of instructor and one of the concentration codirectors.