Academic Programs
Environmental Studies
Dr. Pete Bsumek, Coordinator
Phone: (540) 568-3386
E-mail: bsumekpk@jmu.edu
Web site: http://www.jmu.edu/environment/studies.shtml
The environmental studies minor provides an interdisciplinary education engaging socio-cultural, scientific and technical issues raised by the oft-conflicting needs and desires of globally interacting societies. Designed to complement any major, the goals of the environmental studies minor include:
- to help undergraduates develop an awareness of the cultural, political and scientific aspects of the world's environmental problems.
- to better prepare students for further study at the graduate or professional school level and careers in the expanding field of environmental professions.
No more than three courses from a single subject (e.g., GEOG, GEOL, ANTH, ENG, etc.) may count toward completion of the environmental studies minor. Students wishing to complete more than one of the environment minors (environmental management, environmental science and environmental studies) may receive dual credit for the capstone course (ENVT 400), but may not receive dual credit for any other courses that might be shared by the minors.
Introduction to Environmental Literacy
Minimum of 3 credit hours; can be double-counted with GenEd credits.
| Courses | Credit Hours |
| GANTH 196. Biological Anthropology | 3 |
| GBIO 103. Contemporary Biology | 3 |
| ENVT 200. Environmental Systems Theory | 3 |
| GGEOL 102. Environment: Earth | 3 |
| GGEOL 115. Earth Systems and Climate Change | 3 |
| GHUM 200. Literature, Nature, Environment (this GHUM section only) | 3 |
| GISAT 112 Environmental Issues in Science and Tech | 4 |
| GEOG 210 Physical Geography | 4 |
Socio-Cultural Approaches to Environmental Studies
Minimum of 15 credit hours; only two courses with the same course subject may be taken from the courses listed below.
| Courses | Credit Hours |
| ANTH 373. Anthropological Perspectives on Environment | 3 |
| and Development | |
| ECON 305. Environmental Economics | 3 |
| ECON 340. Economics of Natural Resources | 3 |
| ENG 371. Literature & the Environment | 3 |
| ENG 471. Eco-Criticism & Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| ENVT 200. Environmental Systems Theory | |
| GEOG 290. Human Interactions with the Physical Environment | 3 |
| GEOG 300. Population Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 310. Environmental Issues | 1-4 |
| GEOG 311. Endangered Environments | 3 |
| GEOG 320. Human Dimensions of Global Change | 3 |
| GEOG 322. Agricultural Systems | 3 |
| GEOG 325. Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| GEOG 341. Wilderness Techniques | 3 |
| GEOG 342. Management and Protection of Natural Resources | 3 |
| GEOG 343. Wildlife Management | 3 |
| GEOG 345. Geography of Poverty | 3 |
| GEOG/ISAT 429. Sustainability: An Ecological Process | 3 |
| GEOG 430. Geography of Crop Plants | 3 |
| HIST 427. U.S. Environmental History | 3 |
| ISAT 421. Environmental Policy and Regulation | 3 |
| SCOM 354. Communication, Environment and Environmentalism | 3 |
| SOCI 311. Sociology of the Environment | 3 |
| Approved special topics courses | 3 |
| Approved internship programs | 1-6 |
| Approved study abroad courses | 1-6 |
Environmental Science Literacy
Minimum of 3 credit hours from this list.
| Courses | Credit Hours |
| BIO 451. Ecological Systems | 4 |
| BIO 452. Population Ecology | 4 |
| BIO 456. Landscape Ecology | 4 |
| BIO 457. Environmental Toxicology | 4 |
| BIO 459. Freshwater Ecology | 4 |
| GEOG 327. Climatology | 3 |
| GEOG 340. Biogeography | 3 |
| GEOL 211. Introduction to Oceanography | 3 |
| GEOL 310. Management of Marine Resources | 3 |
| GEOL 340. Soils and Land Use | 3 |
| ISAT 320. Fundamentals in Environmental Science | 3 |
Senior Seminar Capstone Course
| Course | Credit Hours |
| ENVT 400. Capstone Seminar | 3 |
