College Schools, Departments & Programs

Environmental and Sustainability Studies

Minor in Environmental and Sustainability Studies

The curriculum of the Environmental and Sustainability Studies minor is designed to provide students a broad introduction to the complex system-scale challenges of sustainability as well as the tools needed to address problems that transcend solely social or environmental domains. It combines introductory coursework with classes on human–environment systems. 

Requirements

Students must complete at least 18 credit hours in Environmental and Sustainability Studies coursework, including the following:

  1. One Introductory Sustainability course (3 cr.)
    • ANTH-E 101 Sustainability and Society
    • BIOL-L 222 The City as Ecosystem
    • GEOG-G 208 Environment and Society
    • GEOL-G 105 Earth: Our Habitable Planet
    • SPEA-E 162 Environment and People
  2. One Human–Environment Systems course (3 cr.)
    • ANTH-E 328 Ecological Anthropology
    • ANTH-E 418 Globalization and Consumer Culture
    • ANTH-E 444 People and Protected Areas: Theories of Conservation
    • GEOG-G 315 Environmental Conservation
    • GEOG-G 341 Ecological Restoration: Science, Politics, and Ethics
    • GEOG-G 343 Perspectives on Environmental Decisions
    • GEOG-G 411 Sustainable Development Systems
    • GEOG-G 444 Climate Change Impacts
    • GEOG-G 448 Capitalism and Nature
    • GEOG-G 449 Political Ecology
    • GEOG-G 453 Water and Society
    • GEOG-G 478 Global Change, Food, and Farming Systems
    • POLS-Y 313 Environmental Policy
    • SPEA-E 332 Introduction to Applied Ecology
    • SPEA-E 457 Introduction to Conservation Biology
    • SPH-O 305 Integrated Resource Management
    • SPH-O 360 Human Health and Natural Environments
    • SPEA-E 457 Introduction to Conservation Biology
    • SPEA-V 450 Contemporary Issues in Public Affairs (Approved topic: Environmental Law, Justice and Politics)
    • SPH-O 305 Integrated Resource Management
    • SPH-O 360 Human Health and Natural Environments
    • One of the following:
      • GEOG-G 359 Fundamentals of Sustainable Agriculture
      • SPH-O 343 Sustainable Agriculture
      • CLLC-L 300 Collins Symposium (Approved topic: Fundamentals of Sustainable Agriculture)
  3. Complete one of the following options below (a or b):
    1. Four (4) courses (12 cr.) as specified therein from one of the course lists below:
      • Sustainable Food Systems
      • Sustainable Energy, Resources and Climate
      • Environmental Ethics and Justice
      • Biodiversity and Sustainability
    2. 12 credit hours selected in consultation with the ESS Academic Advisor and approved by the Director of the program. This option is a way for students to study new and innovative sustainability dimensions that do not fit the existing areas.
  4. At least 9 credit hours in the minor must be completed at the 300–400 level.
  5. At least 9 credit hours must be completed on the Bloomington campus.
  6. One course that is required for the minor (with the exception of the Introductory Sustainability course) may count toward two minor requirements. The Policy on Counting a Course toward Multiple Degree Objectives applies.

Note: Students pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science are not eligible to earn the minor. In fulfilling the above requirements, students must also meet all other College requirements for minors.

Course Lists
Sustainable Food Systems

Complete the following:

  1. Two (2) courses selected from the following:
    • ANTH-E 421 Food and Culture
    • GEOG-G 369 The Geography of Food
    • GEOG-G 469 Food and Global Poverty
    • GEOG-G 478 Global Change, Food, and Farming Systems
  2. Two (2) additional courses from the following:
    • ANTH-A 205 Sustainable Agriculture and Trade
    • ANTH-E 400 Undergraduate Seminar (Approved topic: Chocolate: Local Farmers, Global Economies)
    • ANTH-E 421 Food and Culture
    • CLLC-L 230 Life—Concepts and Issues (Approved topic: Learning from Nature: Permaculture)
    • GEOG-G 218 Edible Education
    • GEOG-G 352 Food and Poverty in America
    • GEOG-G 357 Urban Alternative Agriculture
    • GEOG-G 369 The Geography of Food
    • GEOG-G 469 Food and Global Poverty
    • GEOG-G 478 Global Change, Food, and Farming Systems
    • INTL-X 370 Topics in Service Learning in International Studies (Approved topic: Food Security)
    • LTAM-L 426 Special Topics in Latin American and Caribbean Studies (Listed as OVST-J 497) (Approved topic: Roots, Fruits, and Jamaican Ecologies)
    • SPEA-E 400 Topics in Environmental Studies (Approved topic: Farming the City: Global Perspectives on Urban Agriculture and Food Security)
    • One of the following:
      • GEOG-G 359 Fundamentals of Sustainable Agriculture
      • SPH-O 343 Sustainable Agriculture
      • CLLC-L 300 Collins Symposium (Approved topic: Fundamentals of Sustainable Agriculture)
    • Independent study, readings, research, or practicum in sustainable food systems from any department (3 cr.) with pre-approval of the academic advisor. (Note: This option can be used only once.)
Sustainable Energy, Resources and Climate

Complete the following:

  1. Two (2) courses selected from the following:
    • GEOG-G 259 Water Security and Sustainability
    • GEOG-G 340 Physical Meteorology, Climate, and Paleoclimate
    • GEOG-G 411 Sustainable Development Systems
    • GEOG-G 444 Climate Change Impacts
    • GEOG-G 451 Physical Hydrology
    • GEOG-G 461 Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change
    • GEOL-G 476 Climate Change Science
    • PHYS-P 310 Environmental Physics
    • POLS-Y 313 Environmental Policy
    • SPEA-E 401 Human Behavior and Energy Consumption
    • SPEA-E 476 Environmental Law and Regulation
  2. Two (2) additional courses selected from the following:
    • ANTH-E 328 Ecological Anthropology
    • BUS-L 302 Sustainability Law and Policy
    • BUS-G 316 Sustainable Enterprise
    • GEOG-G 259 Water Security and Sustainability
    • GEOG-G 305 Current Issues in Climate, Land and Environmental Change
    • GEOG-G 307 Biogeography: The Distribution of Life
    • GEOG-G 340 Physical Meteorology, Climate, and Paleoclimate
    • GEOG-G 341 Ecological Restoration: Science, Politics, and Ethics
    • GEOG-G 405 Ecological Climatology
    • GEOG-G 411 Sustainable Development Systems
    • GEOG-G 444 Climate Change Impacts
    • GEOG-G 448 Capitalism and Nature
    • GEOG-G 451 Physical Hydrology
    • GEOG-G 453 Water and Society
    • GEOG-G 461 Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change
    • GEOL-G 416 Economic Geology
    • GEOL-G 451 Principles of Hydrogeology
    • GEOL-G 476 Climate Change Science
    • PHYS-P 310 Environmental Physics
    • POLS-Y 313 Environmental Policy
    • SPEA-E 332 Introduction to Applied Ecology
    • SPEA-E 340 Environmental Economics and Finance
    • SPEA-E 363 Environmental Management
    • SPEA-E 400 Topics in Environmental Studies (Approved topics: The Foundations of LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] and Environmental Sustainability)
    • SPEA-E 401 Human Behavior and Energy Consumption
    • SPEA-E 422 Urban Forest Management
    • SPEA-E 431 Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment
    • SPEA-E 451 Air Pollution and Control
    • SPEA-E 452 Solid and Hazardous Waste Management
    • SPEA-E 456 Lake and Watershed Management
    • SPEA-E 460 Fisheries and Wildlife Management
    • SPEA-E 476 Environmental Law and Regulation
    • SPEA-V 450 Contemporary Issues in Public Affairs (Approved topics: Public Transit Management and Climate Change and Electricity)
    • SPH-O 305 Integrated  Resource Management
    • SPH-O 360 Human Health and Natural Environments
    • SPH-T 301 Sustainable Tourism
    • SPH-V 310 Human Health and Natural Resources
    • Independent study, readings, research, or practicum in sustainable energy and resources from any department (3 cr.) with pre-approval of academic advisor (Note: This option can be used only once.)
Environmental Ethics and Justice

Complete the following:

  1. Two (2) courses selected from the following:
    • INTL-I 428 Social Justice and the Environment (Approved topic: Environmental Justice)
    • REL-D 350 Religion, Ethics, and the Environment
    • SPH-O 360 Human Health and Natural Environments
  2. Two (2) additional courses selected from the following:
    • ANTH-E 318 Nature/Culture: Global Perspectives in Environmental Anthropology
    • ANTH-E 328 Ecological Anthropology
    • ANTH-E 444 People and Protected Areas: Theories of Conservation
    • BIOL-L 222 The City as Ecosystem
    • ENG-L 208 Topics in English and American Literature and Culture (Approved topic: The Literary and Legal Animal)
    • ENG-L 389 Feminist Literary and Cultural Criticism (Approved topic: Feminist Science and Eco-Philosophy)
    • ENG-R 212 Communicating Sustainability
    • ENG-R 348 Environmental Communication
    • GEOG-G 315 Environmental Conservation
    • GEOG-G 448 Capitalism and Nature
    • GEOG-G 449 Political Ecology
    • GEOG-G 461 Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change
    • GEOG-G 463 Environmental Politics of South Asia
    • HPSC-X 340 Scientific Methods: How Science Really Works
    • HPSC-X 342 Arborescence: Keeping Trees in Mind
    • INTL-I 202 Global Health and Environment
    • INTL-I 428 Social Justice and the Environment (Approved topic: Environmental Justice)
    • REL-D 250 Religion, Ecology, and the Self
    • REL-D 350 Religion, Ethics, and the Environment
    • REL-D 430 Problems in Social Ethics (Approved topic: God Species)
    • REL-R 202 Topics in Religious Studies (Approved topic: Religion and Animals)
    • REL-R 300 Studies in Religion (Approved topic: Religion, Ethics, and the Global Environmental Crisis)
    • SPEA-V 450 Contemporary Issues in Public Affairs (Approved topic: Environmental Law, Justice and Politics)
    • SPH-O 313 Wilderness and Protected Lands
    • SPH-O 360 Human Health and Natural Environments
    • Independent study, readings, research, or practicum in environmental ethics and justice from any department (3 cr.) with pre-approval of an academic advisor (Note: This option can be used only once.)
Biodiversity and Sustainability

Complete the following:

  1. Two (2) courses selected from the following:
    • BIOL-L 307 Biodiversity
    • BIOL-L 326 Biodiverse-City: The Art and Science of Green Infrastructure
    • GEOG-G 307 Biogeography
    • GEOG-G 315 Environmental Conservation
    • HPSC-X 342 Arborescence: Keeping Trees in Mind
    • SPEA-E 457 Introduction to Conservation Biology
    • SPH-O 310 Ecosystem Management
  2. Two (2) additional courses selected from the following:
    • ANTH-E 328 Ecological Anthropology
    • ANTH-E 444 People and Protected Areas: Theories of Conservation
    • BIOL-B 300 Vascular Plants
    • BIOL-B 351 Fungi
    • BIOL-B 364 Summer Flowering Plants
    • BIOL-L 307 Biodiversity
    • BIOL-L 326 Biodiverse-City: The Art and Science of Green Infrastructure
    • BIOL-L 369 Heredity, Evolution, and Society
    • BIOL-L 376 Biology of Birds
    • BIOL-L 433 Tropical Biology
    • BIOL-Z 373 Entomology
    • BIOL-Z 374 Invertebrate Zoology
    • BIOL-Z 406 Vertebrate Zoology
    • BIOL-Z 460 Animal Behavior
    • BIOL-Z 476 Biology of Fishes
    • GEOG-G 307 Biogeography: The Distribution of Life
    • GEOG-G 315 Environmental Conservation
    • GEOG-G 341 Ecological Restoration: Science, Politics, and Ethics
    • GEOG-G 451 Water Resources
    • GEOG-G 461 Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change
    • GEOL-G 308 Paleontology and Geology of Indiana
    • GEOL-G 341 Natural History of Coral Reefs
    • HPSC-X 342 Arborescence: Keeping Trees in Mind
    • REL-D 250 Religion, Ecology, and the Self
    • REL-D 350 Religion, Ethics, and the Environment
    • REL-D 430 Problems in Social Ethics (Approved topic: The God Species: Ethics in the Anthropocene)
    • SPEA-E 332 Introduction to Applied Ecology
    • SPEA-E 363 Environmental Management
    • SPEA-E 422 Urban Forest Management
    • SPEA-E 456 Lake and Watershed Management
    • SPEA-E 457 Introduction to Conservation Biology
    • SPEA-E 460 Fisheries and Wildlife Management
    • SPEA-E 476 Environmental Law and Regulation
    • SPH-O 310 Ecosystem Management
    • SPH-O 313 Wilderness and Protected Lands
    • SPH-O 360 Human Health and Natural Environments
    • SPH-T 301 Sustainable Tourism
    • Independent study, readings, research, or practicum in sustainable food systems from any department (3 cr.) with pre-approval of the academic advisor (Note: This option can be used only once.)