All ES concentrators must complete four set core courses and choose two ES electives, for a total six classes required for the ES concentration. One elective should be chosen from the list of Planning and Policy classes below; the other should be chosen from the list of courses on Humans in the Landscape.

Courses taken for the concentration can often be used to satisfy divisional requirements and/or count toward your major.

The four required courses are:  CITY B175:  Environment and Society; GEOL/CITY B103: Earth Systems and the Environment; BIOL B220:  Ecology, and ANTH/BIOL/CITY/GEOL B397, the ES Senior Seminar.  They are described below:

CITY/SOC 175
Environment and Society - an introduction to environmental studies within the social sciences and humanities; should be taken before the junior year.  Together with Geol/City 103, this course is part of a  two-semester introduction to the concentration.

GEOL/CITY 103
Earth Systems and the Environment - an overview of environmental sciences; should be taken before the junior year. Together with City/Soc 175, this course is part of a two-semester introduction to the concentration.

BIOL 220
Ecology – prerequisites: Geology 103 or Biology 102; should be taken before the senior year.

ANTH/BIOL/GEOL/CITY 397
Environmental Senior Seminar - All students in the concentration take the Environmental Senior Seminar the fall of the senior year. This seminar provides a venue for students from all majors within the concentration to come together to discuss issues of common interest.

Two ES electives

Because the environmental studies concentration seeks to provide perspective on policy questions and the human sides of environmental issues, students must choose courses outside the natural sciences. One of these courses should address issues of planning and policy, and one other should address issues of humans in the environment. Available recommended courses are listed below, divided into these two groups. Alternative courses not shown below also may fulfill these requirements, but the environmental studies director must approve any such course substitution. Students also are encouraged, but not required, to take additional science courses to augment their curriculum; possible courses are listed below. In addition to checking with the department environmental studies contact, each student's coursework plan for the concentration must be reviewed by the environmental studies director.

Note: Some classes shown below have prerequisites; some are not offered every year. College divisions and how often each course is offered are shown (subject to change).

Planning and Policy (one is required)

Humans in the Landscape (one is required)

Science of the Environment (taking one or more is suggested for concentrators, but none is required)

In the courses above, especially those with a substantial component of independent inquiry, students are encouraged to select for study topics that focus on the environment.

Students should work with her departmental advisor to design a major plan that combines work toward the major with investigation of environmental topics and issues.  In her senior year, in addition to the Environmental Senior Seminar, each student should show evidence of advanced work in environmental studies. This may consist of a research project, a major thesis, or in some departments it would be a 300-level course in which the student deals extensively with environmental issues. In selected cases, with approval of the major department advisor and the coordinator of Environmental Studies, this advanced work may be undertaken as an internship or Praxis course.

Additional courses of interest to students of all disciplines include:
- Courses at Univ. of Pennsylvania or Swarthmore
- Certain classes from Junior Year Away programs may fulfill requirements for the concentration if pre-approved. These include special environmental programs like the University of Kansas Costa Rica programs and the programs sponsored by Swarthmore in Eastern Europe.

In order to benefit from the Environmental Studies Concentration, planning should start no later than the first semester of the sophomore year. Students should check with their advisor in making course choices. The major subject plan must be reviewed with the Environmental Studies Director.

ES advisors, by department

Anthropology – Rick Davis
Biology – Neal Williams or Karen Greif
Chemistry - Jonas Goldsmith
Economics – David Ross or Michael Rock
English – Peter Briggs
Geology – Don Barber, Catherine Riihimaki or Chris Oze
Growth and Structure of Cities – Ellen Stroud or Gary McDonogh
Math - Victor Donnay
Political Science – Carol Hager

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updated 11/08/07 S.Bund