Bryn Mawr College

Overview of Courses and Requirements

Students may propose an environmental studies concentration as an adjunct to a major in any department or program at Bryn Mawr or Haverford.

The environmental studies concentration is an interdisciplinary program involving departments and programs in the natural and social sciences and humanities. The concentration allows students to explore the interactions among earth systems, human societies and local and global environments.

General inquiries concerning the concentration should go to the Environmental Studies Director, Donald Barber, dbarber@brynmawr.edu. Or, the listed contact persons on the environmental studies steering committee can answer questions pertaining to the concentration in their departments.

The concentration consists of six courses, four of which are fixed, and two of which are chosen from approved groups. Students should consult the catalog listings of their major department for disciplinary coursework specific to the concentration, if any.

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.

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.

In addition to the Environmental Studies 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 adviser and the environmental studies director, this advanced work may be undertaken as an internship or Praxis course. Additional courses of interest to students of all disciplines include courses at University of Pennsylvania or Swarthmore College . Certain classes from Junior Year Abroad 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 .

Given the flexible requirements of the concentration, it is important that students plan their curriculum as early as possible. Ideally planning should start no later than the first semester of the sophomore year.