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Environmental Studies

Steven A. Kolmes, Ph.D., chair

Russell Butkus, Ph.D., B.A. track director

Barnes, Butler, Butkus, Eckmann, Hill, Wasowski

We live in an era of climate change, concerns about environmental toxins, and diminishing forests and fisheries. We also live in an era of alternate energy innovations, vibrant public discourse, and a new ethos of sustainability. The environmental studies department prepares B.A. majors in environmental ethics and policy and B.S. majors in environmental science to serve as leaders in this 21st century of challenges and opportunities. The department gives all its majors, regardless of the track they pursue, an understanding of the scientific implications of environmental concerns, and the theological, philosophical, economic, and political issues at the heart of this challenge. The department is also dedicated to creative interaction with other schools of the University, such as the environmental engineering track in the civil engineering degree program, and the sustainable entrepreneurship offerings in the Pamplin School of Business Administration. Taken together, this encourages a rich and constructive conversation on our campus that centers on the place of humankind and human activities in an environmentally sustainable future.

The goal of the environmental studies department program is to graduate students who have gained enough insight into the present environmental situation, and the interconnected elements involved in discerning a path towards sustainability, to provide leadership as environmental professionals. As Oregon’s Catholic university, the University of Portland is perfectly situated as a place where the discussion of moral and ethical dimensions of environmental decisions is part of normal discourse.

B.A. and B.S. majors are brought together several times in the course of their undergraduate work: in the University’s core curriculum courses, in environmental studies courses, laboratories, field trips, and in a senior capstone seminar which involves case studies and team-approach problem-solving in regional environmental issues.

Minors are available in environmental science and in environmental policy.

Learning Outcomes for Environmental Studies Majors

Environmental ethics and policy and environmental science graduates of the University of Portland should be able to:

  1. Demonstrate a proficient understanding of the ethical and social dimensions of environmental issues, in a manner consistent with the curriculum of their specific major program.
    1. Level of sophistication indicating mastery of ethics and policy material that is contributed to group discussions of environmental issues for the BA majors.
    2. Level of sophistication indicating a broad understanding of ethics and policy material that is contributed to group discussions of environmental issues for the B.S. majors.
  2. Demonstrate a proficient understanding of the scientific dimensions of environmental issues, in a manner consistent with the curriculum of their specific major program.
    1. Level of sophistication indicating mastery of scientific material that is contributed to group discussions of environmental issues for B.S. majors.
    2. Level of sophistication indicating a broad understanding of scientific material that is contributed to group discussions of environmental issues for B.A. majors.
  3. Obtain and use scholarly information related to environmental issues and sustainability.
    1. Demonstrate facility in finding and using scholarly materials.
    2. Reference scholarly materials properly in written reports.
  4. Effectively communicate orally and in writing.
    1. Develop well-constructed, researched and presented Powerpoint presentation in a research group.
    2. Write a well-constructed and researched report.
  5. Synthesize and integrate material in an interdisciplinary team-structured project.
    1. Contribute to a group product, as demonstrated by synthesizing and integrating material from that project in written reports.
    2. Connect to materials provided by group members with varied backgrounds.

Capstone Experience

It is required that students earning a B.A. or B.S. degree in environmental studies participate in an environmentally-oriented capstone experience during the spring semester of their junior or senior year. This capstone experience provides students with an opportunity to synthesize their diverse course material into a cohesive and integrated body of knowledge. The capstone experience in environmental studies is achieved through the ENV 400— Integrating Seminar in Environmental Studies course. Students research a current environmental issue in the Pacific Northwest, working on sub-tasks as interdisciplinary teams, each of which includes both ethics/policy and science majors. Their findings, conclusions and recommendations are presented on Founders Day near the end of the spring semester.