Going green on campus has a new meaning this semester, with the incorporation of a new major in Environmental Studies.
According to the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences website, environmental studies “[focuses] on relationships between the natural environment and social, economic, political, legal and humanistic aspects of society. . The program helps prepare students for careers that emphasize a dual awareness of scientific and social perspectives.”
“It finishes the spectrum,” Rob Ripperdan, director of geosciences and environmental programs, said. “It’s one of the most comprehensive programs of all the Jesuit universities.”
The program is currently a contract major, meaning that it has yet to be approved. Ripperdan said that he is unsure of exactly when the board of trustees will approve the program, but he predicts approval will happen before Thanksgiving.
“This program opens up the discussion to other non-science departments,” David Crossley, professor of geophysics, said.
Crossley teaches Energy Resources for a Sustainable Future, a SLU inquiry course that relates to the environmental studies program. This course is not yet part of the curriculum, but Crossley said that the class would become a requirement.
“Oil and fossil fuels will run out certainly in the next century, and a fundamental change will take place,” Crossley said. “Any course like [this one] will be in these programs.”
Crossley said that only two students in the class are in the environmental studies program, but thinks this will change once the class becomes a requirement for the major.
Ripperdan said that there are five declared environmental studies majors in the freshman class.
Besides the main core classes, the program offers four concentrations: Philosophy, Religion and Ethics; Economics, Politics and Public Policy; Society and Environment through Space and Time; and Advocacy and Discourse. Ripperdan described the program as a “virtual department,” since it grabbed classes from many departments.
“Environmental studies has [a range] of topics to study; the program has a little different core . it goes more into humanities,” Ripperdan said. “We need to start thinking about how humans interact with the environment around us, and [the environmental studies] program gives the story from multiple perspectives.”
