Environmental Humanities Minor

HFA PEAK

Through the minor in Environmental Humanities, students develop skills in humanistic inquiry while also considering how writers, philosophers, and other theorists have represented the relationship between human and non-human nature. Acknowledging that addressing environmental issues requires understanding and skills that emerge from many disciplines, courses engage students in multidisciplinary study as they analyze environmental ideas. Students minoring in Environmental Humanities encounter a range of theoretical approaches to a variety of dominant and non-dominant cultural expressions, exploring them as manifestations, creations, and interrogations of the human/nonhuman-nature relationship. Exposure to the fine arts ensures that students actively engage with the creative process.

Students might consider pursuing an Environmental Science, Geography, or Geosciences minor to complement the Environmental Humanities minor. Students majoring in Environmental Studies may not minor in Environmental Humanities.

Minor Requirements (16–18 credits):

Complete the following courses (9 credits):

ENG-239	Visions of Environment	3 credits
ENV-200	Nature and Culture: Introduction to Environmental Studies	3 credits
PHI-340	Environmental Philosophy	3 credits

Humanities Electives

Complete 2 courses (6 credits) from the following:

ENG-265	Topics in Literature—American	3 credits
ENG-365	Advanced Topics in Literature—America	3 credits
ENV-389	Reading the Mountains: Scotland AbroadPrep	1 credit
ENV-390	Reading the Mountains: Scotland and LakeDistrict Abroad	4 credits
IND-305.1	Winter Wilderness Experience	2 credits
IND-305.2	Winter Wilderness Experience	4 credits
IND-325	Regional Cultures of the British Isles	3 credits
IND-332	London: Art/History/Literature	3 credits
IND-333	London: Art/History/Literature	4 credits
PHI-210	Human Nature and the Scientific Worldview	3 credits
PHI-316	Philosophy of the Mind	3 credits

For ENV-389 and ENV-390, IND-305.1 and IND-305.2, IND-332 and IND-333, and IND-325, only 3 credits each may count toward this category.

Creative Activity Requirement (1–3 credits)

Take 3 credits from the approved Creative Activities courses.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this minor, students will be able to:

1) Analyze how literary history conveys changing understandings of the relationship between humanity and the more-than-human world;

2) Communicate how both canonical and non-canonical works of philosophy and literature manifest environmental values;

3) Demonstrate familiarity with key works in the history of environmental thought, including those produced by female, minority, queer, or otherwise marginalized writers; and

4) Produce a piece of creative writing that engages environmental history, philosophy, or ethics.