For an updated list of Program Supervisors, please visit the Environmental Studies website.
There is significant public and student interest in environmental issues. This Major Program in Environmental Studies (B.A.) allows students to develop an understanding of environmental issues from the perspectives of the physical, life and social sciences. It serves as an excellent companion to Majors such as Anthropology, Human Geography, Political Science, Public Policy, Sociology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Environmental Science, Biology, Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Physics and Astrophysics, and Physical Sciences.
The program is designed as a contemporary rendering of the study of environmental problems and the knowledge/tools needed to solve them. One of its key features is the classification of the courses offered into Foundation & Skills and Capstone & Applications. The former group will build a foundation of socioeconomics and environmental science, while the latter group will integrate insights from different disciplines and nurture an interdisciplinary way of thinking. These courses also include many opportunities for experiential learning through problem-solving case studies, team-based projects and individual research. Special emphasis is placed on the capacity of the program to successfully build the requisite interdisciplinary, problem-solving skill sets needed when tackling environmental management issues. The program effectively balances the need for a strong foundation in basic principles characterizing a typical program in Environmental Studies and the importance of building bridges among the various disciplines involved.
Companion majors include: Anthropology, Human Geography, Political Science, Public Policy, Sociology, Biology, Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Environmental Science, Physics and Astrophysics, and Physical Sciences. Other majors are possible with the permission of the Supervisor of Study.
Program Requirements
Completion of 8.5 credits as follows:
1. Core Courses (2.5 credits)
EESA01H3 Introduction to Environmental Science
[MGEA01H3 Introduction to Microeconomics or MGEA05H3 Introduction to Macroeconomics]
ESTB01H3 Introduction to Environmental Studies
and
0.5 credit chosen from the following:
ANTB01H3 Political Ecology
ESTB02H3/GGRB18H3 Canada, Indigenous Peoples, and the Land
FSTA01H3 Foods That Changed the World
GGRA03H3 Cities and Environments: Urban Life, Livelihoods & Landscapes
POLA01H3 Critical Issues in Politics I
POLA02H3 Critical Issues in Politics II
POLB80H3 Introduction to International Relations I
and
0.5 credit chosen from the following:
EESA06H3 Introduction to Planet Earth
EESA07H3 Water
EESA09H3 Wind
EESA10H3 Human Health and the Environment
EESA11H3 Environmental Pollution
EESB18H3 Natural Hazards
FSTA02H3 Foods Futures: Confronting Crises, Improving Lives
FSTB01H3 Methodologies in Food Studies
SOCB20H3 The City and the Fight Against Climate Change
2. Foundations and Skills (4.0 credits)
[ESTC35H3 Environmental Science and Technology in Society or ESTC36H3 Knowledge, Ethics and Environmental Decision-Making]
ESTC34H3 Sustainability in Practice
IDSB02H3 Development and Environment
STAB22H3 Statistics I (or equivalent)
and
2.0 credits from the following:
EESB03H3 Principles of Climatology
EESB04H3 Principles of Hydrology
EESB05H3 Principles of Soil Science
EESB17H3 Hydro Politics and Transboundary Water Resources Management
EESC13H3 Environmental Impact Assessment and Auditing
EESD13H3 Environmental Law, Policy and Ethics
ESTB04H3 Addressing the Climate Change
ESTC40H3 Technical Methods for Climate Change Mitigation
ESTD20H3 Integrated Natural Resource and Climate Change Governance
FSTC02H3 Mondo Vino: The History and Culture of Wine Around the World
FSTC05H3 Feeding the City: Food Systems in Historical Perspective
FSTC24H3 Gender in the Kitchen
FSTC37H3 Eating and Drinking Across the Americas
FSTC43H3 Social Geographies of Street Food
FSTC54H3 Eating and Drinking Across Global Asia
FSTD10H3 Food Writing
FSTD11H3 Food and Media
GGRA30H3 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Empirical Reasoning
GGRB21H3 Political Ecology: Nature, Society and Environmental Change
(GGRC22H3) Political Ecology Theory and Applications
GGRC26H3 Geographies of Environmental Governance
GGRC28H3 Centering Indigenous Ecology and Justice
GGRC44H3 Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Development
POLC53H3 Canadian Environmental Policy
POLD89H3 Global Environmental Politics
SOCC37H3 Environment and Society
3. Capstone and Applications (2.0 credits)
[ESTD16H3 Project Management in Environmental Studies or ESTD19H3 Risk]
ESTD17Y3 Cohort Capstone Course in Environmental Studies
ESTD18H3 Environmental Studies Seminar Series
