TWO INTERDISCIPLINARY majors and a minor have been added to the College’s academic curriculum—bachelor of arts in environmental studies, bachelor of science in environmental science, and a minor in Italian studies.
The environmental studies degree is grounded in natural sciences but emphasizes environmental inquiry and expression in the humanities and social sciences. Students study the scientific, social, economic, ethical, and political dimensions of environmental systems, explore the environment through the arts, and discuss environmental policy decisions and social change.
The environmental science degree, grounded in math, chemistry, and physics, prepares students to pursue careers as natural scientists or enter graduate programs. By studying the scientific, social, economic, and ethical dimensions of the environment, they develop skills to solve environmental problems at the local or global level.
Courses in Italian history and culture and study-abroad courses in Florence and Rome have long been popular among students. The interdisciplinary minor launched this fall provides the opportunity for them to explore that interest in more depth.
The focus is on the major cultural traditions of the Mediterranean world—Greco-Roman, Judaeo-Christian, and Islamic—inherited and refashioned by Italians of the medieval, Renaissance, and modern eras. Courses include Italian language, painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, music, political theory, philosophy, and theology.