Environmental Studies

Contact or visit us

Sociology Department
Heba Khalil, Ph.D.
Interim Department Chair
(402) 465-2487
hkhalil [at] nebrwesleyan.edu (hkhalil[at]nebrwesleyan[dot]edu)

Environmental Studies

Below is the coursework required to minor in environmental studies. For an overview of this program, see Sociology and Anthropology Degrees.

Required Courses

8 hours

Environmental Studies Minor (21-24 hours)

BIO 1300 Introduction to Environmental Science

4 hours

SOC 2530 Population and Environment

4 hours

Take at least two courses from:

7-8 hours

 

Electives: at least two courses from:

6-8 hours

Select from the following (that are not already taken):

 

Additional Requirements

 
  • A student must have at least two courses each from natural/physical sciences and social sciences.
  • Note that some courses in the minor also have prerequisites.
 

ANTHR 1150 Cultural Anthropology (4 hours)

This course reviews the origin and development of culture in preliterate human societies. It focuses on the major social institutions of family, economics, political organization, and religion.
(Normally offered each semester.)

Archway Curriculum: Foundational Literacies: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – Global
BIO 1300 Introduction to Environmental Science (4 hours)

An introduction to environmental science and scientific methodology using the environment as the system of study. The goals are to help the student develop a better understanding of the environment, gain insight into human-caused problems found in nature, explore the relationships of humanity with the environment, and provide practical experience in performing scientific measurements and experiments.
Three lectures per week.
One 3-hour lab per week.
Does not count toward a biology major.

Archway Curriculum: Foundational Literacies: Scientific Investigations: Natural Science Laboratory
Archway Curriculum: Integrative Core: Humans in the Natural Environment Thread
BIO 3500 Conservation Biology (4 hours)

A course devoted to exploring issues related to biological diversity, including how biodiversity is measured, where it is found, its value, threats to it, and measure taken at the population and species level to conserve it. The course includes examining links between conservation and economics, law, and the social sciences. Case studies and discussions of local and global topics will encourage students to understand the varied threats to global biodiversity and the principles necessary to overcome them.
Three lectures/discussions per week.
One 3-hour lab per week.
Prerequisite(s): BIO 1400FYW Introduction to Biological Inquiry, BIO 2200 Genetics and Cell Biology and BIO 2300 Ecology and Evolution and sophomore standing or instructor permission.
(Normally offered alternate springs.)
Note: Environmental Studies Minors are encouraged to register; please contact the instructor.

Archway Curriculum: Integrative Core: Humans in the Natural Environment Thread
Archway Curriculum: Essential Connections: Discourse Instructive
ECON 3150 Environmental Economics (3 hours)

This course allows students to investigate resource scarcity, the energy problem, and alternatives for the future. Emphasis is placed on benefits and costs of environmental preservation and the contribution that the economics discipline makes toward the solution of environmental problems. Selected current problems are integrated throughout the course.
Prerequisite(s): Grade of "C-" or better in ECON 1540 Microeconomic Principles or permission of the instructor.

ENG 2270 Topics in World Literature: Environment (4 hours)

Each course in the Topics in World Literature group will study a selection of literary works that engage the chosen topic--texts of different genres, from historical eras, and from different cultural traditions. The selected readings will present both abstract principles involved in the topic and its immediate, lived realities.
Prerequisite(s): Any First Year Writing course.

Archway Curriculum: Essential Connections: Writing Instructive
Archway Curriculum: Integrative Core: Humans in the Natural Environment Thread
HIST 2610 Environmental History (4 hours)

A study of environmental history focusing primarily on the United States and including Canada and Mexico as they involve border environmental conflicts. Emphasis will be placed on environmental philosophy, ethnic minorities, power and politics, regionalism, industrialism, gender, and literature. Course format will be lecture, class discussions based on assigned readings from assigned texts, as well as supplemental sources, reports, videos, and field trips.

Archway Curriculum: Integrative Core: Humans in the Natural Environment Thread
Archway Curriculum: Essential Connections: Experiential Learning: Exploratory
PHYS 1200 Energy and the Global Environment (4 hours)

A course covering some of the most critical problems facing the world today - those relating to the production, distribution, and use of energy. The basic concepts of heat, work, electricity and energy as they apply to energy use around the world will be studied. The major source of energy, their value and importance, the historical and future demand for energy and the specific environmental problems and benefits encountered will be identified.
Three lectures and one laboratory per week.
Prerequisite(s): One year of high school algebra or permission of instructor.
(Normally offered alternate fall semesters.)

Archway Curriculum: Foundational Literacies: Scientific Investigations: Natural Science Laboratory
Archway Curriculum: Integrative Core: Humans in the Natural Environment Thread
POLSC 2720 Global Environmental Politics (4 hours)

This seminar provides an introduction to global environmental politics. Many of the environmental problems of the twenty first century, from climate change to food insecurity to protection of biological diversity and endangered species, are global in nature, and addressing them requires international cooperation. The first part of the course provides the analytical foundation for evaluating environmental problems. The second part of the semester will apply these
analytic and policy tools to an evaluation of actors and solutions. We will look at the state and non-state actors, such as transnational social movements, civil society, NGOs and IOs, businesses and multinational corporations, and
nation-states.

Archway Curriculum: Integrative Core: Humans in the Natural Environment Thread
Archway Curriculum: Essential Connections: Speaking Instructive
SOC 2530 Population and Environment (4 hours)

This course examines the demographic and social dynamics of population size, composition, and distribution. It addresses the relationships among population, human health, development and the environment. Strong cross-cultural emphasis. A major focus is the development of a semester research paper contrasting the status of the Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals, environmental status, and health in a more- and less- developed country.

Archway Curriculum: Essential Connections: Writing Instructive
Archway Curriculum: Integrative Core: Humans in the Natural Environment Thread
SOC 3210 Thinking SocioLogically: Environment (2 hours)

This course is part of the Thinking SocioLogically cluster and is centered on reading, discussing and critically analyzing a wide variety of perspectives on the environment, using environmental sociology as a touchstone for synthesis. The topics range across classical and key debates. Students are encouraged to develop a personal environmental ethic to help frame their personal life choices and societal engagement.

Prerequisite(s): SOC 1110 Introduction to Sociology

Archway Curriculum: Integrative Core: Humans in the Natural Environment Thread
SOC 3530 Environment, Food, and You (4 hours)

This course identifies and explores issues involved in the interaction between humans and the environment. Students are introduced to social impact assessment as a means for identifying the ways resource exploitation leads to both the development and decline of communities. Food production is used to illustrate these impacts because it plays a significant role in community organization, human survival, and environmental resilience.
Prerequisite(s): SOC 1110 Introduction to Sociology or SOC 2530 Population and Environment.
(Normally offered alternate years.)

Archway Curriculum: Integrative Core: Humans in the Natural Environment Thread