Environmental Studies Courses
This page includes all the core courses and electives included in the Environmental Studies program. Not every course is offered every semester. Majors should take the core sequence in order. Go to our BA and Minor Requirements page to learn more.
Core Courses
The Cornerstone is like “boot camp” for the program. The course is designed for students who have declared the major or minor and are ready to dive into interdisciplinary work. It offers an overview of environmental teaching and research at OU; emphasizes the importance of integrating disciplinary perspectives on environmental topics; and gives students experience working on teams and interacting with faculty and professionals in environmental fields. Most importantly, it trains students to plan an independent research project on an environmental topic - that plan is like the term paper for the course. (Fall)
The Research Project is an independent study of an environmental issue with one or more faculty members. Students will carry out the plan they developed in the Cornerstone and gain experience conducting in-depth academic research. Under faculty supervision, students will mostly work independently, gaining experience with methods appropriate to the topic they are investigating, and also with ways to organize and present their findings. Note: students can fulfill this requirement by taking some other “high impact” experience—e.g. an internship, a service learning class, or a study abroad program. (Fall, Spring, Summer)
The Seminar involves intensive study of models of interdisciplinary scholarship—major academic works that integrate multiple disciplines. It furthers students’ training in taking an interdisciplinary approach to the environment. By presenting exemplary scholarship, the course aims to help students recognize rigorous standards for interdisciplinary work, which they can then apply to their work in other courses or projects. (Fall)
The Capstone is the culmination of the Environmental Studies major. Earlier classes help students integrate knowledge about environmental issues gained from a range of disciplines. In the Capstone, they apply that skill in a service learning experience that addresses a local commuinty's environmental concern. Sutdents work in teams to synthesize an interdisciplinary understanding of the issue at hand, and then propose a scientifically and socially informed, and ethically justified, policy response. (Spring)
The Learning Community deepens students’ immersion in the Environmental Studies culture of interdisciplinary interaction. Majors must take this one-hour class at least three times; minors must take it at least once. Students engage in a variety of activities including workshops on career planning; visits from environmental professionals; environmentally related service projects; and presentations on academic and policy topics (among others). Majors should take the Learning Community concurrently with the Cornerstone class; as they carry out their Research in Environmental Studies; and one additional semester. (Fall, Spring)
Electives
Majors must take 15 elective hours:
- two interdisciplinary electives
- three single-disciplinary electives
Minors must take 9 elective hours:
- two interdisciplinary electives
- one single-disciplinary elective outside the area of their major
List of all Environmental Studies electives:
There may be some discrepancies between the course lists available here and the lists found on the OU Catalog. If you have questions, please contact Environmental Studies (environmentalstudies@ou.edu).
Category Key:
- #ID: Interdisciplinary
- #NS: Natural Sciences
- #SS: Social Sciences
- #HU: Humanities
- #AD: Applied Disciplines
Category | Course Title | GenEd Type | Prerequisites | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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#ID | ENST 1013: Consumption and the Environment | III. Social Science | None | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#ID | ENST 3303: Food, Agriculture & Environment | None | Junior standing or permission of instructor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#ID | ENST 3263: Ecotourism | None | ENST 1013 or ENST 2623, junior standing, or permission of instructor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#ID | ENST 3463: Water and Ecological Sustainability | II. Natural Science | Junior standing and English 1213 or Expository Writing 1213, Biology 1114 or Biology 1124 or Biology 1134, or permission of instructor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#ID | ENST 3503: Energy Use, Climate Change and The Environment | None | Junior standing or permission of instructor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#ID | ENST 3633: Wilderness Philosophy | None | Junior standing or permission of instructor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#ID | ENST 3653: Community Conservation | None | Junior standing or permission of instructor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#ID | ENST 3713: Nature in the City | None | Junior standing or permission of instructor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#ID | GEOG 3043: Living with Nature | None | Junior standing or department permission | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#NS | BIOL 1005: Concepts in Biology | II. Natural Science w/lab | None, but high school or college chemistry is recommended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alternative Electives
If you have taken, or plan to take, a course—at OU, or elsewhere—that you think is appropriate as an elective, please contact Environmental Studies to submit it for approval (environmentalstudies@ou.edu). Please provide a course syllabus, including topics covered, readings, and descriptions of assignments, for the semester you took the class.