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SKIDMORE PHONE
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Environmental Studies
Acting Director of the Environmental Studies Program (2007–08) and Associate Professor: Robert Turner
Program Coordinator and Lecturer: Kimberly Marsella
Associate Professor: Karen Kellogg
Assistant Professor: Cathy Gibson
Lecturer: †Kimberly Marsella
Affiliated Faculty:
American Studies: Mary Lynn, Gregory Pfitzer
Art and Art History: Lisa Aronson
Anthropology: Michael Ennis-McMillan, Susan Bender
Biology: Catherine Domozych, David Domozych, Corey Freeman-Gallant, Roy Meyers,
†Joshua Ness, Monica Raveret Richter, Sue Van Hook
Chemistry: Steven Frey, Raymond Giguere,
†Judith Halstead, Shannon Stitzel
Economics:†Monica Das, Mehmet Odekon, Lynda Vargha
English: Alison Barnes, Sarah Goodwin, Michael Marx, Linda Simon
Geosciences: Katharine Cartwright, Richard Lindemann,
Ank Meuwissen, Kyle Nichols
Government: Roy Ginsberg, Katherine Graney,
†Robert Turner, Aldo Vacs, Christopher Whann
History: Tillman Nechtman
Library: Elizabeth Putnam
Management and Business: James Kennelly, K. Gary McClure
Mathematics: Una Bray
Philosophy and Religion: William Lewis, Stephen Butler Murray, Mary Stange
Physics: William Standish
Sociology: Catherine Berheide, †Rik Scarce
†Environmental
Studies Steering Committee
The Skidmore College Environmental Studies Program (ES) builds
upon and enhances the mission of the College. First, the program
helps students become environmentally literate citizens. Such
citizens as consumers, parents, voters, and community leaders
will serve society by acting responsibly as we face the environmentally
related challenges of the new century. Secondly, the program
provides an understanding of the connections between academic
fields and an interdisciplinary perspective in the preparation
of students interested in environmentally oriented career paths
in a wide diversity of disciplines.
Students and faculty in the ES program investigate the interrelationships
among cultural traditions, social change, and institutions,
and the physical and biological environment in which we live.
Because of their increasing complexity, emerging environmental
issues require knowledge, methods, and responses that flow from
many disciplines. Hence the program depends heavily on an appropriately
balanced understanding of many perspectives drawn from the natural
and social sciences, humanities, arts, and pre-professional
programs. The ES major culminates in a team-oriented capstone project, ES 375, that merges theory into practice
by employing the student's environmental skills and knowledge
in the examination and presentation of an environmental issue.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES MAJOR: As a foundation for the major, all students must take
ES100 and
105.
As a capstone to the major, students must take
ES367/368
Junior Seminar in Environmental Studies and
ES375 Case Studies in Environmental Sustainability.
In addition, ES majors must
meet the core requirements for one of the two ES tracks (i.e.,
Social & Cultural Perspectives or Environmental Science).
Students who major in ES and plan to attend graduate or professional
schools are encouraged to design programs of study that meet
admission requirements for graduate or professional schools
of their choice.
HONORS: ES Program honors are awarded to an
ES senior who has maintained the required college and department
grade averages and who, by the end of the first semester of the
senior year, has either registered for or enrolled in
ES376
Senior Thesis. The senior thesis proposal must be
approved by the ES Steering Committee prior to enrollment in ES 376
Senior Seminar. In addition to the necessary grade averages
and an A- or better on the ES senior thesis, the student must
receive the recommendation of the ES program. See the ES Director
or the ES Web page for additional information on senior thesis
proposal submission.
Social and Cultural Perspectives Track
The Social and Cultural Perspectives track draws upon disciplinary
and interdisciplinary foundations in the social sciences, humanities,
and arts to build understanding of how changes in the environment
affect social organization and cultural development. Conversely,
these courses also focus on how society and culture shape the
environment and on the consequences of that influence. This
track is well-suited for students interested in environmentally
related activities in literature, journalism, education, sustainable
development, policy and law, social service, public health,
and resource management.
Students in the Social and Cultural Perspectives track must
successfully complete at least thirty-nine to forty-two credits
in approved courses that count toward the ES major. In addition
to meeting the general requirements for the major, students
take a series of core courses (no more than two courses from
the same discipline; at least six credits at the 300 level):
four to five courses from ES Cluster A: Culture, Society and
the Environment (totaling at least fourteen credits); three
additional courses from ES Cluster B1: Exploring the Natural
World (at least one course with a lab; a total of ten to twelve
credits); and one course from ES Cluster C: Interface of the
Natural and Social Worlds (three to four credits). The faculty
also strongly recommend that students take MS104E
Introduction to Statistics prior to enrolling in ES367/368
Junior Seminar and take an appropriate methods course from the
social sciences or humanities as preparation for the capstone
project.
Environmental Science Track
The Environmental Science Track affords study of the physical,
chemical, and biological aspects of environmental issues, and
to a significant degree, encourages exploration of how these
aspects influence and are influenced by people and institutions.
The courses in the core of this track provide students with
a foundation in environmental issues as seen from the perspectives
of the natural sciences and mathematics. This track is particularly
well-suited for students interested in careers that require
understanding of the scientific principles underlying environmental
issues.
Students in the Environmental Science track must successfully
complete at least forty-seven to fifty-six credits in approved
courses that count toward the ES major. In addition to meeting
the general requirements for the major, students take a series
of core courses, which begins with CH112
Environmental Chemistry (or CH105
& 106
Chemical Principles I & II), GE207
Environmental Geology, and BI240
Environmental Biology (a total of eleven to fifteen credits).
These three courses will provide a basis for understanding the
breadth of environmental science by examining environmental
issues through the lenses of the three natural science disciplines.
With this foundation in place, students will then explore the
natural sciences in upper-level courses, but will have a firm
comprehension of how the concepts apply to environmental science
in particular. In order to build depth within the core, students
will take a concentration of three courses within one natural
science discipline (i.e., biology, chemistry or geology) from
ES Cluster B2. Two of these courses must be at the 300 level,
the third must at least be 200 level, and two of the three must
be lab courses (a total of eleven to fourteen credits). In addition,
students are required to take one 200- or 300-level course from ES Cluster
B2 in a natural science discipline outside of the concentration
discipline (three to four credits), one course from ES Cluster
A: Culture, Society and Environment (three to four credits),
one course from ES Cluster C: Interface of the Natural and Social
Worlds (four credits), and
MS104E
Introduction to Statistics (four credits).
THE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES MINOR:
The minor requires completion of twenty-two to twenty-seven credit hours, including:
Foundation course:
ES100,
Environmental Concerns in Perspective
Cluster A courses: Culture, Society, and the Environment
(six to eight credits)
Cluster B1 courses: Exploring the Natural World (six to eight
credits)
Cluster C courses: Interface of the Natural and Social Worlds
(three to four credits)
No more than two courses taken in a discipline may be counted for the ES minor.
CLUSTER A: Culture, Society, and the Environment
Courses in this cluster examine the social and cultural dimensions
of environmental issues. Drawing upon disciplinary and interdisciplinary
foundations in the social sciences, humanities, and arts, these
courses provide the student with an understanding of how changes
in the environment affect social organization and cultural development.
Courses in this cluster also examine how society and culture
affect the environment and influence human response to environmental
issues. Cluster A courses emphasize social and cultural perspectives
(i.e., social sciences, humanities, and arts), although concepts
in the natural sciences may be introduced as background material.
Cluster A courses apply to the ES minor and both tracks of the
ES major.
CLUSTER B1 AND B2: Exploring the Natural World
Courses in this cluster examine the physical and biological
aspects of environmental issues and, to a significant extent,
examine how these aspects influence and are influenced by people.
These courses offer students a scientific foundation in environmental
issues by drawing on disciplinary and interdisciplinary courses
in biology, chemistry, geology, mathematics, physics, and/or
other disciplines. Cluster B courses emphasize the natural sciences,
although social and cultural dimensions may be introduced as
background material. Cluster B1 courses apply to the ES minor
and the Social and Cultural Perspectives track of the ES major,
whereas the extended list of B2 courses applies to the Environmental
Science track of the ES major.
CLUSTER C: Interface of the Natural and Social Worlds
Courses in this cluster examine the interdisciplinary dimensions
of environmental issues by exploring the complex interrelationships
of the social and natural worlds. Cluster C courses give students
an interdisciplinary view of environmental issues by providing
a nearly equal emphasis on social and cultural perspectives
as well as natural science perspectives, and the relationship
of these perspectives to one another. These courses develop
an appreciation for and thoughtful response to environmental
issues by developing knowledge and skills forged through learning
and integration of the social sciences, natural sciences, humanities,
and arts. Cluster C courses apply to the ES minor and both tracks
of the ES major.
Environmental Studies Curriculum
ES 100. ENVIRONMENTAL
CONCERNS IN PERSPECTIVE 3
An interdisciplinary, multiple-perspective approach to the study
of environmental concerns. In this course, students study the
interaction of human beings and their social, political, and
economic institutions with the natural environment. Issues such
as air pollution, water pollution, and land management are discussed
from the perspectives of both the natural sciences and the social
sciences. Local, regional, national, international, and historical
perspectives on these issues are also discussed. Prerequisite:
QR1. J. Halstead, K. Kellogg
ES 105. FIELD STUDIES IN
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 4
An interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental issues. The
primary focus of this course is a drinking water supply for Saratoga
Springs, Loughberry Lake. The sources of the lake's water supply, chemical
characteristics of the lake, and the nature of the land surrounding the
lake, including Skidmore's North Woods, are considered from a biological,
chemical, and geological perspective. The course involves laboratory
and field work and emphasizes the scientific method, and techniques and
theories used to measure, analyze, and describe changes in the environment.
Three hours of lecture, three hours of lab a week. Prerequisite:
QR1. (Fulfills natural sciences requirement;
fulfills QR2 requirement.) S. Frey, K. Kellogg, K. Marsella, K. Nichols, S. van Hook
ES 221. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 3
Examination of the tension between the need
for economic development by less developed countries and the necessity
to protect and preserve global environment. We will explore both domestic
issues facing developing countries as they struggle to address their
economic and environmental problems, and how their relationship with
the rest of the international community influences their decisions. We
will use various case studies (e.g., international fisheries) to explore
the interplay between the environment, society, and economics on both
local and global levels. Prerequisite:
QR2. K. Kellogg
ES 241. ADIRONDACK
WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE 4
The Adirondack Park
is the birthplace of the American concept of wilderness and land conservation.
It is the second oldest park in the U.S. and the largest publicly protected
area in the contiguous United States, larger than Yellowstone, Everglades,
Glacier, and Grand Canyon parks combined. Today, it is on the cutting
edge of how to turn the abstract principles of environmental sustainability
into a set of feasible political, economic, and ecological principles.
This class will examine the natural setting of the park, the environmental
impact of humans on the park, the evolution of popular views of the wilderness,
the attempts to balance development and preservation, the prospects of
bio-regional level governance, and the major challenges to ecological,
social, and economic success in the Adirondack Park. The emphasis of
the course is on experiential learning and will involve various hikes
and/or canoe trips into the wilderness itself. Summer only. R.
Turner, K. Nichols
ES 251. TOPICS IN
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 3, 4
An interdisciplinary examination at the intermediate level of
a subject area in environmental studies not available in existing
course offerings. Specific topics vary by instructor, discipline,
program and semester. The course, in a different subject area,
may be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Permission
of the director of the Environmental Studies Program.
ES 281. DISEASE
AND THE ENVIRONMENT 3
An introduction to the study of the relationship between disease
and the environment. We will study the epidemic of cholera in
industrial Britain, the evidence linking smoking to lung disease,
the relationship between exposure to lead and developmental
problems in children, and other important cases in the history
of epidemiology that yielded a link to environmental causes.
We will continue using a "case study" approach to
examine current issues in environmental disease. Students will
be encouraged to learn problem-solving and technical skills
as they work together to prepare their own group case. Prerequisite:
QR2. U. Bray
ES 351. ADVANCED
TOPICS IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 3, 4
An interdisciplinary examination at the advanced level of a
subject area in environmental studies not available in existing
course offerings. Specific topics vary by instructor, discipline,
program and semester. The course, in a different subject area,
may be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Permission
of the director of the Environmental Studies Program.
ES 367, 368. JUNIOR
SEMINAR IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 1
A seminar required of all environmental studies majors during
their junior year and taken at least one semester before starting
the senior capstone project. Seminar discussion focuses on topics
in environmental studies and is designed to help students identify
senior research topics as well as enhance students' research,
written and oral communication skills relating to environmental
studies. The course includes presentations and discussions by
students and guest lecturers, field trips, and a community service
project. The course culminates in the presentation of preliminary
research proposals for senior capstone projects. Seminar participants
must attend senior capstone project presentations. The course
is offered on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite:
Declared environmental studies major.
ES 371, 372. INDEPENDENT
STUDY IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 3, 6
An opportunity for qualified students to pursue independent
study or research in environmental studies under the supervision
of an appropriate faculty member. The written study proposal
must be approved by the Environmental Studies
Program before registration for the course. The student must produce a major
research paper approved by the faculty sponsor and the ES Program.
Only three semester hours of ES399, 371, or 372 may count toward the major or minor.
ES 375. CASE STUDIES
IN ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY 4
A research-oriented capstone course required of all environmental
studies majors during their senior year. Building on
ES367/368 Junior
Seminar in Environmental Studies, this course is designed to enhance
students’ research, written, and oral communication skills relating to
environmental studies, and to strengthen their awareness of
environmentally related issues by engaging students in a semester-long
service-learning project. Case studies and contemporary readings will
serve as a foundation for discussion related to the service-learning
project in the course, while primary literature will be used to guide
students through the appropriate methodologies for the project. The
course culminates in the presentation of the service-learning project to
environmental studies faculty, students, and community members.
Prerequisite:ES367/368.
ES 376. SENIOR THESIS 3
An opportunity for in-depth research or independent study under
supervision of an appropriate ES affiliated faculty member. This course
is required of all majors who wish to be considered for ES honors. A
proposal for the thesis project, prepared in consultation with the
faculty project advisor and second reader, must be submitted to the ES
Program during the semester prior to enrollment. See the ES Director or
ES Web site for additional information on thesis proposal submission. The Program
ES 399. PROFESSIONAL
INTERNSHIP IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES 3, 6
Interdisciplinary professional experience at an advanced level
for juniors or seniors with substantial academic experience
in environmental studies. With faculty sponsorship and Environmental
Studies Program approval, students may extend their
educational experience in environmentally related interdisciplinary
areas such as environmental consulting, environmental advocacy,
environmental law, and environmental outreach.
The intern must produce a research paper related
to the area of the internship, on a topic approved by the faculty
sponsor and the on-site supervisor. Only three semester hours of ES399,
371, or 372 may count toward the major or minor.
Cluster Courses
Foundation course for the ES minor and major: ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
Cluster A AH 208 Art and the Environment in Ancient Mesoamerica and South America AM 232H New England Begins AM 250A Regional Culture: "The Hudson River" AM 250B Regional Culture: "The West" AM 250D Regional Culture: "New England" AM 260B The Machine in the Garden AN 207 North American Archeology AN 268 People and the Environment in China EC 316 Economics of Development EC 343 Environmental & Resource Economics EN 363B Literature and the Environment EN 375 Senior Seminar in Literary Studies (when applicable) GO 231 Environmental Politics and Policy GO 338 International Diplomatic Negotiations GO 339 International Political Economy and the Environment GO 355 African Politics GO 356 Africa in International Affairs HI 312 Industry, Empire and the Environment IA 101 International Affairs Core Course PH 225 Environmental Philosophy RE 225 Religion and Ecology SO 223 Environmental Sociology SO 326 Social Theories of the Environment SO 331 Women in the Global Ecomony WS 210 Ecofeminism, Women and the Environment
Cluster B1 BI 115H Ecology of Food BI 140 Marine Biology BI 160 Conservation Biology BI 180 Economic Botany BI 240 Environmental Biology BI 241 Ecology BI 325 Tropical Ecology BI 327 Conservation Ecology w/o lab BI 370 Computer Modeling of Biological Systems CH 111 Environmental Chemistry w/o lab CH 112 Environmental Chemistry w/ lab ES 105 Field Studies in Environmental Science GE 101 Earth Systems Science GE 112 Oceanography: Introduction to the Marine Environment GE 207 Environmental Geology GE 208 Origin and Distribution of Natural Resources GE 211 Climatology
Cluster B2 BI 241 Ecology BI 307 Ornithology BI 316 Animal Behavior BI 324 Evolution BI 325 Tropical Ecology BI 327 Conservation Ecology w/o lab BI 338 Plant Biotechnology BI 339 Plant-Animal Interaction BI 370 Computer Modeling of Biological Systems CH 221 Organic Chemistry I CH 222 Organic Chemistry II CH 303 Modern Analytical Chemistry CH 353 Topics in Environmental Chemistry GE 208 Origin and Distribution of Natural Resources GE 301 Hydrogeologic Systems GE 304 Geomorphology GE 309 Field Techniques GE 311 Paleoclimatology GE 216 Sedimentology GE 316 Stratigraphy
Cluster C AN 344 Anthropology & Environmental Health AN 345 Ecological Anthropology ES 221 Sustainable Development ES 241 Adirondack Wilderness Experience ES 281 Disease in the Environment
