Environmental Studies
About the Program
Bachelor of Science Degree: 182.0 quarter credits
The BS in Environmental Studies is a multi-disciplinary program designed to provide students with both a technical grounding in environmental science as well as a strong emphasis in social science in order to prepare students for environmental policy careers
The causes and consequences of environmental problems are extremely complex, involving the connection of natural ecological systems to human systems such as physical infrastructure and the built environment. Equally important to understanding environmental problems are the social, economic and political considerations that govern society’s ability to balance its current needs and desires with those of future generations. Indeed, ecological problems and their consequences are an enduring problem of society. Problems such as air and water pollution, exposure to toxic chemicals, sprawling land development, environmentally damaging energy extraction and unsustainable energy use practices, to name a few, all conspire to negatively influence our natural world as well as human health and well being.
The BS in Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary program that draws on the University’s academic strengths in science, technology, social science and communication. Courses and faculty are drawn from a diverse set of academic programs: including the natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities. The program also benefits from Drexel’s urban location -- as issues related to urban sustainability policy and planning, including urban redevelopment and land reuse practices, transportation policy, green building, energy efficiency, urban farming and food systems, recycling, and racial and class-based environmental justice and health -- are core topics of the program of study. The Environmental Studies degree is designed to prepare students for a wide set of vocational opportunities with governmental agencies, corporations, and nonprofit organizations that develop, implement and communicate environmental policies. Students are strongly encouraged to gain valuable professional experience through Drexel’s cooperative education program.
For more information visit the Environmental Studies page at Drexel University.
Degree Requirements
| General Requirements | ||
| ANTH 101 | Introduction to Cultural Diversity | 3.0 |
| or ANTH 110 | Human Past: Anthropology and Prehistoric Archeology | |
| BIO 107 | Cells, Genetics & Physiology | 3.0 |
| BIO 108 | Cells, Genetics and Physiology Laboratory | 1.0 |
| BIO 109 | Biological Diversity, Ecology & Evolution | 3.0 |
| BIO 110 | Biological Diversity, Ecology and Evolution Laboratory | 1.0 |
| COM 150 | Mass Media and Society | 3.0 |
| ECON 201 | Principles of Microeconomics | 4.0 |
| ECON 202 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 4.0 |
| ENGL 101 | Expository Writing and Reading | 3.0 |
| ENGL 102 | Persuasive Writing and Reading | 3.0 |
| ENGL 103 | Analytical Writing and Reading | 3.0 |
| PSCI 110 | American Government I | 4.0 |
| PSY 101 | General Psychology I | 3.0 |
| SOC 101 | Introduction to Sociology | 3.0 |
| UNIV H101 | The Drexel Experience | 3.0 |
| Two English (ENGL) Electives * | 6.0 | |
| Philosophy (PHIL) Elective | 3.0 | |
| Two History (HIST) Electives | 6.0 | |
| Math Sequences | 8.0 | |
Select one of the following: | ||
Analysis | ||
| Introduction to Analysis I | ||
| Introduction to Analysis II | ||
Calculus | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Calculus II | ||
| Environmental Studies Core Requirements | ||
| Theory Sequence Requirements | ||
| COM 210 | Theory and Models of Communication | 3.0 |
| SOC 260 [WI] | Classical Social Theory | 3.0 |
| ANTH 410 | Cultural Theory | 3.0 |
| or SOC 460 | Contemporary Social Theory | |
| Methods Sequence Requirements | ||
| COM 220 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3.0 |
| SOC 250 | Research Methods I | 3.0 |
| SOC 364 | Computer-Assisted Data Analysis | 3.0 |
| Natural Science Requirements | ||
| ENVS 230 | General Ecology | 3.0 |
| ENVS 286 | Community and Ecosystem Ecology | 3.0 |
| ENVS 328 | Conservation Biology | 3.0 |
| Natural Science Elective ** | 3.0 | |
| Other Required Courses | ||
| ANTH 360 | Culture and the Environment | 3.0 |
| COM 316 | Campaigns for Health & Environment | 3.0 |
| COM 317 [WI] | Environmental Communication | 3.0 |
| CJ 373 | Environmental Crimes | 3.0 |
| ENVP 325 | Introduction to Urban and Environmental Planning | 3.0 |
| ENVP 345 | Sociology of the Environment | 3.0 |
| ENVP 346 | Environmental Justice | 3.0 |
| ENVP 360 | Environmental Movements in America | 3.0 |
| ENVP 365 | Introduction to Environmental Policy Analysis | 3.0 |
| ENVS 260 | Environmental Science and Society I | 3.0 |
| PSCI 331 | Environmental Politics | 3.0 |
| SOC 240 | Urban Sociology | 3.0 |
| Other Environmental Studies Program Electives | ||
| Select ten of the following: | 30.0 | |
| Basics of Cancer | ||
| Essential Microbiology | ||
| General Chemistry I | ||
| General Chemistry II | ||
| Applied Chemistry | ||
| Human Communication | ||
| Techniques of Speaking | ||
| Fundamentals of Journalism | ||
| Business Communication | ||
| Public Relations Principles and Theory | ||
| Technical Communication | ||
| Film, Celebrity and the Environmental Movement | ||
| Science Writing | ||
| Message Design and Evaluation | ||
| Grant Writing | ||
| Environmental Literature | ||
| Physiological and Population Ecology | ||
| Population Ecology Laboratory | ||
| Environmental Health | ||
| Tropical Ecology | ||
| Aquatic Ecology | ||
| Advanced Population Ecology | ||
| Principles of Toxicology I | ||
| Principles of Toxicology II | ||
| Issues in Global Change I: Seminar | ||
| Principles of Toxicology II | ||
| Global Climate Change | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Colloquium I | ||
| Weather I: Climate and Global Change | ||
| Global Ethical Issues | ||
| Philosophy of the Environment | ||
| American Government II | ||
| Science, Technology, & Public Policy | ||
| City in United States Political Development | ||
| Introduction to Social Psychology | ||
| Sociology of the Future | ||
| Social Problems | ||
| Sociology of Health | ||
| Developing Nations and the International Division of Labor | ||
| Globalization | ||
| The American Experience of the Wilderness | ||
| Social Movements | ||
| Sociology of Disasters | ||
| Electives | ||
| Free Electives | 19.0 | |
| Total Credits | 182.0 | |
Writing-Intensive Course Requirements
In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.
A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Center. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.
Sample Plan of Study
| Term 1 | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| BIO 107 | Cells, Genetics & Physiology | 3.0 |
| BIO 108 | Cells, Genetics and Physiology Laboratory | 1.0 |
| ENGL 101 | Expository Writing and Reading | 3.0 |
| MATH 101 | Introduction to Analysis I | 4.0 |
| SOC 101 | Introduction to Sociology | 3.0 |
| UNIV H101 | The Drexel Experience | 2.0 |
| Term Credits | 16.0 | |
| Term 2 | ||
| BIO 109 | Biological Diversity, Ecology & Evolution | 3.0 |
| BIO 110 | Biological Diversity, Ecology and Evolution Laboratory | 1.0 |
| ENGL 102 | Persuasive Writing and Reading | 3.0 |
| MATH 122 or 102 | Calculus II Introduction to Analysis II | 4.0 |
| UNIV H101 | The Drexel Experience | 1.0 |
| Environmental Studies Program Elective* | 3.0 | |
| Term Credits | 15.0 | |
| Term 3 | ||
| COM 150 | Mass Media and Society | 3.0 |
| ENGL 103 | Analytical Writing and Reading | 3.0 |
| ENVS 230 | General Ecology | 3.0 |
| ANTH 110 or 101 | Human Past: Anthropology and Prehistoric Archeology Introduction to Cultural Diversity | 3.0 |
| Environmental Studies Program Elective* | 3.0 | |
| Term Credits | 15.0 | |
| Term 4 | ||
| COM 210 | Theory and Models of Communication | 3.0 |
| COM 220 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3.0 |
| ECON 201 | Principles of Microeconomics | 4.0 |
| ENVS 260 | Environmental Science and Society I | 3.0 |
| SOC 240 | Urban Sociology | 3.0 |
| Term Credits | 16.0 | |
| Term 5 | ||
| ANTH 360 | Culture and the Environment | 3.0 |
| ECON 202 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 4.0 |
| ENVP 345 | Sociology of the Environment | 3.0 |
| SOC 250 | Research Methods I | 3.0 |
| SOC 260 [WI] | Classical Social Theory | 3.0 |
| Term Credits | 16.0 | |
| Term 6 | ||
| CJ 373 | Environmental Crimes | 3.0 |
| ENVS 286 | Community and Ecosystem Ecology | 3.0 |
| PSCI 110 | American Government I | 4.0 |
| PSY 101 | General Psychology I | 3.0 |
| SOC 364 | Computer-Assisted Data Analysis | 3.0 |
| Term Credits | 16.0 | |
| Term 7 | ||
| ENVP 346 | Environmental Justice | 3.0 |
| ENVP 360 | Environmental Movements in America | 3.0 |
| PSCI 331 | Environmental Politics | 3.0 |
| UNIV 101 | The Drexel Experience | 1.0 |
| Environmental Studies Program Elective* | 3.0 | |
| Natural Science Elective | 3.0 | |
| Term Credits | 16.0 | |
| Term 8 | ||
| COM 317 [WI] | Environmental Communication | 3.0 |
| English Literature Course 200-level or Above | 3.0 | |
| Environmental Studies Program Electives* | 9.0 | |
| Term Credits | 15.0 | |
| Term 9 | ||
| COM 316 | Campaigns for Health & Environment | 3.0 |
| ENVP 325 | Introduction to Urban and Environmental Planning | 3.0 |
| English Literature Course 200-level or Above | 3.0 | |
| Environmental Studies Program Elective* | 3.0 | |
| History (HIST) Elective | 3.0 | |
| Term Credits | 15.0 | |
| Term 10 | ||
| ENVP 365 | Introduction to Environmental Policy Analysis | 3.0 |
| Free Elective | 3.0 | |
| Philosophy (PHIL) Elective | 3.0 | |
| Environmental Studies Program Electives* | 6.0 | |
| Term Credits | 15.0 | |
| Term 11 | ||
| SOC 460 [WI] or ANTH 410 | Contemporary Social Theory Cultural Theory | 3.0 |
| Free Elective | 3.0 | |
| History (HIST) Elective | 3.0 | |
| Environmental Studies Program Elective* | 3.0 | |
| Term Credits | 12.0 | |
| Term 12 | ||
| ENVS 328 | Conservation Biology | 3.0 |
| Free Electives | 13.0 | |
| Term Credits | 16.0 | |
| Total Credit: 183.0 | ||
| * | See degree requirements. |
Minor in Environmental Studies
The environmental studies minor is an interdisciplinary minor designed to give students specializing in other fields a background in contemporary environmental issues and the ability to analyze such issues. For students majoring in such fields as business and engineering, the minor in environmental studies will provide them with the tools to make better decisions about products or projects related to environmental economics, politic pollutants, environmental policy, and environmental justice. For students who are liberal arts majors, the minor in environmental studies offers the opportunity to focus on the social- and natural-science aspects of the environment, and to be prepared for issues they may encounter in their careers.
The minor includes a core of six courses and at least six credits of natural science electives
| Required Courses | ||
| ANTH 360 | Culture and the Environment | 3.0 |
| COM 317 [WI] | Environmental Communication | 3.0 |
| ENVS 260 | Environmental Science and Society I | 3.0 |
| SOC 240 | Urban Sociology | 3.0 |
| ENVP 345 | Sociology of the Environment | 3.0 |
| ENVP 365 | Introduction to Environmental Policy Analysis | 3.0 |
| Select two of the following: | 6.0 | |
| Campaigns for Health & Environment | ||
| Resource and Environmental Economics | ||
| Environmental Politics | ||
| Environmental Justice | ||
| Environmental Movements in America | ||
| Environmental Crimes | ||
| Social Change & Planning | ||
| Total Credits | 24.0 | |
Culture and Communication Faculty
Ronald Bishop, III, PhD (Temple University). Professor. Investigative reporting, sports journalism, journalism history, journalism sourcing patterns, textual narrative and ideological analysis, cultural history of fame.
Joan W. Blumberg, BA (Pennsylvania State University) Coordinator of the Publication Management Program. Instructor. Publishing, electronic publishing, publishing and communications, publishing and mass-media.
Robert J. Brulle, PhD (George Washington University). Professor. Environmental policy and politics, critical theory, marine risk, social movements, environmental sociology.
Karen Cristiano, PhD (Temple University). Associate Teaching Professor. Journalism, medical writing, feature writing, copy editing, mass media and society.
Robert D'Ovidio, PhD (Temple University). Associate Professor. The intersection of computer technology, crime, and the criminal justice system.
Daniela De Pau, PhD (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). Assistant Teaching Professor. Italian cinema, relationship between literature, cinema and other arts, traveling literature, women writers, the tradition of the Comic and the tradition of the Fantastic, autobiography, politics of immigration, cultural identity in contemporary Italy.
Brenda Dyer, MA (University of Pennsylvania). Associate Teaching Professor. Language acquisition pedagogy, teaching writing, seventeenth and eighteenth century French literature, women writers, translation.
Mary Ebeling, PhD (University of Surrey). Associate Professor. Science and technology studies; emerging technologies and biocapital; media and democratic cultures; radical social movements; sociology of markets; political sociology; and ethnographic methodologies.
Paul Evangelista, PhD (Temple University). Assistant Teaching Professor. Public relations, communication theory, new technologies in communication (classroom and online); business communication.
Richard Forney Instructor. Broadcast journalism technology and the effects of new technologies on personal and corporate communication skills.
Alexander Friedlander, PhD (Carnegie Mellon University) Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences. Associate Professor. Rhetorical theory and practice, document design, writing and technology.
Anthony Glascock, PhD (University of Pittsburgh) Coordinator of the Anthropology Program. Professor. Aging and health, definitions of functionality and impairment, technology and aging, social organization, Ireland, East Africa.
Ernest A. Hakanen, PhD (Temple University) Director of Culture & Communication Graduate Programs. Professor. Telecommunications policy, adolescent media use, communication theory and history, global media, and semiotics.
Julia Hall, PhD (University of Pennsylvania). Professor. Criminal justice and juvenile justice reform, including community based alternatives to incarceration, correctional education and programming, reentry and reintegration, restorative justice, and issues relating to special needs offenders, including the el
Maria Hnaraki, PhD (Indiana University) Director of Greek Studies. Associate Teaching Professor. Ethnomusicology, modern Greek language, Greek and Cretan culture.
Barbara Jean Hoekje, PhD (University of Pennsylvania) Director of English Language Center. Associate Professor. Sociolinguistic theory, discourse analysis, applied linguistics (language teaching, learning, and testing).
Barbara Hornum, PhD (Bryn Mawr College) Director of Center for Academic Excellence (DCAE). Associate Professor. Comparative gerontology, planned communities, continuing care communities, retirement, faculty development.
Robert J. Kane, PhD (Temple University) Director, Criminal Justice Program. Professor. Police authority and accountability; urban ecology and sociology; violence and public health; police strategies and practices.
Frank Kelley, PhD (Temple University). Associate Teaching Professor. Corporate university systems online, power structure of media enterprises, public relations, event planning.
Emmanuel F. Koku, PhD (University of Toronto). Associate Professor. Social network analysis; qualitative/quantitative research; medical sociology; social epidemiology;
social demography; sociology of development; communication and information technology; community and urban sociology.
David Kutzik, PhD (Temple University) Coordinator of the Sociology Program. Professor. Sociology and philosophy of science; applied gerontological research; political economy of health care; microprocessor-based assistive technologies to improve case management and increase independent living among frail populations.
Brent Luvaas, PhD (UCLA). Assistant Professor. DIY and independent media production; transnational consumer culture; popular music; new media and mediated subjectivities; youth culture in the US and Indonesia.
Joanna Lyskowicz, MA (UAM Poznan, Poland). Instructor. Comparative linguistics, translation, business Spanish, medical Spanish, modern Spanish literature, XXth cent. Spanish poetry, magical realism in Latin American literature.
Diamantino Machado, PhD (Temple University). Teaching Professor. Globalization, political economy, political sociology, philosophy of social science, postmodernism and social reflection.
Maria delaluz Matus-Mendoza, PhD (Temple University). Associate Professor. Spanish Linguistic variation in the US; the relationship between language variation and mobility (social and geographical) among the Mexican communities in Mexico and in the United States; second language acquisition; language variation in media.
Jack Maxwell, MS (Saint Joseph 's University). Teaching Professor. Criminal investigations, policing, police administration, domestic violence.
Jordan McClain, PhD (Temple University). Assistant Teaching Professor. Media framing and music journalism; relationship between television and music; American popular culture; celebrity, consumerism, and consumer behavior; branding, brand positioning, and advertising criticism.
Margaret McClure, PhD (University of California at Berkeley). Assistant Teaching Professor. Research methods, sociology of the family, deviance, military sociology.
Usha Menon, PhD (University of Chicago). Associate Professor. Self, identity & personhood, emotional functioning, Hindu morality, gender relations in Hindu society, adult development, popular Hinduism, post-colonial feminism, Hindu religious nationalism and Islamic radicalism.
Alexander Nikolaev, PhD (Florida State University). Associate Professor. Public relations, political communication, organizational communication, mass communication, international communications and negotiations, communications theory.
Anne-Marie Obajtek-Kirkwood, PhD (University of Pennsylvania). Associate Professor. French and francophone 20th and 21st century literature, culture and film. Representations of the Occupation (WWII); war; minorities in France; autobiography; feminist issues.
Rakhmiel Peltz, PhD (Columbia University, Linguistics; University of Pennsylvania, Biological Sciences) Director of Judaic Studies Program. Professor. Sociolinguistics, ethnography of communication, social history of Yiddish language and culture, Yiddish culture of Eastern Europe, language planning, language and ethnic identity, language and group memory, aging and ethnicity, history of urban neighbors.
Douglas V. Porpora, PhD (Temple University). Professor. International political economy, culture, social theory, and philosophy of social science.
Robert Powell, PhD (Temple University). Assistant Teaching Professor. Early and Middle Bronze Age Crete; archaeoastronomy; early state formation; archaeology and anthropology of frontiers; mass communication.
Devon Powers, PhD (New York University). Assistant Professor. Popular music, cultural intermediaries, promotional culture, 20th-century history, journalism studies.
Rachel R. Reynolds, PhD (University of Illinois at Chicago). Associate Professor. Sociolinguistics, ethnography of communication, intercultural communication, globalization and the rhetoric of community, political economy of immigration, race and ethnicity, new African immigrants in the United States, Igbo studies.
Cynthia Reed Rickards, MS (St. Joesph's University) Criminal Justice Program. Assistant Teaching Professor. On-line pedagogy; service-learning pedagogy; juvenile justice; domestic violence.
David Ridgway, MS (St. Joseph's University). Instructor. Deviant behaviors, social problems.
Rosemary Rys Instructor. Public relations and marketing.
Simone Schlichting-Artur, EdD (University of Pennsylvania) Assistant Department Head, Culture and Communication. Teaching Professor. International business communication (Germany and the U.S.), public health policy and languages, German post-war history through film and literature, development of writing assessment tools for German minor.
Mimi Sheller, PhD (New School for Social Research) Director of the Mobilities Research and Policy Center at Drexel University. Professor. Sustainable mobility and mobility justice: new cultures and infrastructures of travel, transport, mobile communication, and urbanism; Caribbean Studies: history, culture and political theory of the region, including intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and class.
Natsumi Shor Assistant Teaching Professor. Business and professional Japanese; Japanese film and culture; interrelation between Japanese language to the nation’s culture and thought.
Wesley Shumar, PhD (Temple University) Department Head, Culture and Communication. Professor. Ethnography of cyberspace, online learning communities, political economy of higher education, globalization, activity theory, semiotics, critical realism, psychoanalysis, identity and the self.
Diane Sicotte, PhD (Arizona State University). Associate Professor. Sociology of environmental injustice: inequalities in the citing of environmental hazards; community-based research in neighborhoods dealing with industrial hazards; sociology of the environment; urban sociology; social inequalities.
Lawrence Souder, PhD (Temple University). Associate Teaching Professor. Science and technical writing, communication ethics.
Allan Stegeman, MA (University of Houston) Coordinator of the Communication Program. Teaching Professor. Communication, technology and mass media, video.
Robert Stokes, PhD (Rutgers University) Coordinator, Environmental Policy Program. Associate Professor. Economic and community development, sustainability planning and governance, urban planning and public health, public security and violence prevention.
Judith Storniolo, PhD (University of Pennsylvania). Teaching Professor. Historical and comparative linguistics, Mesoamerican languages and culture, applied anthropology, public policy, oral traditions and narratives, ideology and ritual, Mesoamerican ethnohistory; and pre-Columbian literature.
Asta Zelenkauskaite, PhD (Indiana University). Assistant Professor. Social media; user-generated content; computer-mediated communication; interactivity; active audience analysis; mobile communication; gender and online identity; prosumer culture; internet of things; quantitative/qualitative research.
Interdepartmental Faculty
Michelle Sahl, PhD, MEd, MBA, MBE (The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia). Assistant Teaching Professor. Health management and policy: management and leadership of health services organizations, urban health, and the history of health care systems.
