Environmental Studies

Professors Colleen M. Byron, Soren Hauge (on leave fall 2021); Associate Professors Sarah Frohardt-Lane (coordinator), Paul F. Jeffries, Memuna Z. Khan; Assistant Professor Benjamin R. Grady

Departmental Mission Statement: The major in environmental studies is an interdisciplinary program of study that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. The core includes an introductory course and courses in chemistry, ecology, philosophy and environmental economics. The program also requires the student to take advanced courses in disciplines such as the natural sciences, mathematics and computer science, social sciences, fine arts and humanities. Environmental studies majors do a senior project and complete an individualized learning experience or offcampus experience. The core courses provide the necessary background for environmental decision-making. The elective courses provide exposure to a knowledge base that will allow students greater insight into important environmental issues.

Communication Plus: Developing one’s skills in communicating, whether in oral or written form, is essential to career advancement. With that in mind, the environmental studies major addresses practical aspects of communication needed to successfully function in this interdisciplinary major. These practical aspects are characterizing the critical elements of environmental problems, posing realistic solutions to those problems, and effectively communicating proposed solutions to a diverse audience. The environmental studies curriculum has three levels at which the Communicating Plus skills are addressed. Important skills are introduced in ENV 120 and they are developed further in subject specific courses. Students have opportunities to perfect and demonstrate their mastery of discipline specific content and their communication skills in the senior capstone course, ENV 500.

Requirements for a major in environmental studies: The three elements of the major (core courses, elective courses and completion of an Individualized Learning Experience or off-campus experience) are described below.

1) Complete the following required core courses:

ENV 120

ENV/PHL 243

ENV/BIO 247

ENV/ECO 332

ENV 500

CHM 100 or 111 or 112

MTH 120 or PSC 211

2) Complete 10 elective credits OR three courses from among the following courses. Students must take at least one course from two of the following three categories*: Natural Science & Mathematics Social Sciences Arts and Humanities BIO 339, 450 CHM 211 ANT 222 ECO 361 or 461 SOC 216 ART 190 CMM 236 HIS 248, 285, 385 PHL 353

*This table of elective courses is not exhaustive. Departmental studies or special topics courses that have a significant component that explores environmental issues also may be counted in any of these areas. Students should consult with the director of the major for details on how to include other relevant courses in their program of study.

3) Complete an in-depth program of study, either through Individualized Learning Experiences (ILE), a substantial Off-Campus Experience (OCE), or an In Focus course that has a substantial environmental component:

An ILE may be accomplished by completing at least 2 credits ILE work: i.e., Directed Research, Independent Study, and/or Internship. (Consult the College Catalog for a description of these opportunities. Regardless of the field of study the ILE must be approved by the director; a faculty mentor from within the Environmental Studies major also is required.)

Acceptable OCE programs include programs with which Ripon is associated (Italy: Earth and Environment, via Luther College; SEA semester at the Sea Education Association, Woods Hole, Massachusetts; Semester in Environmental Science at the Marine Biology Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts.)

Certain In Focus courses offered by Ripon College also will count for this component of the major. (Consult the director for additional information.)

Students wishing to pursue graduate work in environmental studies are encouraged to take additional courses in an area of specialty (e.g., anthropology, biology, chemistry, economics, mathematics, politics and government, and sociology).

Note: A student may not both major in Environmental Studies and minor in Environmental Biology.

120. Environmental Studies Staff

Four credits. Study of the interrelationships of ecological, ethical, political, legal, economic, social and historical aspects of the environment. Lecture, discussion, projects, required field trips.

190. Sculpture I Oblinger

Four credits. This course is an introduction to the various technical, aesthetic and conceptual issues of sculpture. Traditional and contemporary processes will be explored in a wide range of media. Presentations and readings will address the history and recent development in the field of sculpture. Field trips may be required. Same as ART 190.

200. Topics Staff

Variable credit course, 2-4 credits. Designed to acquaint the student with a topic not covered by regular courses. Students can repeat the course for credit when the topics change. Please see the pertinent Schedule of Courses for the listing of topics courses and possible prerequisites. May be counted as elective credits within the appropriate category as designated by the director.

Four credits. This course will examine consumer behavior from a sociological perspective. It will focus on the study of American consumption patterns and compare them to those in other places around the world. It will also examine the consequences of consumerism, including the effects on personal and national debt, as well as the impact that consumer behavior has on the environment. Same as SOC 216.

236. Communication and the Environment Martin

Four credits. The role of communication as it relates to the environment, focusing on communication strategies by institutions, corporations, environmental movement leaders, scientific experts, politicians and the public to describe and influence human interactions with the environment. Same as CMM 236.

243. Philosophy and the Environment Jeffries

Four credits. Offered in 2022-2023 and alternate years. Exploration of the relationship of human beings to the natural world. Consideration of the conflicting claims about how we are interconnected with the rest of nature and also separate from it. An examination of such contested issues as what responsibilities, if any, do we have to the rest of nature and how can we wisely weigh competing claims about natural resources. Same as PHL 243.

247. General Ecology Khan

Four credits. Interaction of aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals with their environment. Emphasis is placed on community structure, energy flow, nutrient cycling, competition, niche development, and population dynamics. Lecture, laboratory, required field trips. Same as BIO 247. Prerequisite: BIO 121 or equivalent.

248. U.S. Environmental History Frohardt-Lane

Four credits. How have Americans changed the natural world? How has the non-human world shaped the course of U.S. history? These two questions are at the center of this introduction to the field of environmental history. The course proceeds chronologically and spans the history of the United States from the colonial era to the present day. Through texts and films, we will examine a range of topics from wilderness preservation and the creation of national parks, to air pollution, commercial agriculture and the rise of the environmental movement. Same as HIS 248.

285. Global Environmental History Frohardt-Lane

Four credits. An introduction to the history of humans’ interactions with nature in a global context. The course examines how people have transformed, and been transformed by, their environments through a range of topics from the rise of agricultural societies to industrialization, conservation and climate change. Same as HIS 285.

Variable credit course, 2-4 credits. Offered on demand. Special subjects in environmental studies not covered by regular courses. This course may be repeated for credit when topics change. Some courses may count toward the Global and Cultural Studies Requirement. Please see the pertinent Schedule of Courses for the listing of topics courses and possible prerequisites. May be counted as elective credits within the appropriate category as designated by the director.

332. Resource and Environmental Economics Hauge

Four credits. Offered in 2021-22 and alternate years. Theoretical framework for the analysis of environmental pollution and renewable and nonrenewable resource management. Topics include public goods and commonproperty resources; private cost, social cost, externalities, and market failure; designing and implementing environmental policies; benefit-cost analysis; the global environment. Same as ECO 332. Prerequisite: ECO 212 or consent of the instructor.

339. Behavioral Ecology Khan

Four credits. Study of the reproductive and survival consequences of animal behavior. We will examine the diversity of behavioral tactics used by animals to improve their chances of survival and reproduction within the context of their ecology (where they live, what they eat, and what eats them). Lecture topics include foraging behavior, predatorprey interactions, group living, mating systems, parental behavior and cooperative behavior. Laboratories consist of conducting short field and lab experiments to illustrate principles covered in the text. Lecture, discussion, laboratory and required field trips. Same as BIO 339. Prerequisites: BIO 121 or PSC 110, and BIO 200 or PSC 211.

353. Human Rights Jeffries

Four credits. Offered 2021-2022 and alternate years. An examination of the concept of human rights in historical perspective in both Western and Eastern thought. Also, an exploration of some contemporary issues in human rights, including the rights of minority peoples and the relationship between human rights and the natural environment. Same as PHL 353. Prerequisite: four credits in philosophy.

361. Development Economics I Hauge

Four credits. Offered in 2021-22 and alternate years. Major analytical and policy issues facing the “less developed” nations — 3/4 of the world’s people. Global issues: defining development; its global patterns and historical process; theories of growth and underdevelopment; role of the state in industry, finance and trade; population and migration. Applications to selected topics, such as: poverty and inequality; agriculture and environment; women and health; education and employment; multinational corporations and international institutions including the World Bank, IMF and WTO. Students select countries for research. An interdisciplinary survey of the primary issues studied by development economists and faced by practitioners. Same as ECO 361. Meets with ECO 461. Prerequisite: ECO 211 or consent of the instructor.

Four credits. From flash floods to forest fires, Hurricane Katrina to the Zika virus, natural disasters make headlines for the devastation they cause. This course goes beyond the headlines and uses case studies to examine natural disasters from around the world in the last two centuries. How have societies tried to prevent and predict natural disasters? Do communities come together to support one another after an earthquake or other devastating event? Do they become divided over how to allocate government aid? What role have humans played in causing events that we often consider to be the work of nature? Using primary and secondary texts, images and films students will investigate these questions and more. Same as HIS 385.

450. Intensive Field Studies Staff

Variable credit depending on topic. Offered on a rotational basis as an In Focus course. An extensive field trip off campus to one of several study regions. Topics will vary from year to year, but may include the following: Desert and Montane Field Ecology; Field Geology and Physical Geography of Wisconsin; Field Ornithology; Marine Field Ecology; Plant Evolution and Systematics. This course is highly selective; selection to participate is based, in part, on performance in other courses taken at Ripon. Same as ENV 450. Prerequisites: variable depending on the topics, but always requiring consent of the instructors. It also is recommended that courses in botany (BIO 226, 227), vertebrate zoology (BIO 216) or ecology (BIO 247) be taken prior to this course.

461. Development Economics II Hauge

Four credits. Offered in 2021-22 and alternate years. Theoretical foundations of development policy. Meets with ECO 361 and for additional sessions. (See ECO 361.) Same as ECO 461. Prerequisite or corequisite: ECO 350.

500. Senior Studies Staff

Two credits. A senior capstone experience. Students in this seminar will (1) meet weekly for discussion on topics of current environmental concern, (2) prepare a portfolio of their studies, (3) write a substantial paper on an environmental issue of their choosing, and (4) present a public talk about that issue. The assignments also will include readings, short papers, oral reports, and possible field trips. The portfolio comprises samples of a student’s work from all courses counted for the major. Prerequisites: senior standing and declared environmental studies major, or consent of the instructor or the director of environmental studies.