The Program in Environmental Studies offers three distinct curricular options: students may decide to pursue either a major in Environmental Policy or Environmental Science or to complement a major in a different area with a concentration in Environmental Studies. Students may not double–major in Environmental Policy and Environmental Science or combine either major with a concentration in Environmental Studies.
The ENVI majors share a common “core” of five courses: ENVI 101, 102, 203, 302, and 402. The core courses have been designed to be taken in sequence, with ENVI 302 and ENVI 402 normally reserved for senior majors and concentrators. ENVI 101 is a broad introduction to the field, emphasizing the humanities and social sciences. ENVI 203 is a course in ecology (offered by the Biology department) that provides a unified conceptual approach to the behavior of living things in the natural world. ENVI 302 is an experiential course that puts teams of students to work on projects of immediate significance in the Berkshires. ENVI 402, the senior seminar, is an opportunity for majors and concentrators to draw together their interdisciplinary educational experiences and apply what they have learned to specific environmental issues. The core course structure affords students freedom to explore and to specialize in diverse fields of study, while sustaining a focus on environmental questions throughout their time at Williams. Students who choose to pursue a concentration in Environmental Studies are strongly encouraged, but not required, to take ENVI 102. The other four “core” courses listed above are required for the concentration.
Credit for AP, IB, A-levels and other pre-Williams courses: At this time ENVI does not allow students to pace out of ENVI 101. Placement out of ENVI 102 may be granted to students who have achieved a score of 5 on the AP-Environmental Science test or a score of at least 6 on the International Baccalaureate Environmental Systems and Societies exam. A student meeting these thresholds and requesting to be excused from ENVI 102 should provide the ENVI Program Chair with the AP or IB course and lab syllabuses and a statement detailing their reasons for requesting placement; the ENVI 102 course instructors will evaluate equivalency of the previous AP / IB experience with that of ENVI 102 for the year in which the placement is requested. Placement out of ENVI 102 does not reduce the total number of courses required for completion of either the ENVP or ENVS major.
Planning your path through an ENVI major: Some courses required for ENVI Science or ENVI Policy majors have prerequisites, and we strongly suggest that you do some advance planning to avoid being blocked from a required course because you lack the necessary prerequisite course(s). For example, ENVI 203, Ecology, a core course for all ENVI majors and the concentration, has prerequisites of BIOL 101 and 102, ENVI 101 or 102, or permission of the instructor. For that reason and others, we recommend that students who are planning to pursue the Biology track of the ENVI Science major take BIO 101 in the fall semester and BIO 102 in the spring semester of their first year at Williams. There are other examples as well. We recommend that students who are planning to pursue the Chemistry track of the ENVI Science major take CHEM 151 or 153 or 155 in the fall semester and CHEM 156 in the spring semester of their first year at Williams. Similarly, students interested in the ENVI Geosciences track are advised to take one of the 100-level GEOS courses. Students who think they might wish to pursue the Political Economy track of the ENVI Policy major need to be aware that both of the courses that can be used to satisfy the Theory/Methods requirement (POEC 253 or ECON 255) have prerequisite courses: POEC 253 requires a calculus course (130 or above) and an economics course; ECON 255 requires a calculus course (130 or above), an economics course, and either STAT 101 or 201.
Students may decide to pursue either a major in Environmental Policy or Environmental Science, or to complement a major in a different area with a concentration in Environmental Studies. Students may not double–major in Environmental Policy and Environmental Science or combine either major with a concentration in Environmental Studies.
CES faculty come from numerous departments throughout the College, including Anthropology, Art, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, English, Geology, History, History of Science, Political Science, Philosophy, Sociology, and Religion. The program in environmental studies allows students to focus some of their elective courses in an integrated, interdisciplinary study of the environment. The program provides students with tools and ideas needed to engage constructively with the environmental and social issues brought about by changes in population, economic activity, and values.
The Program in Environmental Studies encompasses more than academics. CES plans an extensive series of activities each year, ranging from lectures to social events, festivals to brown bag lunches. We provide a forum for students and faculty to present the results of their research, office space for student organizations to meet and plan their activities, and an inviting space for students to study and to relax. We invite all members of the Williams College community to visit the Center for Environmental Studies, and to make use of our resources.
Read the full description of the program in the course catalog http://web.williams.edu/admin/registrar//catalog/index.html
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