The Center for Environmental Studies

Environmental issues call upon citizens, organizations, and governments to grasp complex scientific concepts, address conflicting human values, and make difficult economic, political and ethical choices. The three curricular options in Environmental Studies—the Major in Environmental Studies and the Concentration in Environmental Studies and the Concentration in Maritime Studies—are designed to prepare students to effectively address these issues by integrating perspectives and methodologies from the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the arts and humanities.

The program is administered by the Center for Environmental Studies (CES), located in the Class of 1966 Environmental Center. Founded in 1967, CES was one of the first environmental studies programs at a liberal arts college.

To learn more about our work, please check out the 2023 edition of our annual newsletter, the CES Fieldnotes.

Department News

Dec 2nd, 2023

Writing from the Farm: Log Lunch with Ellyn Gaydos

On Friday December 1, the Log Lunch community was joined by Ellyn Gaydos, author of Pig Years, a work of creative nonfiction that describes her life as a farmhand. Pig Years is not a farm manual, but contains descriptions of...

Nov 20th, 2023

Log Lunch with Jim Neumann ’84: How the State of Massachusetts Sets Priorities for Climate Adaptation and Resilience

Community members gathered for the last Log Lunch before Thanksgiving Break this past Friday, where they were joined by Jim Neumann ’84, a current Principal at Industrial Economics in Cambridge, MA. Jim specializes in climate change impact and adaptation analysis,...

Nov 16th, 2023

What can $3 buy you? A homemade meal and a talk hosted by Williams College’s Center for Environmental Studies

What can $3 buy you?

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