The relationship between society and the environment is at the heart of activities and opportunities on Long Island, in New York, across the nation and the world. Air and water pollution, climate change, biodiversity and land use, and more are issues that need greater engagement from those who can think critically about environmental problems and solutions with an emphasis on their social and historical aspects.
The B.A. in Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary program that applies the tools of history and the social sciences to interpret that key relationship between society and the environment. This program can lead to careers in fields such as environmental education, international cooperation, journalism, consulting and policy design, and analysis in governmental, non-governmental or private organizations. The Environmental Studies program will also prepare students for graduate study in a variety of environment-related fields.
The program emphasizes the social sciences (particularly Geography and Environmental History), but is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to approach environmental problems integrally and move towards socially just solutions. Basic courses introduce students to basic scientific, social, and historical approaches to the environment. Building upon this core knowledge, majors can take advantage of a flexible curriculum to focus on specific areas of interest including geography, environmental history, environmental justice, environmental journalism, environmental economics, etc. As a capstone, students participate in a research-based senior seminar focusing on human rights and environmental issues.
Those majoring in the degree receive a strong, multidisciplinary foundation in the study of human-environment relationships, which builds upon basic literacy in the conventions and methods of the social and natural sciences used to interpret these relationships. Building upon Old Westbury’s strengths and tradition, the program employs social justice as a lens through which to view environmental problems and solutions.
