The Environmental Policy Major in the 21st Century
The Environmental Policy Major within the Department of Political Science was created about fifteen years ago. Since then, it had attracted and graduated a growing number of excellent students with broad interdisciplinary interests in the environment, sustainability and politics. Believe it or not, in the early 90s WashU had no formal program for studying environmental issues. Instead, courses were scattered about campus, which lead Professor of Political Science, Bill Lowry, along with a few faculty from other departments, to create the Environmental Studies Minor. To meet growing demand from undergraduate students, the minor was split into three majors in different departments: Environmental Biology, Environmental Earth Science, and Environmental Policy. Today, the Environmental Policy Major is as desired and as important as ever.
Students in Environmental Policy try to answer two sets of challenging and important questions. First, what explains environmental problems such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss? Those are questions on the mind of anybody studying the environment. However, what makes this major unique is that we also ask the even harder practical – i.e., political – questions: How can policymakers, stakeholders and special interests address these environmental problems? And what’s the public’s role in it? To answer these questions is no small feat. Students must understand not only the natural science foundations of the environment and climate, but, crucially, the political science behind public opinion, electoral behavior, interest groups, and political institutions, as well as how to assess and apply them to public policy.
Last spring, I, with the help of a number of political science faculty and staff, revamped the major’s course requirements. We maintained the rigorous engagement with political methodology, policy analysis, and the foundational courses in environmental science and normative theory. However, the increased offerings in environmental courses across campus afforded us the opportunity to expand our list of upper-level courses that count for the major and give more flexibility to students with interdisciplinary interests. Moreover, we formalized our long-held encouragement for practical environmental experiences. Students will now get credit towards the major for completing any combination of experiential learning courses, environmental internships, directed research projects and honors theses.
Today’s environmental policy majors are equipped to engage the most pressing problems of our time. They will be joining the impressive ranks of students from previous cohorts already helping to fight climate change, waste and pollution – and build a more sustainable future for us all.
The Environmental Policy Major within the Department of Political Science was created about fifteen years ago. Since then, it had attracted and graduated a growing number of excellent students with broad interdisciplinary interests in the environment, sustainability and politics. Believe it or not, in the early 90s WashU had no formal program for studying environmental issues. Instead, courses were scattered about campus, which lead Professor of Political Science, Bill Lowry, along with a few faculty from other departments, to create the Environmental Studies Minor. To meet growing demand from undergraduate students, the minor was split into three majors in different departments: Environmental Biology, Environmental Earth Science, and Environmental Policy. Today, the Environmental Policy Major is as desired and as important as ever.
Students in Environmental Policy try to answer two sets of challenging and important questions. First, what explains environmental problems such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss? Those are questions on the mind of anybody studying the environment. However, what makes this major unique is that we also ask the even harder practical – i.e., political – questions: How can policymakers, stakeholders and special interests address these environmental problems? And what’s the public’s role in it? To answer these questions is no small feat. Students must understand not only the natural science foundations of the environment and climate, but, crucially, the political science behind public opinion, electoral behavior, interest groups, and political institutions, as well as how to assess and apply them to public policy.
Last spring, I, with the help of a number of political science faculty and staff, revamped the major’s course requirements. We maintained the rigorous engagement with political methodology, policy analysis, and the foundational courses in environmental science and normative theory. However, the increased offerings in environmental courses across campus afforded us the opportunity to expand our list of upper-level courses that count for the major and give more flexibility to students with interdisciplinary interests. Moreover, we formalized our long-held encouragement for practical environmental experiences. Students will now get credit towards the major for completing any combination of experiential learning courses, environmental internships, directed research projects and honors theses.
Today’s environmental policy majors are equipped to engage the most pressing problems of our time. They will be joining the impressive ranks of students from previous cohorts already helping to fight climate change, waste and pollution – and build a more sustainable future for us all.