The minor in Environmental Humanities allows students to explore how attitudes and perceptions, ethics and social structures, arts, cultures and language respond to and shape our environments. The program places special emphasis on arts-driven inquiry into place, integrating the methods and modes of analysis traditionally associated with the arts and humanities with those of the social and natural sciences. The minor also emphasizes public research, training students to engage with publics outside the university in the processes of environmental knowledge-making. Students will complete both a customizable public engagement requirement and a final capstone project. The minor is open to undergraduates in all disciplines.
| Code | Title | Course Units |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| The following course lists are not exhaustive; other courses may be substituted but require prior approval from the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies. | ||
| Arts & Humanities Approaches to Environmental Inquiry | ||
| Select two of the following: | 2 | |
ENGL 2222 | August Wilson and Beyond | |
or AFRC 2325 | August Wilson and Beyond | |
ARCH 0111 | Architecture in the Anthropocene | |
ENVS 1440 | Liquid Histories and Floating Archives | |
or HIST 0872 | Liquid Histories and Floating Archives | |
or GRMN 1140 | Liquid Histories and Floating Archives | |
or ENGL 1589 | Liquid Histories and Floating Archives | |
ENVS 1040 | Water Worlds: Cultural Responses to Sea Level Rise & Catastrophic Flooding | |
or COML 1050 | War and Representation | |
or GRMN 1130 | Water Worlds: Cultural Responses to Sea Level Rise & Catastrophic Flooding | |
ENVS 1550 | Forest Worlds: Mapping the Arboreal Imaginary in Literature and Film | |
or GRMN 1132 | Forest Worlds: Mapping the Arboreal Imaginary in Literature and Film | |
ENVS 1540 | Comparative Cultures of Sustainability | |
or GRMN 1150 | Comparative Cultures of Sustainability | |
GRMN 1160 | Sustainability & Utopianism | |
GRMN 5250 | Schelling, Goethe, Nature. Thinking Nature with Schelling and Goethe. | |
or COML 5250 | Schelling, Goethe, Nature. Thinking Nature with Schelling and Goethe. | |
HIST 1706 | Global Environmental History from Paleolithic to the Present | |
HIST 1650 | Human-Animal Relationships in Historical Perspective | |
PHIL 1343 | Environmental Ethics | |
PHIL 1830 | Philosophy of Biology | |
RELS 2110 | Religion and Ecology | |
RELS 2120 | Animals and Religion | |
RELS 2460 | Spirituality in the Age of Global Warming: Designing a Digital Mapping Project in Scalar | |
| Social Science Approaches to Environmental Inquiry | ||
| Select one of the following: | 1 | |
ANTH 0905 | Water in the Middle East Throughout History | |
ANTH 0103 | Origin and Culture of Cities | |
ANTH 1340 | Making the Natural World: An Introduction to Political Ecology | |
ANTH 2130 | Local Biologies | |
ANTH 2970 | Nature Culture Environmentalism | |
ANTH 2317 | The Politics of Matter and the Matter of Politics | |
ANTH 3310 | Historical Ecology | |
ANTH 3240 | Plants and Society | |
STSC 1880 | Environment and Society | |
STSC 1897 | Environmental History | |
STSC 2829 | Nature's Nation: Americans and Their Environment | |
STSC 3607 | Data Dreams | |
HSOC 3824 | Animals in Science Medicine Technology | |
HSOC 4588 | Environments and Health | |
HSSC 5800 | Environmental History | |
| Natural Science Approaches to Environmental Inquiry | ||
| Select one of the following: | 1 | |
ENVS 1000 | Introduction to Environmental Science | |
ENVS 1615 | Urban Environments: Speaking About Lead in West Philadelphia | |
ENVS 1625 | Community Based Environmental Health | |
ENVS 1665 | Air Pollution: Sources & Effects in Urban Environments | |
ENVS 4200 | The anthropocene: Human-dominated Earth | |
BIOL 1604 | Humans and the Environment | |
BIOL 2140 | Evolution of Behavior: Animal Behavior | |
BIOL 2610 | Ecology: From individuals to ecosystems | |
CHEM 1200 | Environmental Chemistry | |
EESC 1060 | Natural Disturbances and Disasters | |
EESC 1030 | Oceanography | |
EESC 2300 | Global Climate Change | |
EESC 3300 | Glaciers,Ice & Climate | |
EESC 4336 | Ocean-Atmosphere Dynamics and Implications for Future Climate Change | |
EESC 4400 | Biogeochemistry | |
EESC 4660 | Soil Science | |
| Touchstone Course | ||
| Transdisciplinary Environmental Humanities | 1 | |
| Public Engagement Requirement | ||
| If completed using one of the courses below, this credit can double count as one of Requirements I, II, and III, above. This requirement may also be fulfilled with an independent study, credit-bearing summer project or other course with a significant community-based research or service component, but requires prior approval from the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies | 1 | |
ENGL 2222 | August Wilson and Beyond | |
or AFRC 2325 | August Wilson and Beyond | |
ENVS 1440 | Liquid Histories and Floating Archives | |
or GRMN 1140 | Liquid Histories and Floating Archives | |
or HIST 0872 | Liquid Histories and Floating Archives | |
ENVS 1540 | Comparative Cultures of Sustainability | |
ANTH 2970 | Nature Culture Environmentalism | |
ENVS 1615 | Urban Environments: Speaking About Lead in West Philadelphia | |
ENVS 1625 | Community Based Environmental Health | |
ENVS 1665 | Air Pollution: Sources & Effects in Urban Environments | |
| Capstone Course | ||
| ANTH 5440 | Public Environmental Humanities | 1 |
| or COML 5440 | Public Environmental Humanities | |
| or GRMN 5440 | Public Environmental Humanities | |
| or URBS 5440 | Public Environmental Humanities |
The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2022 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.

