email Dr. Goldin
The
study of the environment challenges traditional notions of limits and
boundaries. Enormously complex and highly interdependent, our
environment on the Earth encompasses the soils and geology of the
lithosphere, the oceans, glaciers, streams, and freshwater bodies of
the hydrosphere, gases and particulate matter of the atmosphere, and
the complex "web of
life" of the biosphere. Contamination and disturbance of any of these
parts
can cause subtle, yet profound, problems that can affect our present
lives
and those of future generations. Devising solutions to these requires
both
a background in science, an ability to understand historical
perspectives,
and the skills to communicate with people and appreciate their values.
Short-term technical or legislative fixes alone will not be enough; we
must have a
diverse background in order to propose creative solutions to difficult
problems.
Lasting solutions to environmental issues will come
from talented men and women who combine strong backgrounds in
the natural sciences with broad understanding of culture, economics,
ethics, politics, and religion. Westminster College has created an
interdisciplinary program to provide the knowledge, skills, and
perspectives needed to understand, address, and resolve the
environmental challenges of our global society. The Environmental
Science Program is designed to provide a core curriculum in soil, water
and earth sciences along with courses relating the history and
literature on the environment with the politics and economics of the
environment on human society. Beyond the core the majors emphasize
either
the social/political/human attributes or the scientific. They are
designed
for students who want to specialize in environmental legislation,
planning,
or resource management versus those who prefer to work directly in the
environment
with soils, wildlife, or other natural resources.
Our challenging
interdisciplinary curriculum
combines academic rigor with real-world savvy. Intended to prepare
students
for successful careers in the environmental area as well as graduate
study,
such as the University of Missouri,
it fosters:
- Understanding of the relationships within the natural world and between that world and the "constructed reality" of humankind
- Ability to analyze and integrate knowledge from a wide range of disciplines
- Ability to communicate across disciplines and to collaborate with colleagues to solve problems and address real-world issues
Possible careers could include positions with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Forest Service, the Natural Resource Conervation Service, the Geological Survey, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management at the federal level, the Department of Conservation and the Department of Natural Resources at the state level, or private agencies, such as the Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club, the Trust for Public Land, and the Audubon Society.