Student Learning Goals
- Competence beyond the major-track introductory level in interpreting environmental information
- Develop a deeper understanding of the complex connections between environmental issues and social or political issues
- Develop the analytical and critical capacities necessary to formulate compelling arguments about environmental issues
- Engage both scholars in the field who are making important environmental contributions and the lay public in discourse about environmental issues (mode of expression varied)
- Undertake a senior capstone project encompassing practical and theoretical experiences in environmental issues
Method of Evaluation
Meetings with the student’s advisor. Students will periodically meet with their environmental studies advisor to reflect on their progress in the major. At minimum, these meetings will occur once per semester during the course scheduling period. Because environmental studies is inherently multidisciplinary and because every student is linked to a primary major, ENVS student trajectories within the major are highly individualized.
Senior capstone and senior colloquium. Every major completes a capstone project during their senior year. The format of the capstone is typically determined by the student's primary department (e.g., thesis, essay, performance, exhibit). The purpose of the capstone experience is to challenge students to think creatively, deeply, and originally about an environmental issue and to produce a significant work that uses their expertise from their primary major. Students formally propose their capstone projects at the end of their Junior year, and the proposals are evaluated and approved by the Chair of ENVS. Several times throughout their senior year, students present progress reports of their projects in the senior colloquium; faculty and student-peers attending the colloquia provide feedback for improvement. Finished capstone projects that are written under the auspices of the student's primary major are evaluated by the primary major department capstones written for ENVS are evaluated by the ENVS program.
Senior reflection. Seniors will be asked to reflect on their experiences in the major. They will analyze their personal development in environmental studies and how the program impacted their development. These reflections will be recorded in the form of a questionnaire. Also, during one of the final colloquia in the spring, students will be encouraged to share their thoughts in a group setting and this will be recorded.
How the Program Uses Assessment Information
The capstone projects and, more informally, the oral presentations in the senior colloquium, will help the ENVS faculty evaluate the success of the curriculum in fulfilling the learning goals of the program. Senior reflections on their experiences in the major will help inform curricular needs. For a multidisciplinary program with its faculty spread across all three divisions, the common experiences of the senior capstone/senior colloquium and senior reflections will be critical for the evaluation of both students and the program. Once a year, a committee will use information from these common experiences to discuss the state of the program. A summary of these discussions, including any recommendations for change, will be shared with the full ENVS faculty.