Do you love the natural world but also love thinking about culture, people, politics, media, economics, history, literature, art, power, justice, and identity? Do you want to save the planet and also make the world a more equitable place for all its inhabitants? Do you want to develop a wide range of skills to address the world’s most pressing environmental justice dilemmas? Consider an interdisciplinary Environmental Studies degree at Cal Poly Humboldt.
The Environmental Studies major provides students with tools for understanding the complex relationships between human communities and both “natural” and built environments–places where we live, work, and play. The program cultivates critical analysis of environmental problems using tools from a variety of disciplines, helps students analyze environmental messages and communicate them effectively, and enables them to act on behalf of environmental justice as informed citizens and professionals. This requires an ability to integrate knowledge from a variety of disciplines, from both inside and outside academia, and is informed by careful reflection upon ethical concerns and societal values.
Students tailor their focus in the degree by choosing a suite of applied courses in one “emphasis area” that are designed as career-preparation skill-sets: Ecology and Conservation Science, Geospatial Analysis, Media Production, Community Organizing, or Appropriate Technology.