The purpose of the Environmental Studies Program at Holy Cross is to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to engage fundamental questions related to the natural environment. The Program is interdisciplinary and emphasizes the complex interactions between humans and the environment. Environmental Studies students engage directly with the natural sciences to investigate the forces shaping environmental change. They study the historical, philosophical, cultural, artistic, and religious traditions that have shaped understandings of the relationship between humans and the environment. They also analyze the political and economic forces that generate the incentives shaping human/environment interactions. The Environmental Studies program seeks to foster informed discussion of core questions of environmental sustainability at the College, local, regional, and global levels and to prepare students to be active and effective leaders in confronting environmental challenges.
Majors: Students considering a major in Environmental Studies should consider enrolling in BIOL 117 Environmental Science in the first year. Students may also want to consider taking a course in the Environmental Studies core curriculum (e.g., CHEM 181 or ECON 110), and/or taking an environmentally themed Montserrat course.
Minors: Students considering a minor in Environmental Studies should also consider enrolling in BIOL 117 Environmental Science in the first year, and/or taking an environmentally themed Montserrat course.
All students considering the Environmental Studies major or minor should be aware that many ENVS classes count towards one of the College’s common area requirements, including the natural sciences, history, religious studies, philosophy, literature, social sciences, and the arts.
BIOL 117
Environmental Science
Common Area: Natural Science
The goal of this course is to provide an understanding of major environmental problems by studying their biological bases. Applied and basic material will be integrated in most sections. Basic topics include ecosystem structure, energy flow, biogeochemical cycles, population growth and regulation, and environmental policy. Applied topics include human population growth, agriculture and food production, pest control, conservation of forests and wildlife, preservation of biological diversity, energy use, water and air pollution, and atmospheric climate change.
BIOL 163
Intro Biol Diversity & Ecology
Common Area: Natural Science
An introduction to evolution, ecology and the diversity of life: plants, animals, fungi, protists and prokaryotes. Intended for all biology and environmental studies majors.
CHEM 181
Atoms & Molecules
Common Area: Natural Science
This introductory course will lead students to explore in depth the scientific method through the formulation and testing of hypotheses in the laboratory. Laboratory experiments (using modern instrumentation) will lead students to discover basic principles, i.e., stoichiometric relationships, electronic configuration and molecular structure. Lectures will explain and expand upon lab results. It is the first course in the introductory chemistry sequence for science majors and students interested in health professions.
ECON 110
Principles of Economics
Common Area: Social Science
Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources among competing uses. Microeconomics investigates how households and firms make individual decisions concerning the allocation of resources. Macroeconomics studies aggregate level economic outcomes such as growth, inflation, unemployment, interest rates, exchange rates, technological progress, and government budgets. This course introduces the central topics of both microeconomics and macroeconomics in one semester.
ENVS 118
Environmental Perspectives
Common Area: Social Science
This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of environmental studies, which examines the diverse relationships between humans and the natural and constructed worlds in which they live. This course will examine the complex ways that we think about what constitutes “nature” and “environment” and how humans do and should relate to these categories. It will then provide an overview of the emergence of environmental challenges as a topic of concern in the United States and globally as well as encourage students to engage with contemporary environmental challenges. We will place special emphasis on questions of how axes of difference (class, race, ethnicity, nationality, etc.) intersect with environmental change, using social justice as a core lens through which we will define, describe, and analyze impacts of and solutions to environmental challenges. Integrating approaches from the social sciences and humanities, the course will provide students with essential background for engaging in subsequent Environmental Studies courses – and for living in a rapidly changing world.
ENVS 199-F01
Introduction to Climate Change
Common Area: Natural Science
Climate change is the most pressing problem facing humanity and is already impacting every aspect of society. This course will cover the irrefutable scientific evidence on how humans are causing global warming and the current and projected impacts of climate change. The political and social science aspects of the “climate debate” will be explored, as well as science-informed policies that provide viable solutions to limit climate impacts. Pathways toward a more climate resilient and sustainable future that also address longstanding environmental justice issues will also be covered.
PHYS 115
Introductory Physics 1
Common Area: Natural Science
First semester course of a two-semester, calculus-based sequence, suitable for majors of physics, chemistry, or biology, as well as for those participating in the Health Professions Advisory Program (premedical, predental, etc.), the 3-2 Engineering Program, or in ROTC. Covers the theory of Newtonian mechanics and methods for solving quantitative and qualitative problems. Specific topics include motion in one and two dimensions; vectors, Newton's laws of motion, work and energy, linear momentum and collisions, rotational motion, static equilibrium, oscillatory motion, gravitation, fluid mechanics, and mechanical waves. There is an emphasis on applications of physics to natural phenomena and aspects of everyday life. The course meets four days per week and each class is a mixture of lecture and laboratory exercises; there is no separate lab meeting.
PHYS 146
The Physics of Energy
Common Area: Natural Science
How do we get energy from wind? What is the physics behind global warming? What are the potentials and dangers of nuclear power? This course will give you the scientific understanding of energy sources, transformations, and systems. Students will learn how we tap various sources of energy, how energy is used in our everyday lives, and the consequences of our growing demand for energy.