Program in Environmental Studies

View an interview with environmentalist Sheri Liao, recipient of an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University

As national and worldwide concern for the deterioration of our natural environment increases, it becomes imperative to subject environmental issues to systematic analysis and study. An understanding of these issues will complement and enhance careers in law, academics, health sciences and business, and give citizens the information they need to take an active and intelligent part in their own governance.

Since the issues of the environment, whether appearing in professional life or in the political arena, are couched in the language of values and moral choice, their consideration is particularly appropriate in universities committed to serious study of the ethical dimensions of public policy. To make such consideration possible, Fairfield's Program in Environmental Studies offers a series of Core and elective courses and seminars, and an 18 credit minor.

Special opportunities to link an environmental concentration at Fairfield University with ongoing international programs (in Brazil, Haiti, and Nicaragua, among others) make the Environmental Studies minor particularly useful to all students planning careers that may take them outside the borders of the United States.

The three Core Environmental Studies (EV) courses below provide a gateway to the field, a preliminary synthesis of ecology, policy, and ethics, and a capstone to integrate earlier studies. Each student chooses additional courses from the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities to complete the minor. It is expected that each student minoring in Environmental Studies will complete a 3-credit internship/independent study in his or her senior year.