Environmental Studies

The interdisciplinary field of environmental studies explores the relationships of humans to their physical environments. The major allows students to gain an appreciation for their physical surroundings and an understanding of our dependence on the natural world. Systemic analyses are emphasized as well as solutions to our environmental challenges that involve government action, collective effort, and personal initiative. As environmental issues are multidisciplinary, the major combines study of the natural sciences and scientific research with relevant coursework in the social sciences.

Lesley College Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Environmental Studies students can take advantage of programs and courses at other Lesley schools and institutes to fulfill requirements of their majors (and the minor in Environmental Studies). Students can enroll in the Audubon Expedition Institute (AEI) program for a semester and may take relevant courses in the Adult Baccalaureate College. Students can also enroll in courses offered through the Marine Studies Consortium, of which Lesley is a member institution. Each of these programs is described below, and course descriptions can be found in the course descriptions section of the catalog.

Requirements of the Environmental Studies Major

Audubon Expedition Institute

The Audubon Expedition Institute (AEI) offers students with a passion for the environment the opportunity to engage in a rigorous, cross-disciplinary explortion of human and natural systems. Each learning community immerses itself in a particular region (Southwest, Pacific Northwest, Alaska) and engages in self-directed learning whle traveling on a bus with faculty, and sleeping and eating outdoors. The sixteen credit semester includes Regional Environmental Issues, Learning Community as Personal and Social Change, and Environmental Literature.

Lesley College students can enroll in one semester with the Audubon Expedition Institute and earn 15 credits toward their Environmental Studies major. One semester with AEI also constitutes an Environmental Studies Minor. Students majoring in Natural Science and Mathematics can also enroll in AEI's semester on the bus, with some credits counting toward their major and others counting toward general education or as electives.

For more information, visit AEI's website at www.lesley.edu/gsass/audubon/index.html

Marine Studies Consortium (MSC)

Lesley University is a member institution of the Marine Studies Consortium (MSC). This consortium is an association of 18 Massachusetts higher education and research institutions. Students wishing to take MSC courses should contact Dr. David Morimoto, Program Director, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, (617)349-8226, or morimoto@lesley.edu. A fee of $425 is required per course, in addition to the regular registration costs. Full information about the MSC can be found at www.brandeis.edu/marinestudies/

Marine Studies Consortium Academic Program

MSC courses offer unique learning opportunities in marine and aquatic sciences, environmental policy, and environmental management. The courses are potential choices for Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Environmental Studies majors, as well as education majors (Introduction to Maine Mammals, especially). The Biology of Fishes course, offered at the New England Aquarium, may be the only ichthyology course in the world where students use their resources of a major aquarium at every class meeting. Other courses, such as the Biology of Whales and Water Resources Management, are offered nowhere else in New England at the undergraduate level. Courses are held during the evenings on the campuses of our member institutions.