Admission to the Major - Apply by February 1, 2010 for the Class of 2012

If interested in applying to the Environmental Studies major, please submit the following materials to Debbie Broadwater, Program Manager, Environmental Studies Program:  deborah.broadwater@yale.edu or Kroon Hall Room G04, 195 Prospect Street.

1. Applicant’s name, address, phone number and email address.
2. A current resume.
3. A transcript (official or unofficial) of work at Yale that includes a listing of spring 2010 courses.
4. A statement of purpose indicating academic interests and a proposed area of individual concentration.

This year applications will be due by Monday, February 1, 2010.  A committee of EVST faculty will review proposals and successful applicants will demonstrate commitment to the major, focus within the proposed concentration (by discipline and issue or problem), academic performance, and clarity of plans to complete all course requirements.  It is not necessary to have completed all prerequisites or core courses by the time of applications.  Recommendation letters are not needed.   Please contact Debbie Broadwater with any questions you may have.

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Depending on the student's particular environmental interest, the DUS may recommend that students consult a member of the participating faculty in EVST to act as his/her advisor. Participating faculty share responsibility with the DUS for advising the student on his/her selection of courses each semester, on how to fulfill requirements for graduation including the distribution requirements, on plans for an area of concentration and choice of the senior research project. The faculty advisor is a valuable guide in helping students during and after their time at Yale by aiding in planning their curriculum, providing career advice, and writing recommendations for students when the time comes.

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Specific Advising Checkpoints

Planning entry to the major: All students seriously considering the Environmental Studies (EVST) major should plan on seeing the EVST Director of Undergraduate Study (DUS) as early as possible, preferably as freshmen during the September advising period.

Admission to the major: See above.

Junior Checkpoint: During the second semester of the junior year, students should consult advisors and submit a preliminary prospectus for their senior project along with a plan for completing the requirements of the major. They will be given considerable latitude if the proposed program is justified convincingly.

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Area of Concentration

Study in an area of concentration provides the knowledge, skills, and techniques in a particular field that students will need to pursue an original piece of work and write an essay as a senior under the direction of the faculty. Students plan their concentration in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the student's advisor. A concentration is defined as six courses that provide depth in a field of interest; four courses should be intermediate and upper level electives from a single department or program and at least two additional electives from relevant disciplines outside the immediate area of concentration forming a coherent area of study. Areas of concentration may be centered in a department. Those on the following list work well, but others are also possible: Anthropology, Economics, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Engineering, Geology and Geophysics, History, or Political Science, and programs such as American Studies, International Studies, or one of the area studies, Latin American, East Asian Studies, Ethics, Politics, and Economics, Urban Studies, or the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. It is also possible to develop an area of concentration between several departments centered on a particular theme that the student wants to pursue in depth.

Students interested in History as an area of concentration should plan to include at least one of the junior seminars dealing with environmental history (HIST 400-490) in their program. These seminars provide instruction in analyzing sources, interpreting evidence and the art of historical writing. This might also be valuable experience for other students in environmental studies. Students must have taken the core course in Environmental History and one other course in history before enrolling in one of the junior seminars in history.

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A Customized Major

Environmental Studies is an interdisciplinary major. Its foundation is a basic grounding in chemistry, biology, and math, combined with core courses addressing the environment. On this broad foundation, students build their own areas of concentration and senior research. However, the primary criterion for approval is the availability of courses supporting the concentration, and the availability of faculty to provide guidance.  The following concentrations and associated courses provide examples (see below).

Examples of Concentrations with Associated Courses

I. Food and Agriculture: 

Affiliated Faculty:  Mark Bradford, Kelly Brownell, Robert Harms, Andrew Hill, Debbie Humphries, Daniel Kevles, Florencia Montagnini, Peter Perdue, James Saiers, James Scott, Kalyanakrishnan Sivaramakrishnan, Ronald Smith, John Wargo, Harvey Weiss

• EVST 255b/F&ES 255b/PLSC 215b*, Environmental Politics and Law - John Wargo
• EVST 367a/F&ES 367a, Water Resources & Environmental Change – James Saiers
• EVST 420b/HIST 313Jb, Asian Environments and Frontiers – Peter Perdue
• ANTH 320a/ARCH 720a/ARCH 320a/ANTH 720a, Mesopotamian Origins – Harvey Weiss
• ANTH 456a/ARCG 456a/ARCG 856a/ANTH 856a, Reconstructing Human Evolution: An Ecological Approach – Andrew Hill
• G&G 362b/ARCG 362b, Observing Earth from Space - Ronald Smith
• HUMS 376a/ANTH 150a/ARCG 100a/NELC 100a, The Genesis and Collapse of Old World Civilizations - Harvey Weiss
• ANTH 541a, F&ES 80054a, HIST 965a, PLSC 779a**, Agrarian Societies – Kalyanakrishnan Sivaramakrishnan, Peter Perdue, James Scott
• CDE 543a**, Global Aspects of Food and Nutrition, Debbie Humphries
• F&ES 62013a**, Introduction to Soil Science - Florencia Montagnini, Mark Bradford
• F&ES 80085a**, Agriculture and the Environment - Douglas Gollin

* Core Environmental Studies major course
** Graduate Level Courses: Permission from the instructor needed.

II. Climate Change and Energy

Affiliated Faculty: Robert Bailis, Alexi Federov, Arnulf Grubler, Leo Hickey, Xuhui Lee, Erin Mansur, Robert Mendelsohn, William Nordhaus, Mark Pagani, Nicholas Robinson, Paul Sabin, Ronald Smith, Karl Turekian, John Wargo, Jeff Wettlaufer

• EVST 125b/G&G 120b, Earth’s Changing Climate – Karl Turekian, John Wettlaufer
• EVST 201a/G&G 140a*, Atmosphere, Ocean, and Environmental Change - Ronald Smith
• EVST 320a/F&ES 320a, International Environmental Law – Nicholas Robinson
• EVST 398a, Energy, Climate, Law & Policy – John Wargo
• ECON 331b, The Economics of Energy and Climate Change – William Nordhaus
• F&ES 61005b**, Climate and Life - Xuhui Lee
• F&ES 80030a/F&ES 863a**, Forecasting Energy Futures: Pitfalls and Prospects – Jonathan Koomey
• F&ES 80186a/MGT 820a**, Energy Markets Strategy – Erin Mansur
• F&ES 86025a/F&ES 817a**, Energy Systems Analysis – Jonathan Koomey
• G&G 205b, Natural Resources and their Sustainability – David Evans, Jay Ague
• G&G 335a, Physical Oceanography - Alexey Fedorov
• G&G 335a, Physical Oceanography - Alexey Fedorov
• G&G 402b, Paleoclimates – Mark Pagani
• G&G 485b/ENAS 485b, Wind Energy - Ronald Smith, Alessandro Gomez, Peter Kindlmann

* Core Environmental Studies major course
** Graduate Level Courses: Permission from the instructor needed.

III. Health, Chemicals, and Environmental Quality

Affiliated Faculty: Paul Anastas, Shimon Anisfeld, Michelle Bell, Gaboury Benoit, Ruth Blake, Jonathan Borak, Stephen Latham, William Mitch, Mark Pagani, Catherine Skinner, John Tully, Karl Turekian, Robert Wyman, John Wargo, Julie Zimmerman

• EVST 255b/F&ES 255b/PLSC 215b*, Environmental Politics and Law - John Wargo
• EVST 307b/F&ES 307b, Organic Pollutants in the Environment - Shimon Anisfeld
• EVST 344b/F&ES 344b/F&ES 60109b, Aquatic Chemistry – Gaboury Benoit
• EVST 398a, Energy, Climate, Law & Policy – John Wargo
• CDE 508a**, Principles of Epidemiology – Linda Niccolai
• EHS 502a/CDE 502a**, Physiology for Public Health – Catherine Yeckel
• EHS 503a/F&ES 96005a**, Introduction to Toxicology - Jonathan Borak
• EHS 507a**, Environmental Epidemiology – Tongzhang Zheng
• EHS 525a**, Seminar in Environmental Health – Yawei Zhang
• ENVE 373a/CENG 373a/F&ES 60011a, Air Pollution Control – Yehia Khalil
• ENVE 377b/CENG 377b/F&ES 60012b, Water Quality Control – William Mitch
• ENVE 445a/ENAS 445a/ENAS 655a, Environmental Risk Assessment – Yehia Khalil
• ENVE 448a/ENAS 648a, Environmental Transport Processes – Joseph Pignatello
• F&ES 443a/F&ES 60027a, Environmental Chemical Analysis – Helmut Ernstberger
• F&ES 61110a/F&ES 708a**, Biogeochemistry and Pollution – Gaboury Benoit
• F&ES 90004a/EMD 572a**, Ecology and Epidemiology of Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases – Maria Diuk-Wasser
• MCDB 150b/HIST 400b, Global Problems of Population Growth - Robert Wyman, Fabian Drixler

* Core Environmental Studies major course
** Graduate Level Courses: Permission from the instructor needed.

IV. Urban and Rural Development

 Affiliated Faculty:  Patrick Bayer, Ellen Brennan-Galvin, Katerina Clark, Kathryn Dudley, Keller Easterling, Cynthia Farrar, Emil Frankel, Alexander Garvin, Robert Harms, Dolores Hayden, Cynthia Horan, Matthew Jacobson, Mary Lui, Julie Newman, Alan Plattus, Douglas Rae, Christopher Rhomberg, Michael Rowe, Elihu Rubin, Karen Seto, Helen Siu, Robert Solomon, Jay Winter

• AMST 207a/ARCH 340a, American Cultural Landscapes: An Introduction to the History of the Built Environment - Dolores Hayden
• AMST 350b/ARCH 350b, Suburbs and the Culture of Sprawl - Dolores Hayden
• ARCH 344a, Urban Life and Landscape – Elihu Rubin
• ARCH 345b, Civic Art: Introduction to Urban Design - Elihu Rubin, Andrei Harwell
• ARCH 347a/PLSC 250a, Infrastructure: Politics and Design – Elihu Rubin
• ARCH 4021a/F&ES 86048a**, Introduction to Planning and Development – Alexander Garvin
• F&ES 86024b**, Transportation and the Urban Future – Ellen Brennan-Galvin
• F&ES 86059a/F&ES 842a**, Cities and Sustainability in the Developing World – Ellen Brennan-Galvin
• PLSC 245a, Urban Politics and Policy – Cynthia Horan
• STCY 176b, Introduction to the Study of the City - Alexander Garvin

** Graduate Level Courses: Permission from the instructor needed.

V. Biological Diversity and Conservation

 Affiliated Faculty: Ruth Blake, Leo Buss, Adelgisa Caccone, Susan Clark, David Post, Jeffrey Powell, Peter Raymond, Oswald Schmitz, David Skelly, Melinda Smith, Stephen Stearns, Paul Turner

• EVST 270a/RLST263a, Indigenous Religions & Ecology – John Grim
• EVST 275b/F&ES 275b/F&ES 32007b, Ecosystems, Patterns & Processes – Peter Raymond
• EVST 285a/F&ES 285a, Political Ecology: Nature, Culture, and Power – Amity Doolittle
• EVST 330a/E&EB 330a/E&EB 630/F&ES 330a, Ecosystem Analysis – Melinda Smith, Peter Raymond
• EVST 400a/E&EB 275a, Biological Oceanography – Mary Beth Decker
• E&EB 115a/F&ES 315a, Conservation Biology – Jeffrey Powell, Walter Jetz
• E&EB 220a, General Ecology – David Post, Melinda Smith, David Vasseur
• E&EB 225b, Evolutionary Biology – Paul Turner, Peter Townsend
• F&ES 30009a/F&ES 557a**, Biogeography and Conservation – Dennis Stevenson
• F&ES 30114a/F&ES 562a**, Biodiversity Conservation – Oswald Schmitz
• F&ES 32006a/F&ES 554a**, Tropical Forest Ecology: The Basis for Conservation and Management – Florencia Montagnini
• F&ES 33012b**, Species and Ecosystem Conservation: An Interdisciplinary Approach – Susan Clark
• F&ES80061a/ANTH 561a**, Anthropology of the Global Economy for Development and Conservation – Carol Carpenter
• F&ES 83056a/ANTH 597a/F&ES 839a**, Social Science of Development and Conservation – Carol Carpenter

** Graduate Level Courses: Permission from the instructor needed.

VI. Water Resources

 Affiliated Faculty:  Jay Ague, Shimon Anisfeld, Gaboury Benoit, Richard Burroughs, Menachem Elimelech, James MacBroom, William Mitch, Sheila Olmstead, Lisa Pfefferle, James Saiers, Brian Skinner, James Wallis

• EVST 201a/G&G 140a*, Atmosphere, Ocean, and Environmental Change - Ronald Smith
• EVST 344b/F&ES 344b/F&ES 60109b, Aquatic Chemistry – Gaboury Benoit
• EVST 367a/F&ES 367a, Water Resources & Environmental Change – James Saiers
• EVST 400a/F&ES 32121a/F&ES 559a/E&EB 275a/E&EB 575a, Biological Oceanography – Mary Beth Decker
• EVST 424a/PLSC 420a/ANTH 406a, Rivers: Nature and Politics – James Scott
• EVST 440b/F&ES 440b, Environmental Hydrology - James Saiers
• ENVE 371a/ENAS 371a, Introduction to Hydrology and Water Resources - James Wallis
• ENVE 448a/ENAS 648a, Environmental Transport Processes – Joseph Pignatello
• ENVE 377b/CENG 377b/F&ES 60012b, Water Quality Control – William Mitch
• G&G 205b, Natural Resources and their Sustainability – David Evans, Jay Ague
• G&G 335a, Physical Oceanography - Alexey Fedorov
• F&ES 60022b**, Watershed Cycles and Processes – Peter Raymond, James Saiers
• F&ES 61016b**, Water Resources – Shimon Anisfeld
• F&ES 61024a/F&ES 719a**, River Processes and Restoration - James MacBroom
• F&ES 62017a/F&ES 713a**, Coastal Ecosystems: Natural Processes and Anthropogenic Impacts - Shimon Anisfeld
• F&ES 65014b**, Coastal Ecosystem Governance - Richard Burroughs

* Core Environmental Studies major course
** Graduate Level Courses: Permission from the instructor needed.

The Yale College courses mentioned above are only a small portion of courses that are suggested for use in developing an area of concentration. The courses listed below is a more comprehensive list. However, note that some of these courses have prerequisites outside the Environmental Studies requirements.  They are also recommended to fulfill distribution requirements in Yale College.

Humanities

• AMST 207a/ARCH 340a, American Cultural Landscapes: An Introduction to the History of the Built Environment - Dolores Hayden
• AMST 258a, Wilderness in the North American Imagination – Mary Greenfield
• AMST 350b/ARCH 350b, Suburbs and the Culture of Sprawl - Dolores Hayden
• ARCH 163b, Environment, Energy, Building – Michelle Addington
• ARCH 344a, Urban Life and Landscape – Elihu Rubin
• ARCH 345b, Civic Art: Introduction to Urban Design - Elihu Rubin, Andrei Harwell
• ARCH 347a/PLSC 250a, Infrastructure: Politics and Design – Elihu Rubin
• ENGL 250a, Romantic Poetry – Leslie Brisman
• EVST 215a, Scientific and Environmental Writing – Carl Zimmer
• EVST 270a/RLST 875a/RLST263a, Indigenous Religions & Ecology – John Grim
• EVST 310b/HIS 132Jb, U.S. Global Resources Frontiers – Paul Sabin
• EVST 325a/ENGL 248a, Nature Writing in the English-Speaking World – Linda Peterson
• EVST 420b/HIST 313Jb, Asian Environments and Frontiers – Peter Perdue
• RLST 280b, World Religions and Ecology: Asian Religions – Mary Tucker, John Grim

Social Sciences

• ANTH 150a/ARCG 100a/HUMS 376a/NELC 100a, The Genesis and Collapse of Old World Civilizations – Harvey Weiss
• ANTH 320a/ARCH 320a, Mesopotamian Origins – Harvey Weiss
• ANTH 456a/ARCG 456a, Reconstructing Human Evolution: An Ecological Approach – Andrew Hill
• ECON 325b/INTS 352b, Economics of Developing Countries – Dean Karlan
• ECON 330a, Economics of Natural Resources – Robert Mendelsohn
• ECON 331b, The Economics of Energy and Climate Change – William Nordhaus
• EVST 170b, Sustainability and Institutions: Innovation and Transformation – Julie Newman
• EVST 272a/INTS 330a/EP&E 370a/PLSC 270a, Capitalism: Success, Crisis, and Reform – Douglas Rae
• EVST 285a/F&ES 285a, Political Ecology: Nature, Culture, and Power – Amity Doolittle
• EVST 320a/F&ES 320a, International Environmental Law – Nicholas Robinson
• EVST 355b/PLSC 200b, Political Economy of Environmental Policy – Susan Rose-Ackerman
• EVST 398a, Energy, Climate, Law & Policy – John Wargo
• EVST 424a/PLSC 420a/ANTH 406a, Rivers: Nature and Politics – James Scott
• EVST 473a/ANTH 473a/ARCG 473a/NELC 188a, Civilizations and Collapse – Harvey Weiss
• PLSC 212a, Democracy and Sustainability – Michael Fotos
• PLSC 239b, Experimental Methods in Political Science – Alan Gerber, Donald Green
• PLSC 245a, Urban Politics and Policy – Cynthia Horan
• PLSC 335b, Environmental Ethics – Thomas Donahue
• STCY 176b, Introduction to the Study of the City - Alexander Garvin

Natural Sciences

• E&EB 115a/F&ES 315a, Conservation Biology – Jeffrey Powell, Walter Jetz
• E&EB 220a, General Ecology – David Post, Melinda Smith, David Vasseur
• E&EB 225b, Evolutionary Biology – Paul Turner, Peter Townsend
• EVST 125b/G&G 120b, Earth’s Changing Climate – Karl Turekian, John Wettlaufer
• EVST 200b/G&G 200b, Earth Systems Science – Jeffrey Park
• EVST 260a/F&ES 260a, Structure, Function, and Development of Trees and Other Vascular Plants – Graeme Berlyn
• EVST 275b/F&ES 275b, Ecosystems, Patterns & Processes – Peter Raymond
• EVST 276Lb/F&ES 276Lb, Laboratory For Ecosystems Patterns and Processes – Peter Raymond
• EVST 290a/F&ES 290a, Geographic Information Systems – Charles Tomlin
• EVST 307b/F&ES 307b, Organic Pollutants in the Environment - Shimon Anisfeld
• EVST 330a/E&EB 330a/F&ES 330a, Ecosystem Analysis – Melinda Smith, Peter Raymond
• EVST 344b/F&ES 344b, Aquatic Chemistry – Gaboury Benoit
• EVST 367a/F&ES 367a, Water Resources & Environmental Change – James Saiers
• EVST 400a/F&ES 32121a/F&ES 559a/E&EB 275a/E&EB 575a, Biological Oceanography – Mary Beth Decker
• EVST 440b/F&ES 440b, Environmental Hydrology - James Saiers
• F&ES 443a, Environmental Chemical Analysis – Helmut Ernstberger
• G&G 110a, Introductory Geoscience – Danny Rye
• G&G 125b/E&EB 125b, The History of Life – Derek Briggs, Jacques Gauthier
• G&G 205b, Natural Resources and their Sustainability – David Evans, Jay Ague
• G&G 230a/ARCG 230a, Stratigraphy – Leo Hickey
• G&G 335a, Physical Oceanography - Alexey Fedorov
• G&G 362b/ARCG 362b, Observing Earth from Space - Ronald Smith
• G&G 402b, Paleoclimates – Mark Pagani
• G&G 485b/ENAS485b, Wind Energy – Ronald Smith, Alessandro Gomez, Peter Kindlmann
• MCDB 150b/HIST 400b, Global Problems of Population Growth – Robert Wyman, Fabian Drixler

Statistics, and Engineering

• ECON 131a or b, Econometrics and Data Analysis I – Lanier Benkard (131a); Taisuke Otsu (131b)
• ECON 135a, Introduction to Probability and Statistics – Xiaohong Chen
• ENVE 371a/ENAS 371a, Introduction to Hydrology and Water Resources - James Wallis
• ENVE 373a/CENG 373a, Air Pollution Control – Yehia Khalil
• ENVE 377b/CENG 377b, Water Quality Control – William Mitch
• ENVE 443a/ENAS 443a/F&ES 380a, Greening Business Operations – Thomas Graedel
• ENVE 445a/ENAS 445a, Environmental Risk Assessment – Yehia Khalil
• ENVE 448a/ENAS 648a, Environmental Transport Processes – Joseph Pignatello
• STAT 101-106, Introduction to Statistics – Jonathan Reuning-Scherer and Staff
• STAT 128b, Real-World Statistics – John Emerson
• STAT 230b/MATH 235b, Introductory Data Analysis
• STAT 238a, Probability and Statistics – Joseph Chang
• STAT 313b, Experimental Design – Timothy Gregoire, Jonathan Reuning-Scherer
• STAT 363b, Multivariate Statistics for Social Sciences – Jonathan Reuning-Scherer

Official Yale College course information is found at the Yale Online Course Information Web site, www.yale.edu/courseinfo/.

EVST Program | EVST Courses

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• EVST 215a, Science and Environmental Writing - Carl Zimmer, EVST
• EVST 285a / F&ES 285a, Political Ecology: Nature, Culture and Power - Amity Doolitle, F&ES
• EVST 290a / F&ES 290a, Geographic Information Systems - Charles (Dana) Tomlin, F&ES
• EVST 320a / F&ES 320a, International Environmental Law, Nicholas Robinson, F&ES
• EVST 367a / F&ES 367a, Water Resources & Environmental Change - James Saiers, F&ES
• EVST 398, Energy, Climate, Law & Policy - John Wargo, F&ES and PLSC

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During the summer between the junior and senior years, students have an opportunity to gain practical experience in the field through courses, research positions, or appropriate internships in an area pertinent to their senior research project. Internships may be arranged with environmental organizations or government agencies. Although the summer program is optional, many students take advantage of this opportunity with partial support from the program.

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Senior Research

Seniors are required to take one or two semesters of Senior Research.

Senior Research Project and Colloquium
John Wargo (F&ES) and faculty
EVST 496a and/or b

Independent research under the supervision of members of the faculty. Students meet with peers and faculty regularly throughout the fall semester to discuss the progress of their research. Projects should offer substantial opportunity for interdisciplinary work on environmental problems. The results of this research form the basis of the senior essay. Students may choose either a one- or two-term senior project.

All current and incoming students interested in the Environmental Studies major should meet with the DUS.

Upon entering Yale University, students become a member of one of the twelve residential colleges on campus. Each college provides a team of advisors who will help students make choices about their course of study and provide advice about courses to take.

Each entering student has a freshman counselor, who is a senior student living with the freshman. The student counselor provides information about curriculum, courses and instructors from the student’s point of view. Valuable as this is, it should not substitute for the advice of a faculty advisor. The second advisor is usually a faculty fellow associated with your residential college. This faculty advisor will discuss with the student about how to plan his/her program and fulfill the distributional requirements for the first year. The third person on the first-year advising team is the dean of the student's residential college. The dean has ultimate authority over decisions about the student's program of study.

All current and incoming students interested in the Environmental Studies (EVST) major should also meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) during the advising period in September. Students should consult with the DUS as early as possible in their academic career. Prospective EVST majors should complete the chemistry, biology, and math or physics prerequisites as soon as possible, preferably during the first year, in order to progress with the core of the major.

At the end of freshman year, the student may continue with the same faculty fellow advisor or choose a new faculty advisor for the following year. Remember that a student may want to change advisors as his/her interests develop.

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