The major in Environmental Studies equips students with a broad understanding of (i) the complex and often conflicting interrelationships between human societies and their environment; and (ii) the strategies, or sets of strategies that are available to address our most intractable environmental problems. Reflecting the complexity of human-environment relationships, the major in Environmental Studies offers a range of possible study areas, from natural ecological and Earth system processes, through environmental management, resource use and policy, to cultural ecology and the history of environmental change, perception and philosophy. The breadth of disciplinary coverage means that the courses relevant to this major are taught across several ANU Colleges, including Arts and Social Sciences; Asia and the Pacific; Business and Economics; Law; and Medicine, Biology and Environment. Different coherent approaches and areas of focus are achieved by grouping these courses to meet students' particular interests, ranging from a concentration on those natural resources that provide the essential economic foundations for society through to the study of more general aspects of the environment affecting quality of life. A common theme is the interactivity between humans and their environment at the individual and societal levels, as well as global, regional and local scale change processes. The major in Environmental Studies provides students with the multidisciplinary perspectives, skills and knowledge to engage meaningfully with the complex problems facing societies and the environment in the 21st century.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Understand the connections between human culture, institutions and policies and environmental systems and change.
- Critically assess the relationships between human cultures and societies, the institutions, economic and political paradigms that characterise them, and the impacts on the natural environment.
- Apply multi- and interdisciplinary approaches to tackling complex problems in a variety of contexts (e.g. climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainability in business and industry, regional planning, land care, public participation, and cultural heritage).
- Gather and analyse relevant data for creating adaptive responses to environmental issues.
- Synthesise the principal approaches to environmental management and other relevant fields of study.
Relevant Degrees
Requirements
Advice to Students
INDG3004 Indigenous Studies Supervised Research Project must be completed in an Environmental Studies topic.
Overview
This major requires the completion of 48 units, of which:
A maximum of 12 units may come from completion of 1000-level courses
A minimum of 6 units must come from completion of 3000-level courses
The 48 units must consist of:
12 units from completion of the following course(s):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ENVS1001 | Environment and Society: Geography of Sustainability | 6 |
| ENVS2011 | Human Ecology | 6 |
6 units from completion of the following course(s):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ENVS1003 | Introduction to Environmental and Social Research | 6 |
| ENVS1004 | Australia's Environment | 6 |
| ENVS1008 | Sustainable Development | 6 |
| SOCR1001 | Foundations of Social Research | 6 |
A minimum of 6 units must come from completion of courses from the following list:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ENVS2002 | Environmental Measurement, Modelling and Monitoring | 6 |
| ENVS2007 | Economics for the Environment | 6 |
| ENVS2014 | Qualitative Research Methods for Sustainability | 6 |
| ENVS2015 | GIS and Spatial Analysis | 6 |
| SOCY2038 | Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods | 6 |
| SOCY2043 | Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods | 6 |
A minimum of 6 units must come from completion of courses from the following list:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH2135 | Vietnam Field School | 6-12 |
| ARCH2041 | Introduction to Environmental Archaeology | 6 |
| ARTV2921 | Environment Studio: field based research and studio practice in visual arts | 6 |
| ASIA2093 | Natural Resource Conflicts in Asia and the Pacific | 6 |
| BIAN2064 | Anthropology of Environmental Disasters | 6 |
| BIAN2119 | Nutrition, Disease and the Environment | 6 |
| DEMO2001 | Population Studies | 6 |
| ENVS2005 | Island Sustainable Development: Fiji Field School | 6-12 |
| ENVS2012 | Sustainable Urban Systems | 6 |
| ENVS2013 | Society and Environmental Change | 6 |
| ENVS2023 | Sustainable Agricultural Systems | 6 |
| HUMN2004 | Global Vietnam: Gender, Labour and Migration | 6 |
| HUMN2051 | Introduction to Cultural Heritage Management | 6 |
| INDG2001 | Indigenous Cultural and Natural Resource Management | 6 |
| PASI3013 | Environment and Development in the Pacific | 6 |
| PHIL2126 | Science in Society: Ethics, Public Policy and Scientific Practice | 6 |
| POLS2011 | Development and Change | 6 |
| POLS3033 | Environment, Human Security, and Conflict | 6 |
| SOCY2008 | Risk and Society | 6 |
| SOCY2022 | Environmental Sociology | 6 |
A minimum of 6 units must come from completion of courses from the following list:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ANIP3003 | Australian National Internships Program Internship A | 6 |
| ENVS3001 | Climate Change Science & Policy in Practice | 6 |
| ENVS3004 | Land and Catchment Management | 6 |
| ENVS3005 | Water Management | 6 |
| ENVS3007 | Participatory Resource Management: Working with Communities and Stakeholders | 6 |
| ENVS3015 | Essentials of Environmental Law | 6 |
| ENVS3020 | Climate Change Science & Policy | 6 |
| ENVS3021 | Human Futures | 6 |
| ENVS3028 | Environmental Policy | 6 |
| ENVS3033 | International Environmental Policy | 6 |
| ENVS3039 | Biodiversity Conservation | 6 |
| ENVS3040 | Complex Environmental Problems in Action | 6 |
| INDG3004 | Indigenous Studies Supervised Research Project | 6 |
| MGMT3101 | Business and the Natural Environment | 6 |
| VCUG3001 | Unravelling Complexity | 6 |