Developing a Humanities-Informed Environmental Studies Major

FAIN: AKA-285817-22

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (Chattanooga, TN 37403-2504)
Catherine Meeks Quinlan (Project Director: September 2021 to present)
Jennifer Nagel Boyd (Co Project Director: January 2022 to present)
Lucy Christine Schultz (Co Project Director: January 2022 to present)

Planning an environmental studies major.

We propose to develop a humanities-informed Environmental Studies (EVST) Bachelor of Arts Major at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. This undergraduate program of study will connect the humanities to existing programs in environmental science and policy, provide new learning opportunities for students and scholarly activities for faculty, build on the newly developed EVST minor to create additional courses that integrate humanistic perspectives with environmental issues, and support our institutional mission by connecting the curriculum to the community. The interpretive approach of the humanities continues to be underrepresented in framing and solving urgent environmental issues. The EVST program at UTC will provide a pathway for students to examine both the historical context(s) and scientific and cultural bases of the environmental problems their generation faces, and build the communication and critical thinking skills needed to effectively enact positive change.