Institute at Brown for Environment and Society
Undergraduate Curriculum
Requirements
A.B. in Environmental Studies: 13 courses
Sc.B. in Environmental Science: 18 courses
Environmental Studies & Sciences Track Course Options Guide
How to use ASK to declare a concentration in ENVS
NOTATION ABOUT PREVIOUS METHODS REQUIREMENT
In mid February IBES Faculty voted to remove the "Methods" requirement for Environmental Studies & Sciences concentrators. The Brown Curriculum Committee supported this decision and the change has been made, effective immediately. For those juniors and seniors who already took ENVS 1920 Methods for Interdisciplinary Environmental Research, you can reallocate the course on your ASK form to count towards fulfilling either a pending "Tools" or "Elective" requirement. If you previously received an INC or NC for ENVS 1920 you don't need to resolve the grade, and can simply delete the course from your ASK form.
Core
4 courses
The core provides students with the breadth needed to understand the multi-faceted nature of environmental challenges, as well as a common basis of understanding needed for collaboration across environmental fields.
- ECON 0110 - Introduction to Economics (prerequisite for many courses in certain tracks)
or
HIST 0150A - History of Capitalism - ENVS 0490 - Environmental Science in a Changing World
- ENVS 0110 - Humans, Nature, and the Environment
- BIOL 0210 - Diversity of Life or GEOL 0240 - Earth: Evolution of a Habitable Planet
Tracks
A.B. in Environmental Studies: 5 courses
Sc.B. in Environmental Science: 10 courses
Students select one of five tracks. Each track provides students with the focused course of study needed to deeply engage within a discipline or area of study. Courses meeting the requirements are listed below.
Requirements for AB Degree
Foundational - Select Two
- CHEM 0330 - Equilibrium, Rate, and Structure
- EEPS 0220 - Physical Processes in Geology
- ENGN 0030 - Introduction to Engineering
- ENGN 0032 - Introduction to Engineering: Design
- ENGN 0490 - Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering
- PHYS 0030 - Basic Physics A
- PHYS 0050 - Foundations of Mechanics
Climate - Select One
- EEPS 0850 - Weather & Climate
- EEPS 1430 - Principles of Planetary Climate
- ENGN 1931R - The Chemistry of Environmental Pollution
- ENVS 1247 - Clearing the Air: Env. Studies of Pollution
Policy - Select One
- ANTH 1601 - Reimagining Climate Change
- ECON 1340 - Economics of Global Warming
- ENVS 1350 - Environmental Economics & Policy
- ENVS 1415 - Power, Justice, & Climate Change
- ENVS 1574 - Engaged Climate Policy in the U.S.
- ENVS 1615 - Making Connections: Env. Plcy Process
- ENVS 1805 - Ocean Governance and Policy
- ENVS 1925 - Energy Policy and Politics
- POLS 1015 - Politics and Nature
- POLS 1435 - Politics of Climate Change
- POLS 1822I - Geopolitics of Oil and Energy
- POLS 2345 - Eco-Democracy
Energy Technology - Select One
- ENGN 0490 - Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering
- ENGN 0720 - Thermodynamics
- ENGN 1342 - Groundwater Flow and Transport
- ENGN 1930U - Renewable Energy Technologies
- ENGN 1931P - Fuels, Energy, and the Environment
- ENVS 1400 - Sustainable Design in the Built Env.
- ENVS 1580 - Stewardship and Resilience
Additional Requirements for ScB Degree
Math - Select One
- MATH 0090 - Introductory Calculus, Part I
Policy - Pick One
- ANTH 1601 - Reimagining Climate Change
- ECON 1340 - Economics of Global Warming
- ENVS 1350 - Environmental Economics and Policy
- ENVS 1415 - Power, Justice, & Climate Change
- ENVS 1574 - Engaged Climate Policy in the U.S.
- ENVS 1615 - Making Connections: Env. Plcy Process
- ENVS 1805 - Ocean Governance and Policy
- ENVS 1925 - Energy Policy and Politics
- POLS 1015 - Politics and Nature
- POLS 1435 - Politics of Climate Change
- POLS 1822I - Geopolitics of Oil and Energy
- POLS 2345 - Eco-Democracy
Tools - Select One
- APMA 0340 - Methods of Applied Mathematics I, II
- APMA 0650 - Essential Statistics
- APMA 1650 - Statistical Inference I
- ECON 1620 - Introduction to Econometrics
- EEPS 1320 - Intro to GIS for Env. Applications
- EEPS 1330 - Global Environmental Remote Sensing
- EEPS 1720 - Tackling Climate Change with Machine Learning
- ENVS 1911 - Narrating the Anthropocene
- SOC 1100 - Intro Statistics for Social Research
Climate & Thermal/Chem - Select Two
- BIOL 1480 - Terrestrial Biogeochemistry
- EEPS 0230 - Earth and Planetary Materials and Processes
- EEPS 1110 - Descriptive Coastal & Estuarine Oceanography
- EEPS 1120 - Paleoceanography
- EEPS 1370 - Environmental Geochemistry
- EEPS 1510 - Intro to Atmospheric Dynamics
- EEPS 1520 - Ocean Circulation and Climate
- EEPS 1960X - Ocean, Cryosphere, and Sea Level Change
- ENGN 0720 - Thermodynamics
- ENGN 1710 - Heat and Mass Transfer
- ENGN 1930M - Industrial Design
- ENGN 1931R - The Chemistry of Environmental Pollution
- ENVS 1247 - Clearing the Air: Env. Studies of Pollution
Requirements for AB Degree
Ecology - Select One
- BIOL 0420 - Principles of Ecology
Conservation - Select One
- BIOL 1470 - Conservation Biology
Ecology & Conservation Topics - Select One
- BIOL 0380 - Ecology & Evolution of Infectious Disease
- BIOL 1450 - Community Ecology
- BIOL 1480 - Terrestrial Biogeochemistry
- BIOL 1515 - Conservation in the Genomics Age
- CLPS 1195 - Life Under Water in the Anthropocene
Policy - Select One
- ANTH 1601 - Reimagining Climate Change
- ENVS 0715 - Political Ecology
- ENVS 1232 - Land Justice
- ENVS 1415 - Power, Justice, & Climate Change
- ENVS 1555 - Urban Agriculture
- ENVS 1574 - Engaged Climate Policy in the U.S.
- ENVS 1615 - Making Connections: Env. Policy Process
- ENVS 1805 - Ocean Governance and Policy
- ENVS 1916 - Animals and Plants in Chinese History
- ENVS 1925 - Energy Policy and Politics
- POLS 1015 - Politics and Nature
- POLS 1435 - Politics of Climate Change
- POLS 2345 - Eco-Democracy
Statistics - Select One
- APMA 0650 - Essential Statistics
- APMA 1650 - Statistical Inference I
- BIOL 0495 - Statistical Analysis of Biological Data
- CLPS 0900 - Statistical Methods
- ECON 1620 - Introduction to Econometrics
- SOC 1100 - Intro Statistics for Social Research
Additional Requirements for ScB Degree
Math - Select One
- MATH 0090 - Introductory Calculus, Part I
Evolution - Select One
- BIOL 0480 - Evolutionary Biology
- BIOL 1515 - Conservation in the Genomics Age
Organismal Diversity - Select One
- BIOL 0410 - Invertebrate Zoology
- BIOL 0430 - The Evolution of Plant Diversity
- BIOL 0440 - Inquiry in Plant Biology
- BIOL 0450 - Evolutionary Behavioral Ecology
- BIOL 0940D - Rhode Island Flora
Env. Econ - Select One
- ECON 1340 - Economics of Global Warming
- ECON 1355 - Env. Issues in Development Econ
- ENVS 1350 - Environmental Economics and Policy
Tools - Select One
- EEPS 1320 - Intro to GIS for Environmental Applications
- EEPS 1330 - Global Environmental Remote Sensing
- EEPS 1720 - Tackling Climate Change with Machine Learning
- ENVS 1911 - Narrating the Anthropocene
- SOC 1340 - Principles and Methods of GIS
- SOC 2610 - Spatial Thinking in Social Science
Requirements for AB Degree
Required Course for ENI Track Concentrators
- ENVS-0705 - Equity and the Environment: Movements, Scholarship, Solutions
Race, Class, and Gender Inequality - Select One
- AFRI 0090 - An Introduction to Africana Studies
- AFRI 1920 - Health Inequality in Historical Perspective
- ANTH 1622 - Archaeology of Settler Colonialism
- ANTH 1624 - Indians, Colonists, and Africans in New England
- ECON 1370 - Race and Inequality in the United States
- ETHN 1000 - Introduction to American/Ethnic Studies
- HIST 0150D - Refugees: A Twentieth-Century History
- HIST 0203 - Modern Africa: From Empire to Nation-State
- HIST 1553 - Cities and Inequality Since 1920: The US
- HIST 1974J - Decolonizing Minds: A People's History of the World
- SOC 0230 - Sex, Gender, and Society
- SOC 1270 - Race, Class, and Ethnicity in the Modern World
- SOC 1490 - Power, Knowledge & Justice in Globl Soc Change
Environment and Inequality - Select One
- ENVS 0715 - Political Ecology
- ENVS 1232 - Land Justice
- ENVS 1247 - Clearing the Air: Env. Studies of Pollution
- ENVS 1552 - Science and Power
- ENVS 1554 - Farm Planet
- HIST 0270A - From Fire Wielders to Empire Builders
- HIST 0270B - Modern Global Environmental History
- PHP 0720 - Public Health and the Environment
- PHP 1700 - Current Topics in Environmental Health
- SOC 0250 - An Env Sociology for a Rapidly Warming World
Tools - Select One
- ANTH 1940 - Ethnographic Research Methods
- APMA 1650 - Statistical Inference I
- ECON 1620 - Intro to Econometrics
- EDUC 1100 - Intro Qualitative Research Methods
- EEPS 1320 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems for Environmental Applications
- EEPS 1330 - Global Environmental Remote Sensing
- ENVS 1911 - Narrating the Anthropocene
- IAPA 1500A - Ethnographic Research Methods
- SOC 1020 - Methods of Social Research
- SOC 1100 - Introductory Statistics for Social Research
- SOC 1117 - Focus Groups for Market and Social Research
- SOC 1340 - Principles and Methods of Geographic Information Systems
- SOC 2610 - Spatial Thinking in Social Science
Policy - Select One
- ANTH 1601 - Reimagining Climate Change
- ENVS 1350 - Environmental Economics & Policy
- ENVS 1415 - Power, Justice, & Climate Change
- ENVS 1555 - Urban Agriculture: The Importance of Localized Food Systems
- ENVS 1574 - Engaged Climate Policy in the U.S.
- ENVS 1615 - Making Connections: Env. Plcy Process
- ENVS 1805 - Ocean Governance and Policy
- ENVS 1925 - Energy Policy and Politics
- POLS 1015 - Politics and Nature
- POLS 1435 - Politics of Climate Change
- POLS 1822I - Geopolitics of Oil and Energy
- POLS 2345 - Eco-Democracy
Additional Requirements for ScB Degree
Tools - Select One
- ANTH 1940 - Ethnographic Research Methods
- APMA 1650 - Statistical Inference I
- ECON 1620 - Intro to Econometrics
- EDUC 1100 - Intro Qualitative Research Methods
- EEPS 1320 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems for Environmental Applications
- EEPS 1330 - Global Environmental Remote Sensing
- ENVS 1911 - Narrating the Anthropocene
- IAPA 1500A - Ethnographic Research Methods
- SOC 1020 - Methods of Social Research
- SOC 1100 - Introductory Statistics for Social Research
- SOC 1117 - Focus Groups for Market and Social Research
- SOC 1340 - Principles and Methods of Geographic Information Systems
- SOC 2610 - Spatial Thinking in Social Science
Race, Class and Gender Inequality - Select One
- ECON 1370 - Race and Inequality in the United States
- ETHN 1200I - History & Resistance in Representations of Native Peoples
- PHP 2365 - Public Health Issues in LGBT Populations
- SOC 0250 - An Env Sociology for a Rapidly Warming World
- Can pick selection for the AB section as well
Select a Focus Area (pick from a singular focus area)
Focus Area One - Environmental Inequality in Globalization and Development - Select Three
- ECON 1355 - Environmental Issues in Development Economics
- ECON 1530 - Health, Hunger and the Household in Developing Countries
- ENVS 0715 - Political Ecology
- ENVS 1415 - Power, Justice, & Climate Change
- ENVS 1825 - Worlds and Things
- ENVS 1916 - Animals and Plants in Chinese History
- HIST 0150D - Refugees: A Twentieth-Century History
- HIST 1360 - Green Inferno
- IAPA 1701K - Geography of Uneven Development
- IAPA 1801K - From Growth to the Green Transition
- PHP 1070 - The Burden of Disease in Developing Countries
- POLS 1440 - Security, Governance and Development in Africa
- POLS 1822I - Geopolitics of Oil and Energy
- SOC 0150 - Economic Development and Social Change
Focus Area Two - Environmental Health and Inequality - Select Three
- AFRI 1920 Health Inequality in Historical Perspective
- ANTH 1310 - International Health: Anthropological Perspectives
- BIOL 1820 - Environmental Health and Disease
- ENVS 1552 - Science and Power
- ENVS 1825 - Worlds and Things
- PHP 0320 - Introduction to Public Health
- PHP 0330 - Public Health Policy
- PHP 0720 - Public Health and the Environment
- PHP 1070 - Global Burden of Disease
- PHP 1101 - World of Food
- PHP 1650 - Race, Racism and Health
- PHP 1700 - Current Topics in Environmental Health
- PHP 1920 - Social Determinants of Health
- PHP 2365 - Public Health Issues in LGBT Populations
Focus Area Three - Environmental Inequalities in Food, Water, and Energy - Select Three
- EEPS 0830 - Water in Our World
- ENVS 1232 - Land Stewardship, Sovereignty, and Justice
- ENVS 1415 - Power, Justice, & Climate Change
- ENVS 1555 - Urban Agriculture: The Importance of Localized Food Systems
- ENVS 1580 - Environmental Stewardship and Resilience in Urban Systems
- ENVS 1805 - Ocean Governance and Policy
- ENVS 1915 - Histories of Global Wetlands
- ENVS 1925 - Energy Policy and Politics
- PHUM 1904 - Power + Water
Requirements for AB Degree
Climate - Select One
- EEPS 0830 - Water in Our World
- EEPS 0850 - Weather & Climate
- EEPS 1430 - Principles of Planetary Climate
- EEPS 1960X - Ocean, Cryosphere, and Sea Level Change
- ENGN 1342 - Groundwater Flow and Transport
- ENGN 1931R - The Chemistry of Environmental Pollution
- ENVS 1247 - Clearing the Air: Env. Studies of Pollution
Biology - Select One
- BIOL 0160 - Plants, Food, and People
- BIOL 0210 - Diversity of Life (cannot use if taken as a Core requirement)
- BIOL 0420 - Principles of Ecology
- BIOL 0430 - The Evolution of Plant Diversity
- BIOL 0440 - Inquiry in Plant Biology
- BIOL 0940D - Rhode Island Flora
- BIOL 1480 - Terrestrial Biogeochemistry
Env. History - Select One
- ENVS 1554 - Farm Planet
- ENVS 1557 - Birding Communities
- ENVS 1825 - Worlds and Things
- ENVS 1916 - Animals and Plants in Chinese History
- HIST 0270B - Modern Global Environ History
- HIST 0576A - The Arctic: Globl Hist the Dog Sled to the Oil RiG
- HIST 1360 - Green Inferno
- HIST 1382 - The Environmental History of Latin America
- HIST 1820B - Environmental History of East Asia
- HIST 1976I - Imperialism and Environmental Change
- HIST 1976J - Earth Histories: From Creation to Countdown
- PHUM 1904 - Power + Water
Policy - Select One
- ENVS 0715 - Political Ecology
- ENVS 1232 - Land Justice
- ENVS 1350 - Environmental Economics and Policy
- ENVS 1554 - Farm Planet
- ENVS 1555 - Urban Agriculture
- ENVS 1574 - Engaged Climate Policy in the U.S.
- ENVS 1615 - Making Connections: Env. Policy Process
- ENVS 1805 - Ocean Governance and Policy
- ENVS 1925 - Energy Policy and Politics
- PHP 1101 - World of Food
- POLS 1015 - Politics and Nature
- POLS 1435 - Politics of Climate Change
- POLS 2345 - Eco-Democracy
Tools - Select One
- APMA 1650 - Statistical Inference I
- EEPS 1320 - Intro to GIS for Env. Applications
- EEPS 1330 - Global Environmental Remote Sensing
- EEPS 1720 - Tackling Climate Change with Machine Learning
- ENVS 1911 - Narrating the Anthropocene
- SOC 1340 - Principles and Methods of GIS
Additional Requirements for ScB Degree
Math - Select One
- MATH 0090 - Introductory Calculus, Part I
Chem - Select One
- CHEM 0330 - Equilibrium, Rate, and Structure
Earth/Life systems - Select Three
- BIOL 1470 - Conservation Biology
- BIOL 1480 - Terrestrial Biogeochemistry
- EEPS 0240 - Earth - Evolution of a Habitable Planet
- EEPS 0830 - Water in Our World
- EEPS 1110 - Descriptive Coastal & Estuarine Oceanography
- EEPS 1120 - Paleoceanography
- EEPS 1130 - Ocean Biogeochemical Cycles
- EEPS 1150 - Limnology: The Study of Lakes
- EEPS 1310 - Global Water Cycle
- EEPS 1370 - Environmental Geochemistry
- EEPS 1510 - Introduction to Atmospheric Dynamics
- EEPS 1960X - Ocean, Cryosphere, and Sea Level Change
- ENGN 1340 - Water Supply and Treatment Systems
Requirements for AB Degree
Env. & Development - Select One
- ENVS 0715 - Political Ecology
- ENVS 1247 - Clearing the Air: Env. Studies of Pollution
- ENVS 1415 - Power, Justice, & Climate Change
- ENVS 1580 - Environmental Stewardship and Resilience
- HIST 1960J - More-Than-Human Histories of Africa
- PHUM 1904 - Power + Water
- SOC 1490 Knowledge & Justice in Global Social Change
Policy - Select Two
- ENVS 1350 - Environmental Economics and Policy
- ENVS 1555 - Urban Agriculture
- ENVS 1574 - Engaged Climate Policy in the U.S.
- ENVS 1615 - Making Connections: Env. Policy Process
- ENVS 1805 - Ocean Governance and Policy
- ENVS 1925 - Energy Policy and Politics
- POLS 1015 - Politics and Nature
- POLS 1435 - Politics of Climate Change
- POLS 1822I - Geopolitics of Oil and Energy
- POLS 2345 - Eco-Democracy
Tools - Select One
- ANTH 1940 - Ethnographic Research Methods
- APMA 1650 - Statistical Inference I
- ECON 1620 - Intro to Econometrics (req for ScB)
- EDUC 1100 - Intro Qualitative Research Methods
- EEPS 1320 - Intro to GIS for Env. Applications
- EEPS 1330 - Global Env. Remote Sensing
- ENVS 1911 - Narrating the Anthropocene
- IAPA 1500A - Ethnographic Research Methods
- SOC 1020 - Methods of Social Research
- SOC 1100 - Intro Statistics for Social Research
- SOC 1117 - Focus Groups for Market and Social Research
- SOC 1340 - Principles and Methods of GIS
Critical Perspectives - Select One
- ECON 1370 - Race and Inequality in the U.S.
- ECON 1530 - Hlth, Hungr & Househld in Dev. Countries
- ENVS 0705 - Environment and Inequality
- ENVS 1232 - Land Justice
- ENVS 1415 - Power, Justice, & Climate Change
- ENVS 1554 - Farm Planet
- HIST 1382 - The Environmental History of Latin America
- HIST 1533 - Cities and Inequality Since 1920: The US
- HIST 1960H - Colonization & Southern Africa's First Peoples
- IAPA 1804S - Critical Study of Development
- SOC 0150 - Economic Development and Social Change
- SOC 0250 - An Env Sociology for a Rapidly Warming World
- SOC 1040 - World Population Problems
- SOC 1490 - Power, Knowldge & Justice in Globl Soc Change
- SOC 1873G - The Geography of Urban Inequality
Additional Requirements for ScB Degree
Env. & Development - Select One
- ENVS 0715 - Political Ecology
- ENVS 1247 - Clearing the Air: Env. Studies of Pollution
- ENVS 1415 - Power, Justice, & Climate Change
- ENVS 1580 - Environmental Stewardship and Resilience
- HIST 1960J - More-Than-Human Histories of Africa
- PHUM 1904 - Power + Water
- SOC 1490 Knowledge & Justice in Global Social Change
Critical Perspectives - Select One
- ECON 1370 - Race and Inequality in the U.S.
- ECON 1530 - Hlth, Hungr & Househld in Dev. Countries
- ENVS 0705 - Environment and Inequality
- ENVS 1232 - Land Justice
- ENVS 1415 - Power, Justice, & Climate Change
- ENVS 1554 - Farm Planet
- HIST 1382 - The Environmental History of Latin America
- HIST 1533 - Cities and Inequality Since 1920: The US
- HIST 1960H - Colonization & Southern Africa's First Peoples
- IAPA 1804S - Critical Study of Development
- SOC 0150 - Economic Development and Social Change
- SOC 0250 - An Env Sociology for a Rapidly Warming World
- SOC 1040 - World Population Problems
- SOC 1490 - Power, Knowldge & Justice in Globl Soc Change
- SOC 1873G - The Geography of Urban Inequality
Economic Perspectives - Select Two
- ECON 1110 - Intermediate Microeconomics
- ECON 1340 - Economics of Global Warming
- ECON 1355 - Env. Issues in Development Economics
- ECON 1410 - Urban Economics
- ECON 1530 - Health, Hunger and the Household
- ECON 1560 - Economic Growth
- ENVS 1350 - Environmental Economics & Policy
- IAPA 1700 - Economics for Public Policy
Climate - Select One
- EEPS 0830 - Water in Our World
- EEPS 0850 - Weather and Climate
- EEPS 1110 - Descriptive Coastal & Estuarine Oceanography
- EEPS 1370 - Environmental Geochemistry
- EEPS 1510 - Intro to Atmospheric Dynamics
- ENVS 1247 - Clearing the Air: Env. Studies of Pollution
Environmental Electives
3 courses
These electives provide increased environmental expertise and further enhance a student’s ability to customize a course of study. Acceptable electives include any ENVS courses, a class that's main focus is on the environment, and prerequisites for classes students take to fulfill requirements within their declared track.
Capstone Requirement
1 course minimum
The capstone is designed to provide an opportunity for students to integrate many aspects of their course of study, while introducing the opportunity to conduct independent or collaborative work oriented towards the discovery of new information and/or solving environmental challenges. This requirement can be met with a two-semester thesis (ENVS 1970 & ENVS 1971), one-semester research project (ENVS 1970 or ENVS 1971), or an approved capstone course. More information on each of these options is available on the Capstone Requirement web page.
Policies
AP Exams and Course Credit
Students can meet listed core or track requirements, as follows:
- AP exam score of 4 or 5 in both Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, or minimum score of 6 in 'IB HL Economics' in place of ECON 0110
- AP exam score of 5 in Environmental Science in place of ENVS 0490
- AP exam score of 4 or 5 on Calc AB in place of Math 0090; AP exam score of 4 or 5 on Calc BC in place of Math 0090 & 0100
However, AP exams cannot be used to meet any of the three electives required for the concentration.
Independent Study Courses
ENVS 1970 (Fall) and 1971 (Spring) are independent study courses designated for academic credit sponsored by IBES Faculty. One or both of these courses are often taken as part of the process of fulfilling the capstone requirement, but they need not be used exclusively for that purpose. Students taking these courses to meet capstone requirements should follow the process described for Capstones.
Students not taking these courses to meet the ENVS capstone requirement should complete the following steps:
- Meet with the faculty sponsor and agree on the project's design and scope
- Complete the Project Proposal Form
- Register for the course after receiving an override code from the faculty sponsor
It is the joint responsibility of the student-faculty pair to ensure that the student is intellectually involved in an original research project or course of study with expectations appropriate to their level of education and experience. Faculty should agree to be an independent study course sponsor if able to provide adequate mentoring and advising throughout the semester. ENVS 1970 and 1971 are formal courses, so students are expected to work a minimum of 180 hours on the project.