Environmental Studies Program
The Program in Environmental Studies, leading to either a BA or a minor, teaches students to develop an interdisciplinary understanding of the relationship between humans and the environment. It requires an understanding of the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. The major has 6 elective tracks from which to choose:
- Climate Change
- Conservation Biology
- Environmental Economics
- Environmental Humanities
- Sustainable Commerce
- Water Resources.
A major could also propose a self-designed track.
The Program curriculum allows students to develop interdisciplinary expertise and an understanding of how insights from different disciplines complement each other. Students develop a comprehensive understanding of the causes, consequences, and solutions to environmental problems. At the same time, the elective tracks also provide for a more focused look at a particular field within environmental studies. This is not only a unique academic experience, but also one that expands the students’ ability as citizens to be aware of the scientific, ethical, and policy issues they will face in their local communities, their professions and in their broader world community.
Program Info
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Environmental Studies Program
Tucker Hall 015
Washington and Lee University
Lexington, Virginia 24450
Ryan McCoy’s paper addresses how local knowledge can contribute to climate research.
Bill Hamilton Co-Authors Paper in Science
The article, also featured on the journal’s cover, sheds new light on the value of bison recovery efforts in Yellowstone National Park.
Catarina Passidomo ’04 Contributes Book Chapter
The associate professor of environmental studies authored a chapter in “The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Cultural and Social Geography.”
W&L’s Kiki Mittner ’25 Earns U.S. Teaching Assistantship to Austria
Mittner will teach English in her grandmother’s Austrian hometown before attending law school.
These faculty have been recognized for their outstanding teaching, scholarship and service to the university.
W&L Environmental Studies Professor Awarded Mednick Memorial Fellowship
Mauricio Betancourt will receive $2,250 from the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges to support his research on the Peruvian guano trade.
Darby Burgett ’26 Awarded Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship
Burgett will attend the PPIA Junior Summer Institute at Princeton University this summer.
W&L Presents Okaidja Afroso’s ‘Jaku Mumor: Ancestral Spirit’
The March 29 performance is part of the Lenfest Center’s Outreach & Engagement Series.
After fighting societal norms in India, Rima Kumari ’26 champions education for other women.
Iuteri’s work with the Connolly Entrepreneurship Society and business administration professors has led to the expansion and growth of her own nonprofit.
Mitchelson embraces extracurriculars such as volunteering with the Nabors Service League and teaching salsa through Around the Globe.
Greer’s talk, “Coral Reefs Past, Present and Future and Our Human Footprint,” will be held Jan. 15 in Science Addition 214.