University of California, Merced - Minor

Environmental Humanities, B.A.

Steven Powers — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 17:33:57 +0000

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL HUMANITIES

We are in the midst of a global environmental crisis. Scientists and academics from various disciplines have been researching our current environmental problems and coming up with solutions for decades, and yet little progress seems to be made. Why is this? This is a complicated question, but an important part of the answer is that environmental research often doesn’t get effectively “translated” into understandable, moving messages for the wider public. We need better environmental communicators — people capable of turning important research into relatable and, inspirational content that will lead to actual change in the real world.

The ��ý Environmental Humanities (EH) major and minor lay the foundation for becoming an environmental communicator. The “toolkit” you’ll develop in this program — including storytelling, creativity, critical thinking, and audience sensitivity — are applicable to producing inspiring and engaging content about society's most pressing environmental and social justice issues. After hearing from experts in the field, you’ll complete projects ranging from podcasts to comics to plays. Use skills you’ll hone in this program are not only necessary for creating a better world but are also rare and valuable abilities that employers today are looking for.

UC MERCED ENVIRONMENTAL HUMANITIES PROGRAM

The Environmental Humanities major and minor at ��ý is the first of its kind in the University of California system. This program, centered on the study and analysis of literary, artistic, and creative works about environmental topics drawn from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, has a strong base in literature — where the term “literature” is taken to mean any cultural production that can be “read.” The program includes reading and understanding environmental research as well as creative environmental works. Special attention is paid to environmental justice, Indigenous ways of knowing, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), Black ecology, BIPOC perspectives, and postcolonial and decolonizing frameworks.

The Environmental Humanities program responds to an urgent need to create clear and inspiring environmental communications. Graduates of this career-oriented program will be professionals who understand environmental science and environmental injustice and can tell compelling stories about the research and data that urges action.

More Information About the Major and Minor School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts

Major Minor

Social Sciences and Humanities

What Can You Do With An Environmental Humanities Degree?

Annual Job Openings in CA: 10,769
10-year projected job market growth:17.9%
Median wage in California: $91,983

Upon graduation, you might become:

Project Management Specialist
Environmental Consultant
Operations Manager
Marketing Manager
Public Relations Manager
Communications Manager
Media Programming Director
Environmental Planner
Project Coordinator
Writer

Writing Minor

bwright3 — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 00:22:24 +0000

��ý Writing Program

The writing minor enhances students' understanding of the theoretical, creative, interdisciplinary and professional aspects of writing, and helps them develop the vocabulary, syntax, style and voice appropriate to the practice of composition in diverse fields.

By using the writing process to strengthen their ideas, students develop strategies for participating in research, policy-making, professional advancement and creative expression. Study of language is a central activity, including engaging rhetorical elements common to all writing as well as conventions particular to specific disciplines. Overall, this program fosters a writing culture, integrating knowledge creation with communication.

The minor in writing is open to — and appropriate for — students majoring in any field, and prepares those proceeding on to graduate work for the challenges of advanced academic writing, critical reading and effective speech.

By representing the student's intensive work in writing, the minor also signals to prospective employers the student's distinguished preparation for the demands of the professional workplace.

Minor Requirements School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts

Minor

Social Sciences and Humanities

Geospatial Technology Minor

bwright3 — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 00:13:46 +0000

Students taking the minor in Geospatial Technology learn to use geospatial hardware and software and apply these tools to the study of society, culture, earth sciences, and socio-environmental phenomena. Through experiential and technology-based coursework, the program prepares students in spatial data acquisition via positioning systems and remote sensing; in spatial data encoding, management, analysis, and display in maps and other visualizations; and in developing models and databases via Geographic Information Systems software. Students completing the minor will be prepared for such diverse careers as business and economics, historic preservation, cultural and natural resource management, and spatial data analysis and mapping.

Minor Information Minor Requirements School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Website

Minor

Social Sciences and Humanities

Spanish Minor

bwright3 — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 00:10:01 +0000

��ý Spanish Minor

Being able to communicate in a foreign language is a fundamental asset in any profession, from careers in education, translating and interpreting to those in international studies, health, business or law. A minor in Spanish addresses the needs of students who seek the ability to communicate in more than one language to be competitive in their chosen professions.

The study of Spanish language and culture is of special importance in the United States, the country with the second largest Spanish-speaking population in the world. The Spanish minor offers students the linguistic confidence needed for studying in another country and the benefits of being exposed to other cultures.

Minor Requirements School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts

Minor

Social Sciences and Humanities

Sociology Minor

bwright3 — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 00:08:43 +0000

��ý Sociology Minor

A minor in Sociology gives students the ability to understand the complexities of today’s society by examining human behavior and social actions. In examining how social structures (such as work, the family, religion, etc.) help shape social rules, processes and agency, students gain a better understanding of the entirety of today's world — from poverty, gender, race and organizational behavior to politics. In studying these issues, students learn to use analytical reasoning and apply sociological theories to explain a wide range of social phenomena.

Minor Requirements School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts

Minor

Social Sciences and Humanities

Psychology Minor

bwright3 — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 00:07:45 +0000

��ý Psychology Minor

Psychology is a social science that helps students better understand and interpret scientific information and ways to apply quantitative tools such as statistics. Psychology is often of inherent interest to students.

Taking a psychology minor provides an interesting exposure to novel and exciting ideas that students would not otherwise encounter and can be of great use to students who are majoring in other fields. For example, students taking a pre-med curriculum find a psychology minor useful for understanding the social and psychological aspects of medical care or as preparation for a career in psychiatry. Students in management and economics find coursework in social psychology, decision-making and organizational and industrial psychology to be of particular use to their careers.

Minor Requirements School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts

Minor

Social Sciences and Humanities

Political Science Minor

bwright3 — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 00:06:37 +0000

��ý Political Science Minor

The Political Science minor offers broad coverage of the study of politics. Political science is the social scientific study of political processes involving political institutions and political behavior. The study of political institutions includes topics such as the effect of the design of electoral systems on the quality of representation in government, the formal and informal elements of the legislative process and their implications for the making of law, and the impact of domestic political institutions on the incidence of international conflict. Under the rubric of political behavior, political scientists study how and why people choose to participate in politics, the determinants of vote choice, and the nature and origins of public opinion.

Students studying political science at ��ý develop a strong substantive understanding of both political institutions and behavior. Students also learn the theories that help us better understand the political world and the methods by which these theories are tested and refined.

Minor Requirements School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts

Minor

Natural Sciences

Physics Minor

bwright3 — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 00:05:33 +0000

��ý Physics Minor

Physics is the study of nature at its most fundamental. It addresses the underlying principles that govern all phenomena in the universe, both within everyday life as well as within the most exotic situations. The physics minor equips students with a broad foundation to understand these diverse phenomena, including such topics as dynamics, planetary motion, quantum mechanics, atomic structure, special relativity, electricity, optics, and much more. The minor also provides an opportunity for a student to develop significant depth and explore modern topics in a few areas of his or her choosing. The physics minor may be useful for any student studying science or engineering who would like an enhanced foundation in his or her discipline. It may also appeal to any student who simply wishes to understand better the beauty and logic that governs the world around us and our place within it.

Minor Requirements School of Natural Sciences Website

Minor

Natural Sciences

Philosophy Minor

bwright3 — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 00:04:08 +0000

��ý Philosophy Minor

The minor in Philosophy provides students with an understanding of the principles, methods, and areas of application of contemporary philosophy. Philosophers study conceptual questions within and between the humanities, arts and sciences: What is freedom? What is justice? What is the relation between mind and brain? Philosophy at ��ý combines a traditional curriculum with an emphasis on these interdisciplinary linkages. Because of this, students should be able to use their training in philosophy to complement their other coursework and to identify connections between their various areas of study.

Minor Requirements School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts

Minor

Social Sciences and Humanities

Natural Sciences Education Minor with Teaching Credential

bwright3 — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 00:02:40 +0000

The Natural Sciences Education (NSED) minor is designed to prepare ��ý students for admission to the teacher credential program or pursue graduate studies in education. Students who complete the coursework and the fieldwork associated with this program can be eligible for admission to the teacher credential programs at many local institutions. Additional support and resources for students interested in teaching careers are available through the Science and Mathematics Initiative (SMI) program with the School of Natural Sciences.

Minor Information Minor Requirements School of Natural Sciences Website

Minor

Natural Sciences

University of California, Merced - Minor

Environmental Humanities, B.A.

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL HUMANITIES

UC MERCED ENVIRONMENTAL HUMANITIES PROGRAM

Writing Minor

������ý Writing Program

Geospatial Technology Minor

Spanish Minor

������ý Spanish Minor

Sociology Minor

������ý Sociology Minor

Psychology Minor

������ý Psychology Minor

Political Science Minor

������ý Political Science Minor

Physics Minor

������ý Physics Minor

Philosophy Minor

������ý Philosophy Minor

Natural Sciences Education Minor with Teaching Credential

��ý Writing Program

��ý Spanish Minor

��ý Sociology Minor

��ý Psychology Minor

��ý Political Science Minor

��ý Physics Minor

��ý Philosophy Minor