Hope College
AC-3: Undergraduate Program

Environmental science is the scientific study of the environment, particularly with regard to implications for humans. Environmental science therefore is broad in scope and interdisciplinary in nature. It draws on principles from throughout the sciences to understand and improve the ways that humans and the environment interact with one another. It uses systems thinking to help reduce complex natural phenomena into manageable subsets that can be studied and understood. It also incorporates ideas of sustainability as it considers the future of humans in the environment.

Our ability to modify our environment has increased dramatically over the last century, and we now recognize that many of those modifications have negative consequences. A growing number of scientists seek solutions to environmental problems as they work to improve our understanding of the causes, processes and consequences of environmental change. The "typical" environmental scientist is a specialist in one of the traditional disciplines such as biology, chemistry, geology, physics or engineering. However, he or she generally has a broad scientific understanding of environmental systems that goes beyond the confines of his or her discipline, including an understanding of how environmental issues affect and are affected by politics and economics. An environmental scientist will often work in a team with professionals from other fields to study and solve environmental problems.

BIOLOGY
The field of Biology represents a number of different approaches to the study of life, from the molecular to organismal to ecological levels.
The Department of Biology offers all Hope College students an opportunity to participate in biology, either in courses listed here or in some of the GEMS and Environmental Science courses. Several members of the Department of Biology faculty have been recognized as outstanding educators at the state and national levels.

GEOLOGY
The geological sciences play a key role in addressing environmental problems, recognizing and mitigating natural hazards, and procuring natural resources. Furthermore, geoscientists make important contributions to human knowledge in fields as diverse as environmental geology,sustainability, oceanography, planetology, geochemistry, geophysics, plate tectonics and paleontology.

CHEMISTRY / BIOCHEMISTRY http://www.hope.edu/catalog/current/chemistry/index.html
The Department of Chemistry is known nationally for its excellent program. In a study of chemistry programs at private four-year colleges published in the Journal of Chemical Education, the Hope College Department of Chemistry was recognized as outstanding in the productivity of its research program and for the accomplishments of its graduates. The chemistry program is approved by the American Chemical Society's Committee on Professional Training.

The goals of the environmental studies program are to:
1) Increase understanding of how the world as a bio-physical system works, foster awareness of the earth's vital signs and sharpen the ability of students to understand the nature and results of science
2) Encourage a critical understanding of the various historical, political, economic, ethical, and religious forces that have shaped and continue to shape our world
3) Nurture an ecological frame of mind which is willing and able to see things whole and thus resist the narrow specialization that can blind us to the connections between disciplines and bodies of knowledge
4) Cultivate people who have sufficient knowledge, care and practical competence to live in an ecologically responsible way
5) Provide opportunities for students to explore the connections between environmental issues and different religious and philosophical traditions, and to encourage students who are Christian to reflect on their faith and its vision of shalom.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Students in the environmental science program use scientific approaches to address environmental problems. When they complete the program, they earn an environmental science minor.

The environmental science minor is open to all students regardless of their major, but it is best suited for those who have a strong interest in science or engineering. Students should complete a semester of chemistry before taking courses in environmental science. Chemistry may be taken concurrently with permission of the instructor. The environmental science minor is administered through the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences.

Our ability to modify our environment has increased dramatically over the last century, and we now recognize that many of those modifications have negative consequences. A growing number of scientists seek solutions to environmental problems as they work to improve our understanding of the causes, processes and consequences of environmental change. The "typical" environmental scientist is a specialist in one of the traditional disciplines such as biology, chemistry, geology, physics or engineering. However, he or she generally has a broad scientific understanding of environmental systems that goes beyond the confines of his or her discipline, including an understanding of how environmental issues affect and are affected by politics and economics. An environmental scientist will often work in a team with professionals from other fields to study and solve environmental problems.

AMERICAN ETHNIC STUDIES
A minor in American Ethnic Studies is designed to introduce students to critical methodologies and scholarly approaches to understanding the diverse historical and cultural issues relating to race and ethnicity in the United States.

At a time when America is becoming increasingly multicultural and when Americans are increasingly aware of the values of multiculturalism, participants in a minor in American Ethnic Studies, both faculty and students, are encouraged to gain and develop skills to research, analyze and reflect on the heritage of racialized ethnic cultures in America. Such study will develop citizens, participants and activists who have views of their larger mission in life and who strive daily, both locally and globally, in the pursuit of justice and equality.