The College of Wooster
AC-2: Undergraduate Programs

College of Wooster Graduate Qualities that are sustainability-focused include:

• Global Engagement, through the ability to understand the histories, causes, and implications of environmental and global processes.
• Justice and Civic/Social Responsibility, through the ability to activelyi promote equity and inclusion.

College of Wooster Graduate Qualities that are sustainability-supportive include:

Independent Thinking, through the ability to:

• Engage in critical and creative thinking
• Devise, formulate, research, and bring to fruition a complex and creative project

Integrative and Collaborative Inquiry, through the ability to:

• Synthesize knowledge from multiple disciplines
• Actively integrate theory and practice

Dynamic Understanding of the Liberal Arts, through the ability to:

• Evaluate evidence using methodologies from multiple disciplines
• Employ deep knowledge, insight, and judgment to solve real world problems

Effective Communication, through the ability to:

• Exhibit skill in oral, written, and digital communication
• Engage in effective discourse through active listening, questioning, and reasoning

Global Engagement, through the ability to:

• Understand the histories, causes, and implications of environmental and global processes
• Engage with the global community through knowledge of a second language and culture

Justice and Civic/Social Responsibility, through the ability to:

• Actively promote equity and inclusion
• Demonstrate ethical judgment and work towards a just society
• Exhibit a commitment to community, civic engagement, and serving others

1. Environmental Studies - https://wooster.edu/area/environmental-studies/ 

The Environmental Studies Program at Wooster engages students with environmental issues both inside and outside the classroom, at both local and global levels. Resources available to students include a campus garden, visiting speakers, connections to local researchers and facilities at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, and opportunities to get involved in faculty research, campus sustainability initiatives, and internships both on and off campus. Recent students have worked with urban gardening initiatives in Cleveland, environmental education centers, environmental writing, and a variety of off-campus study options that expose them to environmental concerns and initiatives in other parts of the world.

Students majoring in Environmental Studies choose from four different pathways to give their interdisciplinary major a coherence and focus. Those pathways are:

• Environmental Humanities
• Environment and Society
• Environmental Conservation
• Sustainable Food Systems

2. Urban Studies major - https://wooster.edu/area/urban-studies/ 

A truly multidisciplinary program, Urban Studies at Wooster is centered in a strong foundation in the social sciences. Students take classes in sociology, economics and political science along with courses and electives that help students focus on their individual passions.

Students can choose one of four focus areas in Urban Studies:

• Urban Affairs and Policy features sociology, economics, and political science courses, as well as courses that give an in-depth understanding of statistical, quantitative, and qualitative methods. Future career possibilities for students in this track include city planning, city and regional administration, non-profit management, community development, or environmental management.
• Social Justice and the City provides the same foundational work in urban studies with an emphasis on social justice. Students pursuing this track are typically drawn to careers in non-profit management, community development or social work.
• Global Urban Processes asks students to explore global issues while learning about urban affairs and building skills in research methods. Students on this track will be well poised to build careers in urban planning, administration, and research.
• Environmental Sustainability and Urbanism combines urban studies with environmental studies, giving students a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the complexity of human interactions with the natural world. Students on this track are drawn to careers in sustainable urban planning, urban ecology, landscape planning, or environmental urban policy.

3. Environmental Geoscience - https://wooster.edu/area/environmental-geoscience/ 

Environmental Geoscience at Wooster is an interdisciplinary approach to solving complex global problems facing the Earth. Students take courses and conduct research with a focus on the physical environment and its interactions with humans. The Earth is our classroom and our small, advanced classes feature field trips to research sites near campus. As early as their first year, students start conducting research. Experiential learning is central to the program and many students participate in summer internships and research projects through partnerships established by the college. All students at The College of Wooster complete independent study under the guidance of a faculty mentor, culminating in a thesis delivered in their senior year.

1. Environmental Communication and Action Pathway - https://wooster.edu/area/environmental-communication-action/ 

The Environmental Communication & Action Pathway will help students explore several ways to effect change: through communication (including artistic communication), political and social activism, and technological or institutional innovation. The pathway includes coursework on environmental problems and on strategies for communication or change, experiential learning opportunities in environmental communication and action, and reflection. Although clearly related to the environmental studies major, it draws on tools from several other disciplines and emphasizes the application of knowledge and experience after graduation.

1. Earth Sciences - https://wooster.edu/area/earth-sciences/ 

The Earth Sciences academic program has a learning requirement that is sustainability-focused see below)

"Environmental Justice and Responsibility – Students will be able to analyze the distribution of environmental benefits and burdens. They will develop self-awareness of their roles and responsibilities in environmental justice issues."

2. Theater and Dance - https://wooster.edu/area/theatre-and-dance/ 

The department’s productions always reflect a commitment to sustainability. Especially, the practicum courses, which are hands-on production experience the students will get, and throughout the production process, students will deepen their understanding of the industry standard approach and commitment to sustainability is hands-on production experience the students will get, and throughout the production process, students will deepen their understanding of the industry standard approach and commitment to sustainability. 

Here is the current mission statement of our department below (LINK): 

Theatre and Dance, as studied at The College of Wooster, emphasizes the relationship between scholarship, artistry, and advocacy through an investigation of the range and depth of the human experience in our coursework and stage productions. In this world, the artist/scholar must be an advocate for the arts, as well as contribute to a movement for social justice and activism through artistic expression. Similarly, the department’s productions reflect a commitment to sustainability