The minor in Environmental Studies equips students with a broad understanding of (i) the complex and often conflicting, interrelationships between human societies and their environment; and (ii) the solutions, or sets of solutions that are available to address our most intractable environmental problems. Reflecting the complexity of human-environment relationships, the minor in Environmental Studies offers a range of possible study areas, from natural ecological and earth system processes; through environmental management, resource use and policy, to cultural ecology and the history of environmental change, perception and philosophy.

The breadth of disciplinary coverage means that the courses relevant to this minor are taught across several ANU Colleges, including Arts and Social Sciences, Business and Economics, Law, and Medicine, Biology and Environment. Different coherent approaches and areas of focus are achieved by grouping these courses to meet students' particular interests, ranging from a concentration on those natural resources that provide the essential economic foundations for society through to the study of more general aspects of the environment affecting quality of life. A common theme is the interactivity between humans and their environment at the individual and societal levels, as well as global, regional and local scale change processes. The minor in Environmental Studies provides students with the multidisciplinary perspectives, skills and knowledge to engage meaningfully with the complex problems facing societies and the environment in the 21st century.

Learning Outcomes

Students who complete this minor will have the skills and knowledge to:

• Understand the connections between human culture, institutions and policies and environmental systems and change.
• Critically assess the relationships between human cultures and societies, the institutions, economic and political paradigms that characterise them, and the impacts on the natural environment.
• Apply multi- and interdisciplinary approaches to tackling complex problems in a variety of contexts (eg climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainability in business and industry, regional planning, land care, public participation, and cultural heritage).
• Gather and analyse relevant data for creating adaptive responses to environmental issues.
• Synthesise the principal approaches to environmental management and other relevant fields of study.

Relevant Degrees

• Bachelor of Arts (BARTS)
• Bachelor of Arts/Master of International Affairs (BARTVMIA)
• Bachelor of Development Studies (BDEVS)
• Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (Sustainability) (BISSU)
• Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (Sustainability) Advanced (Honours) (AISSU)
• Bachelor of Pacific Studies (BPAST)