News Article

Gonzaga University has begun a seven-course undergraduate concentration in environmental studies that aims to advance intellectual understanding of environmental problems and help students begin to contemplate possible practical solutions.

The program, compatible with any undergraduate degree, consists of a broad curriculum with a common core of discipline-specific foundational courses that culminate in an interdisciplinary capstone seminar. Its mission statement notes that the program: “uses environmental issues to enhance the academic experiences of students from a broad variety of majors.” Its broad multidisciplinary approach offers courses in many departments, including biology, political science, philosophy, economics, history and others.

The idea for the program stems from a series of meetings and conversations that started approximately six years ago and was solidified in October 2006.

“Gonzaga has needed an environmental studies program for some time,” said its Director Jonathan Isacoff, GU assistant professor of political science. “Increasingly around the country and especially in the Northwest, environmental studies has become well established as a standard part of the liberal arts curriculum. I feel lucky in this day and age, and especially in this region of the country, to be promoting environmental studies. It is not really a hard sell, so despite the natural difficulties of building a new program from scratch, I am highly optimistic regarding our future.”

There are currently eight students enrolled in the program, which officially began in fall semester 2006. Isacoff said he expects five to 10 more students to add the concentration before the end of this semester. Isacoff hopes to increase participation to a sustainable level of 40 to 50 students.

Isacoff’s goals, however, encompass far more than student numbers. He also hopes to add electives from an even wider range of disciplines and to create a permanent annual lecture series. Eventually, he would like to expand the program into a full-fledged major and create an endowment to support staff, curriculum and guest speakers.

For more information about the new environmental studies program, contact Isacoff via e-mail at Isacoff@gonzaga.edu or at (509) 323-5951.