The program of study in Environmental Politics combines a rigorous and diverse set of courses from the social sciences and natural sciences and the humanities to help students develop conceptual and problem solving skills to address global issues that are by nature complex and interdisciplinary. The Environmental Politics major is administered by the Department of Politics, in consultation with the History, Economics and Business, Modern Languages, and Classics Departments.

Course requirements: Students in the Environmental Politics major must take a minimum of 12 courses, as specified in the 3 key rules below.

Rule 1. Core courses: Students must complete the following seven core courses in environmental politics:

PO215: Politics of the Environment
PO330: Internal Political Economy
EC141: Principles of Micro Economics
EC250: Environmental Economics
BI205: Biosphere at Risk
CH120/121: Chemistry and Society

Rule 2. Major electives: Students must complete four of the following politics courses. Including either PO214 or PO224.

PO205: Diplomacy
PO214: International Law
PO224: International Organization and the UN System
PO230: The Politics of Rich and Poor States
PO248: Public Policy
PO425: Philosophy and Ideology of the Environment
CL275: Archeology

Rule 3. Senior Seminar Requirement: Students must complete PO478 (senior seminar). Students must choose a thesis topic and prepare the thesis in senior seminar. Research topics must address an international topic, and be approved by the faculty advisor.

Internships: Students will be encouraged to work with different institutions and agencies in the state and the larger region, for example, the regional administration of the Environmental Protection Agency (Boston), NH Department of Environmental Services, The Society for the Protection of NH Forests, the NH Chapter of the Audubon Society, or the Appalachian Mountain Club, The Environmental Defense Fund, all of which may engage students in practical application of their training.

Course Sequence: Ordinary course sequence for the Environmental Politics major.