Climate Change Studies Minor Available Fall 2015

Climate change sudies minor at WMUStarting in the fall of 2015, Western Michigan University will offer a new minor in climate change studies. This minor was created by an interdisciplinary working group of WMU faculty members, the Interdisciplinary Humanities Group for the Study of Climate Change, sponsored by the WMU Center for Humanities. Sensing that climate change is the most important issue facing mankind, one of the major goals of this group was to infuse climate change into the liberal arts education. According to the group's chair Dr. Denise Keele, associate professor of political science and environmental and sustainability studies, "It was time for us to move beyond the science and let students understand the world they live in. There are challenges coming and our real hope is to teach students something that will be useful to their lives and the future."

The climate change studies minor will be an interdisciplinary and integrative program of study involving expert faculty and key courses from intersecting disciplines. It will provide students with the necessary science-based background and a broad understanding of the human relationship to climate change, including the social and environmental causes, challenges and opportunities for migration and adaptation. The goal of the program is to develop informed and engaged citizens who can use information from multiple disciplines to draw appropriate conclusions and constructively contribute to societal adaptation to global environmental change.

Students who select climate change studies as a minor will:

  • address one of the most significant challenges facing humanity
  • study at a climate leadership award-winning University
  • contribute to societal adaptation to global environmental change
  • interact with research faculty from more than 10 departments, and
  • connect the sciences to the human experience.

Faculty members interested in climate change are also welcomed to participate in this vital area of study in a variety of ways. "We will come give a lecture for you, help you put climate change into any course, or even get your course included in the minor for a more formal connection," says Keele. There is also the possibility of joining the Interdisciplinary Humanities Group for the Study of Climate Change. Interested faculty can contact Keele or any other advisory board member to discuss ways to get involved. Students interested in more information about the minor can contact Lisa DeChano-Cook at (269) 387-3536.

Climate change studies advisory board members:
Steve Bertman, Department of Chemistry
Jonathan Bush, Dean’s Office
Lisa DeChano-Cook (Program Adviser), Department of Geography
Duane Hampton, Department of Geosciences
Dave Karowe, Department of Biological Sciences
Denise Keele (Chair), Department of Political Science & Environmental and Sustainability Studies
Allen Webb, Department of English