Earth and Environmental Systems

This is an archived copy of the 2019-2020 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://e-catalog.sewanee.edu.

Natural resources and the environment is an interdisciplinary environmental major that integrates coursework in forest ecosystems and geology with the broad range of potential environmental coursework offered at Sewanee.

Requirements for the Major in Natural Resources and the Environment

The major requires successful completion of the following:

Course Requirements
FORS 121Introduction to Forestry (Lab)4
GEOL 121Physical Geology (Lab)4
FORS/GEOL 332Oral Presentations2
Select one of the following:4
Any lab course in biology (BIOL)
Field Investigations in Biology
Entomology
Foundations of Chemistry
General Chemistry (Lab)
Foundations of Global Warming
Select four core courses in natural resources from the following:16
Dendrology (Lab)
Forest and Watershed Restoration (Lab)
Soils (Lab)
Forest Ecology (Lab)
Silviculture
Natural Resource Management and Decisions
Mineralogy (Lab)
Historical Geology (Lab)
Sedimentology (Lab)
Economic Geological Resources (Lab)
Hydrology (Lab)
Field and Structural Geology (Lab)
Select three additional approved electives from the following: 112
Any course in biology (BIOL) numbered 130 or higher
Any course in chemistry (CHEM)
Any course in environmental studies (ENST)
Any course in environmental science (ESCI)
Any course in forestry (FORS)
Any course in geology (GEOL)
Any course in physics (PHYS)
Archaeology of the Cumberland Plateau
North American Archaeology
Field School in Archaeology
Environmental Archaeology
Archaeological Resource Management and Policy
Environmental Economics
Environmental History
Oil: The Fuel of Globalization
Environmental Ethics
Political Theory of the Environment
International Environmental Policy
Religious Environmentalism
Religion and Ecology
Buddhism and the Environment
Total Semester Hours42
Additional Requirements
A comprehensive examination
Department capstone requirement, which may be satisfied by:
a. Receiving a grade of C or higher on the Elberton Project undertaken in GEOL 320 - Petrology;
b. Completing no earlier than the second semester of their junior year an independent study project that culminates in a technical paper or a presentation at Scholarship Sewanee; or,
c. Completing ESCI 450 during the spring semester of their senior year.

Required for B.S. (but not for B.A.) in Natural Resources and the Environment

Course Requirements
Select two lab science courses not in forestry and geology (chemistry recommended)8
Select two additional courses in mathematics or science8
Total Semester Hours16

Writing-Intensive Course in the Major Requirement

Students majoring in forestry, geology, or natural resources and the environment can satisfy their writing-in-the-major requirement by:

  1. Successfully completing a designated writing-intensive course in the department, or
  2. Successfully completing three forestry and/or geology designated “writing portfolio” courses. Written and edited scientific papers from each writing portfolio course are to be compiled into a scientific writing portfolio by each student, and maintained by the advisor.

The following courses are designated as writing portfolio or writing-intensive courses in the Department of Earth and Environmental Systems. Other courses may be approved as such during some years. In exceptional cases and by faculty permission, one of the three writing portfolio courses might be fulfilled by FORS 444 or GEOL 444.

Writing Portfolio Courses in the Department of Earth and Environmental Systems (three required):

Forestry Major
FORS 204Forest Wildlife Management (project report)4
FORS 262Forest and Watershed Restoration (Lab) (class paper)4
FORS 305Forest Ecology (Lab) (lab report or paper)4
FORS 312Silviculture (lab report or paper)4
FORS 319Natural Resource Management and Decisions (project report)4
Geology Major
GEOL 222Historical Geology (Lab) (term paper)4
GEOL 305Economic Geological Resources (Lab) (field trip report)4
GEOL 314Hydrology (Lab) (lab report)4
GEOL 320Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology (Lab)4
Natural Resources and the Environment Major
FORS 204Forest Wildlife Management (project report)4
FORS 262Forest and Watershed Restoration (Lab) (class paper)4
FORS 305Forest Ecology (Lab) (lab report or paper)4
FORS 312Silviculture (lab report or paper)4
FORS 319Natural Resource Management and Decisions (project report)4
GEOL 222Historical Geology (Lab) (term paper)4
GEOL 305Economic Geological Resources (Lab) (field trip report)4
GEOL 314Hydrology (Lab) (lab report)4
GEOL 320Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology (Lab)4