Mar 29, 2024  
2021-2022 Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Environmental Studies/Journalism, BA


Combined major offered by the Department of Journalism, College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Department of Environmental Studies, Huxley College of the Environment.

113-118 credits

Introduction

Environmental Journalism offers the opportunity to explore the intersection between the natural world and politics, science, economics and culture. It combines rigorous research with creative storytelling. It provides the tools necessary to communicate to the public about vital issues, at a time when the goals of journalism are more important than ever: uncovering the facts, holding the powerful accountable and telling the stories of people and issues that are hidden, misunderstood or marginalized.

Why Consider an Environmental Studies/Journalism Major?

If you’re passionate about environmental issues and want to communicate with the public about them, environmental journalism is a powerful way to do that. You will learn skills needed to research complex issues that intersect with science, politics, economics, recreation, culture and society. You will also learn how to weave this information into timely stories that engage and inform the public through words and images.

 Contact Information

Journalism
Department Chair

Jennifer Keller
Communications Facility 253
360-650-4987
Jennifer.Keller@wwu.edu

Environmental Studies
Department Chair

Rebekah Paci-Green
Arntzen Hall 206
360-650-2707
Rebekah.Paci-Green@wwu.edu

Huxley College
Professional Advisor

Kathryn Patrick
Environmental Studies 539
360-650-3520
Kathryn.Patrick@wwu.edu

 Sample Careers

Careers include staff journalist for a variety of mediums (newspapers, magazines, online news sites, podcasts, radio, video/film); freelance journalist in different mediums; communications (public relations; internal or external publications) for environmental organizations, universities, government agencies, businesses and other institutions; technical writer, particularly for subjects with a policy or scientific component.

 Major/Career Resources

www.wwu.edu/careers/students_choosingamajor.shtml

How to Declare (Admission and Declaration Process):

At any time, you may declare yourself as a pre-major with interest in environmental journalism or any other major in the Environmental Studies Department. There are several advantages to declaring and Environmental Studies pre-major during your freshman or sophomore year. Once you are declared as a pre-major you are assigned a Huxley professional advisor and a faculty advisor based on your academic interests. Your professional advisor can help you understand graduation and how to navigate through the Huxley curriculum.  Your faculty advisor can help you decide which courses to take, and when, and give you advice about how to prepare for graduate school or a future career. As a pre-major, your email is added to an email distribution list for Huxley majors so you will begin to receive notification and general announcements. Pre-major status will also give you access to priority registration for some classes. Call 360-650-3520 to meet with a professional advisor and declare as a pre-major.

Environmental journalism applicants should complete the following classes before applying to their major: ENVS 201, ENVS 203 and ECON 206.  

Grade Requirements

A grade of C- or better is required for a student’s major or minor courses, and supporting courses for majors and minors. All preparatory courses required for admission should be completed on a lettered or numeric grading scale, not P/NP, and must be completed with a grade of C- or better.

Requirements


Environmental Journalism Foundations (32 credits)


MATH 112 or suitable math placement score is necessary for some foundations courses, but higher-level math courses are recommended. Students are strongly encouraged to take chemistry, biology, and MATH 114 as part of their GUR courses to access upper division Environmental Science courses.

Environmental Journalism Major Core Courses (68-71 credits)


Topic areas


❑ Three courses from the following topic areas, with no more than one course in any topic area:

Environmental Journalism Depth and Specialization (minimum 10 credits)


❑ The following courses are pre-approved. Others across campus may fulfill this requirement, under ENVS faculty advisement.

Culminating Courses - Capstone and Experiential (3-5 credits)


Huxley Capstone

Students are required to take one ENVS approved course with a capstone “CPST” attribute during their senior year. A capstone class is a field or project based class that can be taken by students from Huxley departments (ENVS/ESCI/UEPP). This class is meant to be a culminating experience for the students bringing all the varied disciplines together as applied work on a real-world issue. Several capstone options are open to all Huxley College students; others have prerequisites.

Environmental Journalism majors are encouraged to select ENVS 417 as their capstone.