The faculty that developed the program’s curriculum were all from English, anthropology and geography. Stradling said that the committee was made up of faculty from a variety of disciplines. We developed a curriculum that was representative of the diversity of the field as well as the many approaches one can take to studying the environment.
Eduardo Martinez, a UC philosophy professor, said that he is excited about philosophy’s role in the environmental studies BA. He believes that the philosophy curriculum will enrich the education of environmental studies students. Because philosophy is so broad in its conceptual content, it offers many interdisciplinarity opportunities. It overlaps with other disciplines like sociology, economics, physics, and chemistry.
Martinez teaches an Environmental Ethics course that focuses primarily on the values and principles behind environmental concerns. Martinez believes that environmental philosophy and ethics can lead to many career options, such as politics, environmental activism, and/or writing. These potential careers are open to all environmental studies BA students due to the interdisciplinarity of the program.