Intro to Environmental Studies Fall 2025

 The discourse surrounding the practice of hunting animals is a frequent conversation when considering modern environmental ethics. One side suggests that hunting, partially for food but more prominently for sport, is an archaic practice that is outdated in today's society. This ideology seems to view hunting as an act against animal autonomy, and is often backed by vegan and vegetarian practices. In my personal opinion, supported by wildlife management practices and consideration of food-sensitive communities, responsible animal hunting is not only an acceptable practice but highly necessary to maintain ecosystem health in the US.   In order to understand the reasons for modern hunting, we must consider the environmental history up to modern time. During the early years of American history, settlers found conflict with the environment as wolves, mountain lions, bears, and other predators would often feed upon livestock and disturb agriculture. The common practice of pred...

Hobbies often subtly influence our daily lives. After developing a passion for cooking, a friend of mine became more attentive to ingredients and where their food comes from. My mom sits outside every morning with her tea because she started birdwatching years ago. Over time, hobbies (often pursued for entertainment, fulfillment, or health) can recondition how we think, act, and move through the world.  For me, it was painting. I started around seven months ago, and since then, I’ve found that I look at the world differently. My eyes linger just a little longer, noticing the shadows cast by trees, the way light reflects off the windows, and even the cracks in the sidewalk. What once felt ordinary now feels fleeting worth pausing for. In a moment, the sun will move past the window, the shadows change so quickly, and they might fix that sidewalk tomorrow. Instead of just glancing and passing through my surroundings, I now study the environment with undivided attention. I find mysel...

Many anthropologists come from a European background, and their ancestry brings with it a particular way of thinking; one that views the lives of early humans through a distinct European worldview. This “European lens” can lead to misinterpretations of how early humans understood and interacted with the environment. Although ethnocentrism is largely rejected today, foundational ideas established by 18th-century ethnocentric anthropologists continue to influence how early human societies are understood.  In a 1996 article titled “ Humans Have Been Changing the Environment Since Prehistoric Times ” , Elizabeth Wing, a curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida, Gainesville, and her son Stephen Wing, an ecologist at the University of California Davis, describe how humans have always had an impact on the environment. Through the study of bone fragments, shells, and teeth, they found evidence for environmental manipulation that predates sedentism and s...

"These works foster a connection to the environment, as the environment itself continually alters the art." From its earliest origins, art has been used to capture a glimpse of nature as a snapshot in time. Throughout different artistic periods, artists employed unique methods to express their experiences with the natural world. Yet, for much of history, the environment remained a backdrop, a tool to be manipulated on the canvas to convey a specific feeling or an idealized vision of what the artist observed. However, the rise of the environmentalist movement in the 1970s, fueled by growing concern over ecological health, drew the attention of the art world. It was during this period that artists began rethinking their relationship with nature. Perhaps art wasn’t just about depicting a scene. Perhaps artists could be more involved with the environment. In his 2022 article Art and Nature: The Emergence of Ecological Art , author Domenic Witek invites readers to “discover how ...