Sustainability
Students work with faculty advisors to devise self-designed majors. Coursework in the major builds upon students’ experiences in the general education curriculum while providing students with pathways to deepen their knowledge or further develop their passion in a particular area of study.
Why study sustainability at Antioch?
Many modern challenges ranging from environmental justice, climate change, structural racism, and food security are “wicked problems” that require a wide range of expertise. Antioch College lives its commitment to sustainability in a comprehensive way. At Antioch, you will find many elements to choose from as you design your degree in environmental sustainability: our award-winning campus operations (farm, dining, renewable energy facilities, LEED-certified buildings, nature preserve), our faculty expertise, our courses, and our Cooperative Education (Co-op) jobs. Through educational work across disciplines and Co-op placements nationally and internationally, students have opportunities to develop robust majors and senior capstone projects that investigate approaches to protect, preserve and make the smartest possible use of the planet’s natural resources.
Sustainability-Focused Courses
Humanities
- LIT 130 Literature and Social Justice
- PHIL 115 Eastern Thought
- PHIL 221 Environmental Ethics & Political Theory
- PHIL 290 Indian and Buddhist Philosophies
Sciences
- BIO 210 Botany
- BIO 240 Zoology
- BIO 340 Evolutionary Biology
- CHEM 220 Environmental Chemistry
- ENVS 105 Introduction to Environmental Sciences
- ENVS 220 Aquatic Biology
- ENVS 230 Soil Science
- ENVS 305 Ecology
- ENVS 330 Conservation Biology
- ENVS 339 Ecological Agriculture
Social Sciences
- ANTH 380 Inside Out: Race, Gender & Citizenship
- PECO 110 Principles of Economics
- PECO 260 Political Economy of Technology
- PECO 315 Environmental Economics
- PECO 320 Labor Economics
- PECO 330 Political Economy of Race and Gender
- PECO 350 Public Policy
Additional Offerings
- EXPR 140 The Antioch Harvest: Seed-saving, Canning, Fermenting, and Preserving
- EXPR 240 Food, Farming and Resilience: Integrative Learning on the Antioch Farm
- EXPR 241 Reskilling, Sustainability and Community
- EXPR 242 Resilience in the Anthropocene
- EXPR 340 The Antioch Apothecary: Teas and Tinctures, Syrups and Salves
- EXPR 341 Seed Sovereignty and Citizen Action
- FARM 210 Community Food Projects
Example of self-designed major in sustainability
Environmental Philosophy, Ecological Resiliency, and Practicable Sustainability
Cooperative Education Field Placements
In the past, students have participated in Co-ops around the country and abroad. Here are a few examples:
- Antioch Farm, an on campus farm providing a space for learning about sustainable, ecological agriculture while also providing the college with fresh, organically grown produce
- Agraria, Community Solutions, a Yellow Springs-based nonprofit committed to educating people about ways to make their communities more self-reliant and resilient
- Heartbeat Learning Gardens, a non-profit, small scale, sustainable farm working to provide education on sustainable farming and simple living
- Un Arbol Para Mi Vereda (A Tree for My Sidewalk), a non-profit organization with a mission to plant more trees in the City of Buenos Aires and the surrounding area
- City of Dayton’s Division of Water Supply and Treatment, which is responsible for maintaining and operating well fields, water treatment plants, pumping stations, and water storage facilities that provide water to most of the residents in Montgomery County
Learning Resources
Faculty
Recent News
Explorations Through Co-op: Jen Ruud ’18
Although Jen Ruud ’18 majored in Environmental Science at Antioch, their Co-ops provided opportunities for exploration in different fields.
