Environmental Humanities @Rowan

Rapid growth in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics ('STEM') programs has revolutionized Rowan University. While STEM research and pedagogy is critically important for devising technical solutions to environmental problems, STEM fields are not necessarily oriented towards understanding the cultural, ideological, and historical contexts in which environmental problems ‘come to be’ in the first place. For that, we must turn to the tools, approaches, and sensibilities of the environmental humanities ('EH').

In 2017, Dept. of Geography, Planning & Sustainability professor Jordan P. Howell and Dept. of English professor Dustin Crowley were awarded a highly competitive Humanities Connections grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Their project, called "Cultivating the Environmental Humanities", has three major components aimed at developing more holistic and comprehensive approaches to environmental problem-solving. First, the development of curricular structures (courses, experiential learning opportunities, learning modules, and an undergraduate certificate program in Environmental Humanities); second, a public research colloquium series highlighting intersections of STEM and EH work; and third, a faculty fellows group aimed at building a culture of collaborative research between STEM, the humanities, and social sciences.

The School of Earth & Environment is proud to be the home of this innovative interdisciplinary venture that engages both humanistic and scientific methodologies for examining the interwoven nature of environments and societies. Check back often for updates and announcements about the growth of EH at Rowan and explore the links to the left for additional resources.

A summary paper about our project and experience is available here.