Liberal Studies, Urban Ecology Concentration, BA

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

BA in Liberal Studies: Urban Ecology
Location: AU Seattle
Credits for Degree: 180 quarter credits
Standard Mode of Instruction: Classroom
Standard time to completion: 36 months

Program Overview

This concentration prepares students for work and/or graduate studies in a wide range of fields, including: social entrepreneurship, community development, social change advocacy, environmental stewardship, climate change activism, urban environmental education, public policy & law, urban design and government agencies (departments such as parks, utilities, social services or neighborhoods). A highly interdisciplinary concentration, Urban Ecology engages students in the study of political economy, food systems, environmental justice, cultural studies, policy studies, urban planning, education and social change. This concentration educates students to take innovative leadership roles with communities facing the challenges and opportunities of dense urbanization, a growing urgency for social justice, and quickly evolving environmental conditions. Graduates with this concentration are committed to nurturing resilient communities in which residents thrive culturally, psychologically, spiritually, and economically.

Current Tuition and Fees

University Tuition and Fees

Interdisciplinary Core Required Courses (20-28 quarter credits)

LIB-3010: Liberal Studies Seminar
LIB-3020: Diversity, Power & Privilege
LIB-4400: Competency Integration Seminar
LIB-4450: Senior Synthesis Seminar
LIB-4500: Senior Synthesis Project
WRTG-4050: Writing in Academic Contexts
WRTG-4060: Inquiry and Research
A Writing Intensive (“W”) Course (4 quarter credits)

Possible coursework for concentration

Environmental Racism; Environmental Justice
Urban Agriculture
Sacred Botany
Birds in the Field and Human Imagination
Nutrition & the Politics of Food
When a Community Weeps

Sample Community-Based Learning Experiences:

Apprentice with a local artist, writer or film-maker focused on community issues
Organize a speaker/lecture series on a global issue
Training with an international NGO
Practicum with a labor union or community-based organization
Work with a Community Garden

Sample Synthesis Projects:

Develop a project on local, sustainable agriculture in the greater Seattle area
Design an advocacy project promoting outdoor recreation and experiential education for troubled youth in public high schools
Research the effects of global warming on coastal urban areas
Facilitate a community issues forum
Compare and contrast different farming systems (agri-business, organic, bio-dynamic, and permaculture)
Design an advocacy project promoting experiential environmental education for at risk youth in public high schools
Oral history project dealing with an immigrant community

About

Leadership

Administrative Resources

Discover Our Campuses

Academic Focus Areas

Programs by Type

Programs by Modality

Programs by Campus

Academic Resources

Admissions

Information for

Dates & Deadlines

Tuition & Fees