Environmental Humanities, offered by the Department of Humanities , is an emerging interdisciplinary field that draws together the tools of the humanities, social sciences, and sciences to answer some of the most pressing questions of our time. With a curriculum that explores the ethical, aesthetic, cultural, historical, and activist elements of humans’ relationships with the living world, the environmental humanities prioritize critical thinking, complex problem solving, citizen science, and engagement with communities most impacted by environmental injustice, extractive industry, and the climate crisis. Questions explored across the certificate include: how do we work toward equity while adapting to a changing biosphere; what insights do history, cultural studies, and the humanities offer to questions of environmental justice; how do we communicate about complex eco-cultural problems; in what ways is climate change also a problem of meaning-making, perception, and imagination; and how can we make a life worth living in a world marked by colonial ecological violence, mass extinction, and climate change denialism?

University Basic Certificate Requirements

Basic certificate programs provide opportunities for students to pursue specialized, often pre-professional, focused educational objectives that may be separate from a degree program. At least 6 units must be completed at SJSU. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 in basic certificate coursework in order to be awarded a certificate. Generally, a maximum of 33% of basic certificate units (e.g., 3 units for a 9-unit certificate) can be completed in non-matriculated status at SJSU with approval from the department or school. In some cases, a basic certificate may be completed entirely through Open University if the student has completed a Bachelor’s degree and received approval from the department or school (University Policy S16-17 A). If a student has completed a Bachelor’s degree and received approval from the department or school, a basic certificate may be completed entirely through Open University.

The advisor/director of the program is responsible for verifying a student’s satisfactory completion of the academic requirements established for the program and for forwarding a copy of the certificate completion form to the Office of the Registrar. The Office of the Registrar records the completion of the program on the student’s transcript.