About

Climate Change is one of the leading environmental and human problems facing the world today.  Melting glaciers and rising oceans are one side of the issue, and shifting temperature and moisture patterns and the responses of earth’s biota to these changes add to the dilemma.  The other side of the problem is the human dimension, both with regards to impact and response. Solutions to the many problems arising from climate change will only be found with an understanding of the processes that govern both climate and human culture. The minor in Human Dimensions of Climate Change explores the diverse human causes and impacts of climate change to better enact successful policy decisions at local, national, and international levels.  Students will choose one of two tracks – sociocultural or archaeological – to focus on contemporary or past human dimensions of climate change, respectively. 

As an interdisciplinary field that combines the social and environmental sciences, the minor will complement many different major degree programs, including Biology, Earth Sciences, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Engineering, Forestry, History, Marine Science, Sustainable Agriculture, and Zoology, among others.  The curriculum draws on departmental strengths in environmental anthropology and archaeology, and it offers foundational and advanced coursework in HDCC, regional specializations throughout the globe, and topics of special interest.