Ohio Wesleyan Creates Two New Programs
Environment and Sustainability, Film Studies Programs to Debut in Fall 2017
DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University is creating new programs in environment and sustainability and in film studies with both resulting in expanded academic offerings for students beginning in fall 2017.
The environment and sustainability program will offer majors and minors in the areas of environmental science and environmental studies, while the film studies program will offer majors and minors in film studies.
Provost Charles L. Stinemetz, Ph.D., said both programs will draw from Ohio Wesleyan’s core liberal arts curriculum, preparing students to enter the workforce or pursue graduate studies as it teaches them to think critically, communicate clearly, work collaboratively, and connect ideas with experiences for a deep understanding of their fields.
The environment and sustainability program will include the collaboration of nearly 20 faculty members who specialize in natural sciences, social sciences, art, and humanities, Stinemetz said.
New courses will include ENVS 110: Introduction to Environment and Sustainability, which will lay a foundation for more in-depth studies by teaching key concepts in environment and sustainability as well as core theories and approaches to understanding and addressing the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
The program also will include ENVS 198/498: Conversations: Toward a Sustainable Future, an innovative course that students will take as new majors and again as seniors to provide both a cornerstone and capstone for their educational experiences.
“The conversations class will enable new environmental studies and environmental science majors and graduating seniors to interact and engage with each other,” Stinemetz said. “Seniors will present work and reflect on experiences gained through internships, field study, and other theory-to-practice opportunities. They also will help new students to shape their future work in their majors.”
Ohio Wesleyan’s new film studies program will prepare its majors for careers in which their analytical and writing skills are needed, Stinemetz said, including work for media companies, government agencies, communication departments, and advertising agencies.
“The growth of the Internet as a global communication highway has made film a critical medium for the 21st century,” he said. “Much of what we know, or think we know, about people, places, and cultures comes through film. Knowledge of how motion pictures are produced, and in what cultural, political, and economic contexts, forms an important foundation for the analysis of a wide range of moving images, from advertising and propaganda to prime-time programming and news footage.”
Also in fall 2017, Ohio Wesleyan will add majors in communication, data analytics, Middle Eastern studies, nutrition, and social justice. For fall 2016, Ohio Wesleyan expanded its neuroscience offerings and added a business administration major. Learn more about any of Ohio Wesleyan’s nearly 90 majors at www.owu.edu/majors.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers nearly 90 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through Ohio Wesleyan’s signature OWU Connection program, students integrate knowledge across disciplines, build a diverse and global perspective, and apply their knowledge in real-world settings. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.