Course On Global Environment Will Be Required For Freshmen

Starting next spring, ODU freshmen and transfer students with fewer than 12 credits will be required to take a new course on the global environment. President Roseann Runte said she believes the three-credit general education course, New Portal to Appreciating Our Global Environment, will be an attractive feature for high school students considering Old Dominion.

Approximately 2,000 students will meet weekly for a lecture and twice-weekly in discussion groups led by graduate students. Lecturers will include both outside speakers and ODU faculty in fields ranging from oceanography to geography.

James English, associate professor of community and environmental health, said the course offers not only an opportunity to raise environmental awareness, but also a chance “to put us on the map.”

Among the goals of the course are to provide students with multidisciplinary perspectives on environmental issues and to raise their awareness of the interdependence of various perspectives and issues.

“As educators we must look to the future and try new ways of teaching and collaborating,” Runte said. “Interdisciplinary initiatives making good use of technology are very important. As responsible citizens, we must recognize the importance of our environment and share our knowledge on this topic with future generations. As a ‘green campus,’ with a remarkable array of environmentally friendly initiatives, it is appropriate that our teaching features a similar emphasis. The environment belongs to each one of us and has regional and international implications.”

For more information about the course go to www.odu.edu/newpage.