Environmental Behavior Cluster
Environmental Behavior is an inherently interdisciplinary field. A program of studies with a concentration in this cluster can be designed to integrate the behavioral sciences and design arts for greater depth and specificity than is available individually from either of these disciplines. The cluster can provide a graduate track for students interested in exploring and developing knowledge of the mutual relationship of human behavior and the natural and built environments, and their application to planning and design.
Qualifications
The Environmental Behavior cluster is best suited for those students already admitted to IGS who have an undergraduate major in any of the design disciplines, or students with a solid background in at least one design discipline and an ability to relate in a significant way to at least one of the three chosen social science areas of study. There may be portfolio or skill requirements for admission to individual design courses.
Program of Study in the Environmental Behavior Cluster
Candidates will ideally take a minimum of 9 credit hours in each of three different disciplines, to be chosen from the social or biological sciences (Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, Environmental Science, Biology, Health and Human Performance, Exercise and Sport Science, Gerontology, Human Development and Family Studies, or Family, Consumer and Education Sciences); design (Architecture, Art and Design, Community and Regional Planning, or Landscape Architecture); and the Humanities (Anthropology, History, or other).
Possible Configurations
Students who choose Environmental Behavior as their concentration cluster may narrow their choice by selecting any combination of social science and design areas that allow them to engage in meaningful research into the connections between the design of the physical environment and the behavior of individuals, social groups, and cultures. Therefore, the student’s program of study may reflect a focus on psychology, sociology, or anthropology, in conjunction with emphasis on one of the following disciplines: urban planning, landscape architecture, architecture, interior design, product design, graphic design, or the fine arts.
Disciplines and Courses Available in the Environmental Behavior Cluster
Anthropology:
- Anthr 518 Global Culture, Consumption and Modernity
- Anthr 516 Environmental Archaeology
- Anthr 538 Primate Evolutionary Ecology and Behavior
Architecture:
- Arch 571 Design for All People (Same as Dsn S 571, Geron 571)
- Arch 575 Contemporary Urban Design Theory (Same as Dsn S 575)
- Arch 577 Social Impact of the Built Environment (Same as Dsn S 577)
- Arch 590 Independent Study
- Arch 595 Cultural Inquiry I
- Arch 596 Cultural Inquiry II
Graphic Design:
- ArtGr 579 Environmental Graphics
- ArtGr 672 Graphic Design and Human Interaction
- ArtGr 590 Special Topics
Integrated Studio Arts:
- ArtIS 520 Wood Design Studio
- ArtIS 590 Special Topics
Interior Design:
- ArtId 590 Special Topics
- ArtId 569 Advanced Studies in Interior Design
Community and Regional Planning:
- C R P 320 Urban Form (Same as Dsn S 320)
- C R P 501 Methods I
- C R P 502 Methods II
- C R P 504 Why Change Anything? (Same as Dsn S 504)
- C R P 584 Sustainable Communities (Same as Dsn S 584)
Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology:
- EEOB 539 Environmental Physiology
- EEOB 569 Biogeography
Exercise and Sport Science:
- Ex Sp 355 Biomechanics
- Ex Sp 358 Physiology of Exercise
- Ex Sp 472 Neural Basis of Human Movement
- Ex Sp 480 Functional Anatomy
Family and Consumer Sciences Education and Studies:
- FCEdS 501 Trends, Issues and Public Policy
Gerontology:
- Geron 545 Economics, Public Policy, and Aging
- Geron 561 The Life Course (Same as Soc 561)
- Geron 563 Environments for the Aging (Same as HD FS 563)
- Geron 571 Design for All People (Same as Arch 571)
- Geron 577 Aging in the Family Setting (Same as HD FS 577)
Health and Human Performace:
- HHP 561 Motor Development
- HHP 572 Neural Basis of Human Movement
History:
- Hist 483 History of Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Hist 484 Science, Technology, Medicine, and Public Policy
- Hist 572 Seminar in American Environmental History
Human Development and Family Studies:
- HD FS 503 Research Methods in Human Development and Family Studies.
- HD FS 563 Environments for the Aging (Same as Geron 563)
- HD FS 603 Advanced Quantitative Methods
- HD FS 604 Advanced Qualitative Research
Political Science:
- Pol S 582 Environmental Politics and Policies
Psychology:
- Psych 488 Cultural Psychology
- Psych 507 Applications of Multivariate Methods in Psychology
- Psych 508 Research Methods in Applied Psychology
- Psych 512 Advanced Perception
- Psych 521 Cognitive Psychology of Human Computer Interaction
- Psych 580 Advanced Social Psychology: Psychological Perspectives
- Psych 581 Applications of Social Psychology Theories
- Psych 586 Research Methods in Social Psychology
Sociology:
- Soc 476 The Aged in American Society (Same as Geron 476)
- Soc 513 Qualitative Research Methods
- Soc 520 Social Psychology: A Sociological Perspective
- Soc 530 Social Organization
- Soc 532 Organizations and Their Environments
- Soc 533 Models of Community
- Soc 535 Urban Sociology
- Soc 548 Sociology of the Environment
- Soc 564 Community Action Practice and Theory
Sample Programs of Study
Anthropometrics and Ergonomics:
- Arch 571 Design for All People
- ArtGr 672 Graphic Design and Human Interaction
- ArtGr 590 Special Topics
- Ex Sp 355 Biomechanics
- Ex Sp 358 Physiology of Exercise
- Ex Sp 472 Neural Basis of Human Movement
- Ex Sp 480 Functional Anatomy
- Psych 512 Advanced Perception
- Psych 521 Cognitive Psychology of Human Computer Interaction.
- IGS 699 Thesis Research
Urban Environment Issues:
- Arch 575 Contemporary Urban Design Theory
- Arch 577 Social Impact of the Built Environment
- C R P 320 Urban Form
- C R P 584 Sustainable Communities
- Psych 488 Cultural Psychology
- Psych 580 Advanced Social Psychology: Psychological Perspectives
- Soc 435 Urban Society
- Soc 535 Urban Sociology
- Soc 564 Community Action Practice and Theory
- IGS 699 Thesis Research