Natural Connections

In the Natural Connections curriculum, students enroll in integrated, multi-disciplinary groups and pairs of courses organized around themes or questions, such as “Natural Hazards and Environmental Extremes,” “What is Success?” “Earth Keeping: Exploring our Relationships with Nature,” or “What Does Sex have to Do with It?” Faculty teams dedicated to Natural Connections provide a variety of disciplinary perspectives on these questions or themes, and students develop a sophisticated understanding of the complexities inherent in each.

Students who select Natural Connections are required to enroll in one, four-course block; two, two-course blocks, and one experiential course that emphasizes the application of theoretical knowledge to real-world problems or experiences. Students may select blocks of courses that focus on different themes or questions each semester, or they might select blocks that explore the same question or theme across two or more semesters.