The Earth is currently facing serious global environmental issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion. In an effort to contribute to solving these problems, Seoul National University established an interdisciplinary Global Environmental Management education program in 2010, integrating various fields such as humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, engineering, agriculture, forestry, public health, and business. This major is open to all undergraduate students at Seoul National University who wish to cultivate creative talents capable of addressing these critical environmental challenges.
To learn more about the Global Environmental Management major, an interview was conducted with Yang Hawon, a student currently enrolled in the program.



Q: Could you please introduce yourself briefly?

A: Hello, I'm Yang Hawon, majoring in Horticultural Biotechnology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Class of 20. I entered the Global Environmental Management major in the spring semester of 2022 and have been pursuing it since then.



Q: What led you to pursue Global Environmental Management, and can you share your experiences in the program?

A: Before entering university, I had a keen interest in plants, leading me to naturally choose the Department of Plant Science. My major, Horticultural Biotechnology, focuses on technology-intensive and energy-intensive aspects, sparking my interest in agriculture and environmental issues. This background led me to enter the Global Environmental Management major. With the world's population increasing and a growing demand for food, issues like food supply imbalance are becoming more prominent. I wanted to explore how to address the challenges arising from increased food demand and imbalance in food supply. Thus, I entered the Global Environmental Management major to gain knowledge that could contribute to solving global issues faced by humanity.




Q: Which class in Global Environmental Management left the most lasting impression on you?

A: The Environmental Psychology class I took in the first semester of 2022 and the Ecophilosophy and Environmental Ethics class I'm currently taking in the second semester of 2023 have been the most memorable.
In the Environmental Psychology class, there was a project where students formed groups consisting of two other classmates and conducted research on a chosen topic related to environmental psychology throughout the semester. I conducted research on the correlation between taking environmental courses, such as the Environmental Psychology class, and the practice of environmentally friendly behaviors. Our hypothesis was that students majoring in Global Environmental Management, who tend to take more environmental courses, would have a higher frequency of engaging in environmentally friendly behaviors. To support the hypothesis that environmental course enrollment affects environmental behavior, we conducted statistical analysis examining the impact of three variables – environmental knowledge, perception, and attitude – on environmental behavior. To carry out this research, we conducted surveys and performed statistical analyses. The Environmental Psychology class provided a valuable experience in learning statistical knowledge and using statistical programs.

The Ecophilosophy and Environmental Ethics course is one of the classes I am currently enrolled in. Due to the nature of my major, which is primarily focused on plant production science, I was not familiar with philosophy, and I am currently learning about the relatively new field of ecophilosophy, gaining new insights in the process. In the Ecophilosophy and Environmental Ethics course, we delve into various ecological philosophy theories such as deep ecology and social ecology. The class provides a reflective space for self-examination, prompting contemplation on my attitudes thus far. My major, Plant Production Science, focuses on learning how to increase the quantity and quality of plants. I am also taking a course in Facility Horticulture this semester, where plants are approached from a mechanistic perspective. However, in the Ecophilosophy and Environmental Ethics course, the perspective is that plants and humans are equal entities, both representing living beings. This experience made me realize how perspectives on a subject can vary across different academic disciplines. Additionally, being in a class with students from diverse majors created an open atmosphere for discussions, allowing us to explore various viewpoints and learn from our peers.


Q: What are your aspirations through the Global Environmental Management major?

A: Currently, my pursuit of the Global Environmental Management major is mainly driven by personal academic curiosity. However, due to my strong interest in environmental issues, I have considered moving towards policies related to environmental protection after completing the major. Considering the close relationship between agriculture and the environment, I aim to explore ways to synergize these two fields and build expertise in relevant areas.



Q: Can you share the strengths and weaknesses of the Global Environmental Management major?

A: The fact that the Global Environmental Management major is linked to the Green Leadership Program, allowing students to gain internship experiences in companies and accumulate social experiences, can be considered as one advantage. Furthermore, as Global Environmental Management is an interdisciplinary major, students from various fields come together. The ability to exchange ideas with students from different majors under the broad theme of the environment is also one of the advantages. Lastly, considering that the environment is currently a globally recognized field, I believe it will be helpful for future career exploration.
On the flip side, there are disadvantages that contrast with the advantages. Students majoring in Global Environmental Management have diverse individual majors, and being confined to the framework of an interdisciplinary major means that interaction among students is relatively lacking. Moreover, the number of courses offered within the Global Environmental Management major is limited, making it challenging to align the major's goals with the actual courses. As indicated by the major's name, 'Global', 'Environment', 'Management', focusing only on the environment may lead to a lack of balance in addressing the global and managerial aspects, creating a sense of imbalance in the field of study.




Q: If you could suggest improvements or express your expectations for the Global Environmental Management major, what would they be?

A: There is a difficulty in course registration due to the existence of major-recognized courses that are not offered every semester or only once a year. Among the requirements for completing the Global Environmental Management major, humanities and social science students are expected to take more than half of the required 39 credits in the field of science and technology, while natural science students must take courses in the humanities, social sciences, policy, and management fields. Personally, I find it less academically burdensome for natural science students to take humanities courses, but for humanities students, taking many courses held in the College of Engineering can be academically challenging. There are differences in the academic burden depending on students' main majors, and there are also issues such as having to prioritize courses offered in a given semester over personal interests.
Therefore, I would like to request an overall increase in the availability of courses in Global Environmental Management. For instance, it would be beneficial to have more courses that provide diverse perspectives on climate change scenario analysis, the global situation and coping strategies for climate change, and each country's response. Currently, it feels like we only learn theoretical aspects in lectures, and there is a lack of understanding about how things happen in reality. Lastly, it seems that there are relatively few courses offered in environmental economics and management, so having more courses related to business and policy or expanding the recognition of alternative courses from other departments would be appreciated.


Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: I aim to contribute to improving greenhouse facilities that currently consume a large amount of energy by combining my major in horticulture with environmental policies. While Net-Zero and RE100 are still underdeveloped in areas outside of manufacturing, applying these concepts to agriculture could help symbolize agriculture as an environmentally friendly sector in the future.



Q: Can you share a few words for students interested in majoring in Global Environmental Management?

A: Advice may vary depending on whether you are a humanities or science major, considering the differences in academic burdens. If you are a humanities student, assess whether you have the appropriate scientific knowledge, mathematics, and statistical skills required for science courses. Additionally, since there is a relatively high amount of group activities and presentations in Global Environmental Management courses, it might be challenging if your main major already requires a lot of group work.
However, there are currently various environmental movements taking place in diverse industries. For students interested in the environmental situation and how these movements unfold, majoring in Global Environmental Management can be highly beneficial in terms of expanding knowledge and perspectives. While I haven't done an internship yet, I believe that completing one in the future could greatly assist in building a future career.