What happens when psychology, agriculture, art and global perspectives come together in the classroom? At the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS), that interdisciplinary approach is driving a new Environmental Psychology course, where students learn through hands-on experiences, collaborative projects and guest speakers from across disciplines and around the world.

Throughout the semester, students bring theory to life through immersive experiences. They propagate plants at NC State’s teaching greenhouse, explore exhibits at the Gregg Museum of Art & Design, and learn from virtual and in-person guest speakers from across NC State and beyond, including a lecturer from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom. These activities deepen their understanding of how environments influence human behavior and well-being.

The course reflects CHASS’ focus on collaboration and interdisciplinary learning. By connecting students with faculty, practitioners and perspectives across fields, it demonstrates how complex challenges — from workplace well-being to environmental design — require integrated approaches. In doing so, it prepares students to think broadly, work across disciplines and apply their knowledge in real-world contexts.

“This is a course about how built and natural environments impact people and how different environments can be augmented to enable human thriving.”

This interdisciplinary approach enhances learning by opening students’ worldviews and challenging them to think more deeply about the spaces they inhabit, said Ian Obus Siderits. He is the course instructor and a doctoral candidate in industrial-organizational psychology.

He said the most important things he wants students to take from the course are: a curiosity about human psychology and the influence of environments on people; a caring for people and how environments foster personal growth; and a memorable experience.

The course builds on research exploring how environments shape human experience. “Within this broad sub-field of research, my guiding mantra is that work should be a place that adds years onto our lives, not a place that takes years away,” said Siderits. That focus informs the course’s emphasis on topics such as nature, design and personal growth.

Designed to move beyond traditional lectures, the course pairs concepts with real-world applications. “The connection between theory and practice is built into the very structure of this course,” Siderits said, pointing to its format of combining lectures with weekly activities, events and guest speakers.

Throughout the semester, students work on “mini assignments” that Siderits said also allow them to put the material they learned into practice. Examples include students conducting personal quality-of-life audits, reflecting on events, or drafting behavioral change intervention ideas based on environmental concepts.

“This is a course about how built and natural environments impact people and how different environments can be augmented to enable human thriving,” Siderits explained. “What better way is there to explore and understand those concepts than to go out and see, feel and experience them for yourself?”

These experiences are essential to creating a memorable and impactful experience for students, he added.

“Walking around campus to analyze, which environments draw us in versus cause stress, changed how I think about spaces,” said psychology major Charlotte Wood. “Applying what I learned showed me how we gravitate toward places that offer comfort and relief, often in nature or environments with natural features, while recognizing which environments contribute to stress, especially those with harsh, unnatural elements.”

That approach also includes university collaboration, which prepares students for a globalized work world. Bringing in virtual guest speakers and exploring practical examples from other countries introduces students to different perspectives, structures, and norms, and prepares them to understand and function effectively as part of an international team.

Exposure to various disciplines further shapes the experience. “Engaging with multiple disciplines, speakers, modalities, and class/event locations creates an environment centered around curiosity, engagement and personal growth,” Siderits said, adding that these varied perspectives broaden students’ understanding of how environments influence individuals and communities.

“Approaching nuanced problems requires a nuanced view, which this class teaches,” said Tucker Wolf, a psychology and Spanish double major. “I have been taught the ability to consider the plethora of ways an environment can affect those within it. “

With any new course, there are challenges. Since the events and topics designed for the course are being tested, some work out and others don’t, explained Sidertis. But that, in turn, allowed activities to shift to fit the class and encouraged more collaboration between the instructor and students.

Looking ahead, Siderits said the course will continue to evolve as a central hub for interdisciplinary and interorganizational collaborations around the campus. The drive behind these collaborations, he added, will remain the same: enable students to meaningfully expand their knowledge, views and understanding of themselves and the world around them.