Environmental Health & Justice: Principles, Policies and Practice

Catalog description

Poor and people of color communities have been disproportionately impacted by environmental harm from resource extraction, pollution, land-use, dangerous work and restricted access to the necessary resources to sustain healthy lives and livelihoods. This unfair burden is known as environmental injustice. The course takes an intersectional, systems-thinking approach to examining the complex problem of environmental injustice. Some of the questions we will consider include: What are the ways in which low-income communities and communities of color are targeted for the siting of toxic and polluting facilities? How do social and economic factors make individuals, families and whole communities more vulnerable to environmental challenges such as pollution and climate change? What are the actions that can and are being taken at diverse points of intervention in the eco-socio-economic systems and who is taking these actions? The course will combine reading, videos, music, online lectures (by the instructor and guests), class discussions, blog-posts, media analysis of current events and more to explore the contours of environmental justice.