Environmental Justice

Catalog description

The idea of environmental justice emerged five decades ago to bring attention to and politicize the injustices of environmental degradation. Our understanding and exploration of the idea is now global and the ways in which we theorize about and study injustices have grown in sophistication and inclusiveness. Over the course of the semester, students will explore the political theories developed about environmental justice, the experiences of actors living with and acting on environmental injustices, and more generally the scholarly literature on environmental degradation governance. These theories and cases are largely drawn from the Global South and from marginalized communities in the Global North. Topics addressed can include local commons governance, the right to development, rights of nature, indigenous rights and environmental governance, land defenders, commodities extraction, and animal and land conservation. Offered as ESTD 387 , POSC 387 , and POSC 487 . Counts as a Disciplinary Communication course. Counts as a Moral & Ethical Reasoning course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.