Environmental Justice

Catalog description

Environmental justice (also referred to as environmental injustice) is the idea the poor and marginalized communities endure more environmental risks than others. The term environmental justice emerged to coalesce efforts to address environmental inequality and the conditions that produce environmental injustices. This course explores the field of environmental justice, from its historic roots to its diverse strands. We will consider the frameworks of determining what an environmental injustice is, how it occurs, who is impacted, and strategies of resistance. We will read case studies that trace diverse ways of understanding environmental injustice, such as environmental racism, toxic exposure, conservation exclusion, labor conditions, access to resources, and more. Students will also study local case studies and develop a project on a local issue.