Environmental Justice

Catalog description

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. This course examines the uneven distribution of environmental benefits and burdens across society, drawing on the scholarly literature referred to as environmental justice research. You will examine historical and contemporary evidence for disparities in exposure to environmental hazards, including but not limited to air and water pollution, as well as disparities in access to environmental amenities, including but not limited to urban greenspace. Topics address variation in environmental conditions and policy outcomes across different demographic and geographic contexts, including those associated with race, gender, ethnicity and class, as these social categories are used in empirical research and policy analysis. The course treats these social categories as analytical descriptors rather than normative or ideological claims. Content includes controversial and contested scholarly perspectives on environmental issues, reflecting multiple explanatory frameworks for understanding the causes of and proposed policy responses to uneven environmental distributions. Drawing on readings from a range of disciplines, such as environmental science, geography and urban planning, you will evaluate proposed explanations for observed patterns, including but not limited to market dynamics, land-use decisions, regulatory enforcement, historical settlement patterns and institutional decision-making processes. You will also compare policy and governance responses discussed in the scholarly literature, such as market-based mechanisms, participatory decision-making arrangements and strengthened regulatory oversight, assessing their assumptions, empirical support and trade-offs. The course emphasizes evidence-based reasoning and civil discourse, preparing you to engage constructively with contentious environmental policy contexts. An independent research project will train you to develop and defend an analytical argument related to an environmental justice issue of your choosing using appropriate evidence. Throughout the course, your work will be evaluated on the quality of analysis and reasoning, not on agreement with any particular political, moral or ideological position. Prerequisites: GEOG 201 or GEOG 202 ; junior or senior classification.