Race, class, gender and other social constructs shape our relationship with the environment in crucial ways, leading to distributional and procedural injustices that have direct and indirect impacts on health and well-being. On a global level, these impacts have never been more apparent than in the current epoch, as human-induced climate change is having disproportionate impacts on the poor and people of color. However, these contemporary challenges originate in historic legacies of oppression, manifested as attitudes and practices embedded in institutions such as international trade regimes and local urban planning agencies.

Using a social justice lens, this course traces the evolution of modern environmentalism – from the Progressive Conservation Movement of the 1890s to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s-70s and contemporary Ecofeminist & Climate Justice Movements. Through this exploration of historic and contemporary conceptions of environmentalism, students will examine multiple types of environmental injustice as they relate to accessing clean air & water, workplace health & safety, housing, natural hazards & climate change, energy, and governance processes.

By engaging with classic and contemporary works as well as community practices, students will critically examine environmental equity implications of public policies, and consider emerging pathways toward environmental justice.