Environmental Justice from the Ground Up

In this course, students study the complicated and critical subject of environmental justice (EJ) through three case studies:

1. food justice and seed sovereignty,
2. water justice and social movements, and
3. the use of bioindicators and measurement of ecosystem services to assess ecological justice.

Coursework involves exploration of local communities’ efforts to preserve local food production and save seeds, water management in Costa Rica and social movements in defense of water, and the ecological justice implications of the transition of pastures to forests to reserves. These themes will be analyzed during lectures, discussions, and field trips. For the final component of the course, students will actively synthesize concepts and methodologies learned in class and field activities in an integrated final essay summarizing a specific aspect of the EJ issues examined here. Throughout the program, there will be room for discussion with fellow students and faculty, to provide a comprehensive introduction to EJ issues and conflicts and how to propose solutions.