Middlebury

ENVS 0208

Env Justice / the Anthropocene

Environmental Justice in the Anthropocene
We live in a moment defined by environmental change. Yet the causes and consequences of these transformations are profoundly uneven. Across race, class, gender, and other forms of difference, “environmental problems” manifest in radically unequal ways, disproportionately burdening some while benefiting others. In this class we will dwell on this central tension in thinking about present socio-environmental crises and what to do about them, from toxic landscapes and biodiversity loss to global hunger and a warming climate. Certainly, these problems pose urgent, even existential problems that demand intervention. Yet common refrains about ‘how to save the environment’ always come with baggage. They have deep histories and hidden assumptions about causes and solutions, justice and inequality, politics and social change, which we will wrestle with together in this course. 3 hrs. lect.
Subject:
Environmental Studies
Department:
Prog in Environmental Studies
Division:
Interdisciplinary
Requirements Fulfilled:
CMP SOC

Sections in Fall 2020, School Abroad Spain (Madrid)

Fall 2020

ENVS0208A-F20 Lecture (Suarez)