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POSC 212: Environmental Justice

Instructor: Kim Smith
Political Science
Winter/Spring 2011

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Course Description
The environmental justice movement seeks greater participation by marginalized communities in environmental policy, and equity in the distribution of environmental harms and benefits. This course examined the meaning of "environmental justice," the history of the movement, the empirical foundation for the movement's claims, and specific policy questions. Our focus is the United States, but students had the opportunity to research environmental justice in other countries.

Introduction

Kim Smith's winter term Environmental Justice course included several case studies about the intersection of class, race and environmental issues as they play out in New Orleans. Following the course, Smith took 21 students (some from the course, some who had taken a related Environmental Ethics course, and a few others with relevant coursework) to New Orleans. During the one-week trip, they worked on service projects related to environmental and social justice and met with activists to learn about these issues.

Exhibition Material

Coming Back: New Visions of New Orleans