students doing geology research at Vasquez Rocks north of L.A.

2026-2027 Catalog

FYS 52 Critical Environmental Justice

Environmental justice is a normative concept that emerged through grassroots struggles against environmental racism, specifically, and environmental inequality, more broadly. However, when incorporated into the state apparatus, the radical foundations of environmental justice are overlooked in favor of palatable policy proclamations and a narrow understanding of what environmental justice entails. In this course, we will learn about the history of environmental justice as a response to environmental
inequality, in addition to studying what scholar-activists call critical environmental justice. Importantly, this critical approach to environmental justice study and action leads us to topics not traditionally covered in EJ scholarship. As such, we will focus on militarism, militarization and warfare as an environmental justice issue.

 Open only to first-year frosh.

Credits

4 units