This course will introduce students to the study and discussion of environmental racism and environmental justice in the United States that centers the histories and experiences of communities of color. Environmental racism is defined by Dr. Robert Bullard ("the Father of Environmental Justice'') as "any policy, practice or directive that differentially affects or disadvantages (where intended or unintended) individuals, groups or communities based on race." This course expands and illuminates this definition through examinations of watershed moments--from the Transatlantic Slave Trade to struggles in the greater Connecticut River Valley today--in which communities of color in the United States bear the deadly brunt of toxic fumes, poisoned groundwater, nuclear waste, perilous disaster work, land theft, and the slow violence of biological extermination. Throughout the semester, we will read scholarly texts, engage primary sources, analyze popular and independent media, and study testimony and self-published materials from activists and eyewitnesses. |