POL 210-F: RACE, SUSTAINABILITY, and ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE Professor Melissa Harris-Perry Spring 2022 Wednesdays 5:00-7:30 PM
Rev Ben Chavis and community protestors in Warren County, NC. 1982. PHOTO CREDIT: GREG GIBSON, AP
This course explores environmental justice as a field of scholarly inquiry and as an organizing principle for social and political action. Race and racism in the United States are core concepts framing the intellectual and political inquiries of this course as students encounter the ways that racial injustice embedded in economic, social, and political systems create and reproduce environmental degradation and harm. Students will encounter a variety of materials including scholarly research, investigative reporting, activist rhetoric, and cultural products at the intersections of race, environmentalism, and political organizing. At the center of course inquiry are questions about sustainability, justice, racial equity, and political power. Students are expected to read assigned materials thoroughly and be prepared for extensive, detailed conversation about key themes and ideas. This course has a substantial writing component.
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Students will critically engage a wide range of texts addressing intersections of race, racism, environmental activism, American political history, and contemporary U.S. politics. Students will become familiar with broad themes and approaches to these issues in social science research. Students will understand the ways and reasons race and class are associated with differential environmental vulnerabilities. Students will develop familiarity with history and scholarship on environmental justice. Students will develop skills of critical analysis and scholarly reflection. Students will gain competency with professional and scholarly analysis, speaking, and writing. You may find it easier to follow the course plan through the course Canvas Site. This version of our syllabus contains the same information. To assist with organization and legibility, it is organized in “Chapters.” This is a lot of information! You do not need to memorize all of this. You will receive reminders, nudges, and explanations and have many opportunities to ask questions.
Protests of Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). September 2016 Photo Credit: ROBYN BECK AFP/GETTY IMAGES
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT YOUR PROFESSOR
Bio, Contact, Office Hours
CLASS MEETINGS SCHEDULE CLASS POLICIES
Expectations, Code of Conduct, Tools, Books
ASSESSMENTS
Assignments, Rubrics, Grade Scale
MODULES MODULE 1
INTRODUCTION
MODULE 2
FOUNDATIONS
MODULE 3
IDENTITY AND PLACE
MODULE 4
RACE, FOOD, SUSTAINABILITY
MODULE 5
WRITING AND REFLECTION I
SPRING BREAK
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MODULE 6
CASE STUDIES
MODULE 7
WRITING AND REFLECTION II
MODULE 8
SEGREGATION
MODULE 9
EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES
MODULE 10
SPEAKERS
*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
ABOUT YOUR PROFESSOR MELISSA HARRIS-PERRY Maya Angelou Presidential Chair Department of Politics and International Affairs Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Founder and President, Anna Julia Cooper Center Host and Managing Editor, The Takeaway She, Her, Hers VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS Weekly: Tuesdays 3:00 PM ET -5:00 PM ET EMAIL POLICY Professor Harris-Perry typically responds to all necessary and appropriate emails directly related to course matters within 3 business days. Professor Harris-Perry does not respond to unsolicited student emails from Friday at 3:00 PM until Monday at 12:00 PM unless specifically designated. Please be aware that Professor Harris-Perry will provide regular updates to the syllabus and various course materials on CANVAS. PRO TIPS ABOUT PROF MHP ● ● ● ●
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How to address me: Professor Harris-Perry, Professor MHP, Prof MHP, Prof are all acceptable. “Melissa” is not. I get a lot of email. A lot. If you don't get an immediate response, do not take it personally, I am probably just “doing all the things” and will respond as soon as I can. If you get stuck about small or big issues, please ask for help! I love/adore/write about Beyonce. Feel free to illustrate any communications with appropriate Beyonce GIFS. For example, this is how I feel about our semester beginning!
*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
CLASS MEETING SCHEDULE
CLASS MEETINGS
● As of January 1, 2022 this class is scheduled to meet in-person, face-to-face format. ● Class meets once a week on Wednesday evenings from 5:00PM-7:30 PM. ● All students are expected to arrive promptly and to stay until the end of class. ● All students and faculty are expected to wear a face covering that covers both nose and mouth at all times during face-to-face classes. ● Some sessions of this class will meet via Zoom. These are noted on the syllabus. ● If it is necessary to shi to remote learning as a result of policy changes by the university or as a result of illness or other unexpected challenges, your professor will clearly communicate all changes in course schedule and expectations. ● This course meets only once a week. Attendance is crucial. Missing more than THREE (3) unexcused classes during the semester will result in a ⅓ grade reduction from the final grade for the course. ● We will host several guest speakers throughout the semester. Most speakers will join the class via Zoom. Some speakers will be scheduled at times that do not coincide with class time. Students are required to attend, but have the option to attend asynchronously if the synchronous event conflicts with other obligations.
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PRO TIPS FOR ATTENDING CLASS MEETINGS
● Do the reading and be prepared! ● In Zoom sessions, when possible, please use your camera while on Zoom. This will help us to build community. ● In Zoom sessions please use your MUTE function when not speaking. ● In Zoom sessions, When possible, use reaction functions to react to other members of the class and to raise your hand.
Health and Wellbeing We are living and learning in the midst of a global pandemic. No assignment, meeting, discussion, or any other aspect of this class is more important than our individual and collective physical, mental, and emotional health. Please be familiar with and follow the guidelines established by Wake Forest University outlined in Our Way Forward. Please prioritize your health and the health of others. If any assignments, meetings or expectations of class are likely to negatively impact your health please discuss alternatives with Prof MHP .
PRO TIPS for HEALTH and WELL BEING ● Drink more water than you think you need. ● When possible, take a nap. ● Itʼs a long class! We will take a short break in each class, but always feel free to stand up, leave class briefly, or use the restroom. Just be considerate of others and work to ensure you do not distract the overall learning environment. ● Do you need a bit more support? The Counseling Center is a great place to start. ● Always feel free to make an office hours appointment if you fall behind or just want to discuss ideas or concerns related to class.
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CLASS POLICIES Late Assignment Policy All students have TWO FREE PASSES to be used on any assignments except the final paper. This means any TWO (2) assignment can be turned in up to 48 hours late with no questions asked and no negative consequences for the grade. A er the two (2) FREE PASSES are used, any assignment submitted late will be subject to the late assignment policy. Assignments submitted late will lose 1/3 letter grade for any late submission within the first 48 hours. Each additional 24 hours results in another 1/3 letter grade reduction. Exceptions to this policy will only be made for emergencies or health challenges that are documented by a physician, university administrator, or other reasonable source. If any student or studentʼs family members become ill during the semester, the late assignment policy will be adjusted appropriately to accommodate concerns.
Attendance Policies
Missing more than three (3) unexcused class sessions during the semester will result in 1/3 letter grade reduction from the final grade of the course. However, students can be excused for a variety of valid concerns. Academic Integrity Plagiarism is a serious violation of ethical conduct and academic integrity. Plagiarism need not be intentional. All cases of plagiarism – the the of words, ideas, sources, and conclusions whether from written, audio, oral, or digital materials –is unacceptable. At the same time, learning and completing assignments online can make it difficult to discern precisely how to ensure your use of sources, information, images, and ideas is appropriate. Please see the Canvas site for a primer about Academic Integrity and proper citation practices online. And if you are stuck or confused, ask!
COVID-19 Conduct Due to COVID-19 our campus is operating with new Code of Conduct rules and a Student Compact for COVID-19 prevention. Please be aware of these and protect yourself and others.
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Expectations for Classroom Conduct We will each do our very best to be present, prepared, and engaged. We acknowledge that racism, sexism, heterosexism, classism, ableism, and other forms of interpersonal and institutionalized forms of inequality exist in society. This does not mean we all agree on the causes, consequences, or solutions for these forms of inequality. It does mean we agree to do our best to better understand them, refrain from repeating misinformation, and refrain from personal attack. No student is expected to have all the answers. Mistakes and questions are welcomed in the spirit of cooperative learning. We will work to create an atmosphere where: We keep an open mind and listen; Everyone is valued and respected; Everyone can work and learn; Everyone engages in the thoughtful presentation of ideas, shares the floor, and can critically assess each otherʼs ideas; No individual is ridiculed or demeaned for sharing personal experiences and ideas; Personal experiences shared in the context of the classroom remain confidential unless otherwise agreed; No individual is expected to be a representative spokesperson for a given group of people, given there is intra-group diversity of skills, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors.
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Disability and Accommodations Students with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Professor Harris-Perry no later than February 1, 2022, to ensure appropriate accommodations are available. Be certain to also connect with the Office of Disability Services at Wake Forest. Tutoring and Writing Assistance Wake Forest offers trained peer tutors and effective writing and assignment assistance through The Writing Center @ Wake Forest University. This is a great resource if you need assistance with course assignments. CLASS COMPUTING TOOLS Canvas - Canvas is the official learning management system of Wake Forest University. [Canvas Videos by WFU] Zoom - Zoom is a simple and powerful video conferencing solution compatible with all major platforms. We will use Zoom independent of Canvas. Hypothesis - Hypothesis is a conversation layer over the entire web that works everywhere for collaborative annotation. We will use Hypothesis in Canvas.
REQUIRED BOOKS AND ARTICLES Most assigned readings are available through links on our Canvas site. There are two books you need to purchase. You are welcome to have these books in print or in a digital/ kindle/ebook format. Please let Prof MHP know if you need assistance acquiring these books. Minkoff-Zern, Laura-Anne. The New American Farmer : Immigration, Race, and the Struggle for Sustainability Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2019. Rothstein, Richard. The Color of Law : A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America. Liveright. 2017
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
ASSESSMENTS Students earn points for various asynchronous and synchronous assignments and activities throughout the semester. Points translate into the following grading scale. NOTE: Prof MHP reserves the right to make changes to point allocations and scale with reasonable notice. Grading Scale: A
100-93
C+
79.9-77
A-
92.9-90
C
76.9-73
B+
89.9-87
C-
72.9-70
B
86.9-83
D
69.9-60
B-
82.9-80
F
Under 59.5
COURSE ENGAGEMENT: All students are expected to be actively engaged in the course. ACTIVITY
DESCRIPTION
PERCENT of FINAL GRADE
Class Discussion Leadership
Most weeks 2 students will prepare discussion questions and will lead the class during the final hour.
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Attendance and Participation
Regular attendance and meaningful participation
5
TOTAL PERCENT of FINAL GRADE
10%
SPEAKERS You will have an opportunity to hear guest speakers who are guests to the university or hosted by our class. Students will attend the speakers synchronously if possible. However, students may watch the event recordings at a later date if synchronous attendance is not possible. Students must complete the written reflection for each. ACTIVITY
DESCRIPTION
PERCENT of FINAL GRADE
Race, Sustainability, and Environmental Justice Speakers
Attendance and written reflection. 0= did not attend 1-10 based on quality of reflection
5% per speaker 2 speakers
TOTAL PERCENT of FINAL GRADE
10%
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
DISCUSSION BOARD RESPONSES : Students are expected to post a brief response to the assigned readings FIVE (5) times during the semester. Responses should be 600-800 words. Prompts will be very broad but responses should be specific and should reference the assigned readings for the week. Students are encouraged to respond to other student posts as well. ACTIVITY Responses to Discussion Board Prompts
DESCRIPTION 0= Did not post
PERCENT of FINAL GRADE 5% per post
1- 5 based on quality of response and quality of engagement with posts by other students.
5 posts
TOTAL PERCENT of FINAL GRADE
25%
FINAL GROUP PROJECT: Students will work together in groups of 3 to 5 students to produce a case study of a particular environmental justice issue of your choice. This will involve both primary and secondary research, producing a professional quality report of 15 to 20 pages, and creating a digital or artistic component to accompany the report. A full description of the project is on Canvas. ACTIVITY
DESCRIPTION
PERCENT of FINAL GRADE
Topic and Project Proposal
Proposed topic for inquiry, justification, and broad proposal.
5%
Project Outline
Detailed outline of final project including initial plan for executing research.
5%
Annotated Bibliography
6 to 8 fully annotated sources to be employed in the final project.
10%
Dra of Digital/ Artistic Accompaniment
Dra and/or detailed plan of the digital/artistic accompaniment to the final report.
10%
Final Report and Assessment of Group Members
Completed version of all final project components.
25%
TOTAL PERCENT of FINAL GRADE
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
55%
Working in groups can be frustrating, but it can also be terrific! I will be working with you throughout the semester to help ensure your experience in these groups is a valuable one.. Remember that social and political organizing to achieve environmental justice is “group work” so we will work to learn some of those skills as we create this final project together. Yʼall got this! EXTRA CREDIT : Professor Harris-Perry will make a variety of experiences available for students to engage issues and ideas raised throughout the course. To earn extra credit students will submit brief reflections in response to these experiences. ACTIVITY
POINTS PER ACTIVITY
MAX POINTS POSSIBLE
Opportunities will be made available for in-person and virtual extra credit throughout the semester. All will be available on Canvas site in the Extra Credit module
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5
TOTAL GENERAL EXTRA CREDIT POINTS POSSIBLE
5
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION MODULE 1 Wednesday January 12, 2022
Read/Watch/ Before Class Login to the Canvas site for the course. Look around to familiarize yourself with the upcoming content, expectations, and tools. READ Bullard, Robert D. “Environmental Justice in the 21st Century: Race Still Matters.” Phylon
(1960-) 49, no. 3/4 (2001): 151–71.
READ A plain pine coffin and eco-friendly cremation are the last acts of Desmond Tutu NPR 2022. CLASS MEETING
Via Zoom
MODULE 1 Assignment Come prepared to discuss the assigned materials
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
MODULE 2: FOUNDATIONS MODULE 2 2.1 Foundations of Environmental Justice 2.2 Expanded Foundations of Environmental Justice
2.1 Foundations of Environmental Justice -Wednesday, January 19, 2022 Read/Watch/Listen Before Class Bullard, Robert. "Race, Class, and the Politics of Place." Chapter 2 in Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class, and Environmental Quality. Boulder: Westview Press, 1990. U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Not in My Backyard: Executive Order 12,898 and Title VI as Tools for Achieving Environmental Justice. 2003, pp. 13-28. Cole, Luke W., and Sheila R. Foster. From the Ground Up: Environmental Racism and the Rise of the Environmental Justice Movement. New York: New York University Press, 2001. Preface and Introduction David Naguib Pellow. 29 May 2019, Eco-Defence, Radical Environmentalism and Environmental Justice from: Routledge Handbook of Radical Politics Routledge
CLASS MEETING IN PERSON 2.1 Assignments Respond to PROMPT on 2.1 Discussion Board Students are expected to post a brief response to the assigned readings FIVE (5) times during the semester. Responses should be 600-800 words. Prompts will be very broad but responses should be specific and should reference the assigned readings for the week. Students are encouraged to respond to other student posts as well. PROMPT: How does environmental injustice affect health and wellbeing in communities of color?
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
2.2 Expanded Foundations of Environmental Justice -Wednesday, January 26, 2022 Read/Watch/Listen Before Class READ Principles of EJ." The First National People of Color Environmental Summit. READ Voyles, Traci Brynne. 2015. Wastelanding : Legacies of Uranium Mining in Navajo Country. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press. Introduction: Sacrificial Lands. READ Dobson, Darren. 2013, “Manifest Destiny and the Environmental impacts of Westward Expansion.” The Flinders Journal of History and Politics. Vol. 29: 41-69 READ Glave, Dianne D.. 2010. Rooted in the Earth : Reclaiming the African American Environmental Heritage. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. CHAPTER 2: Topography: Navigating the Southern Landscape READ Harris, Melanie L. 2017. “Ecowomanism and Ecological Reparations.” In The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Religion and Ecology, edited by John Hart, 195–202. New York; UK: John Wiley & Sons, Inc READ LaDuke, Winona. 2017. “In a Time of Sacred Places”Chapter 6 In The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Religion and Ecology, edited by John Hart,. New York; UK: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
CLASS MEETING IN PERSON: Kirby 102 2.2 Assignments Respond to PROMPT on 2.2 Discussion Board Students are expected to post a brief response to the assigned readings FIVE (5) times during the semester. Responses should be 600-800 words. Prompts will be very broad but responses should be specific and should reference the assigned readings for the week. Students are encouraged to respond to other student posts as well. PROMPT What does an environmentally just society look/feel/behave like? Use examples (real or theoretical)
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
MODULE 3: IDENTITY AND PLACE MODULE 3 3.1: Being an Intersectional Environmentalist Wednesday, February 2 3.2: Geographies of Racial Justice Wednesday, February 9
Marco Lemus from Urban Tilth paints a mural on the 400 block of Howard Street in San Francisco on Oct. 29, 2021, as part of a climate strike connected with the Glasgow climate summit. Photo Credit: Beth Laberge/KQED
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3.1 BEING AN INTERSECTIONAL ENVIRONMENTALIST February 2 Read/Watch/Listen Before Class READ Rachel Jones “The Environmental Movement is Very White” National Geographic. July 2020 READ Gaard, Greta. “Green, Pink, and Lavender: Banishing Ecophobia through Queer Ecologies, Review of Queer Ecologies: Sex, Nature, Politics, Desire Catriona Mortimer-Sandilands and Bruce Erickson, Eds.” Ethics and the Environment 16, no. 2 (2011): 115–26. WATCH Greening the Ghetto. 2007 Ted Talk by Majora Carter (about 20 min) LISTEN: ECO CHIC PODCAST, Episode 111 “Intersectional Environmentalism; How Race and Culture Impact Your Identity as an Environmentalist | Leah Thomas, GreenGirlLeah” (Approx 30 min) LISTEN: 'Climate Change Is Racial Injustice': Students Speak Their Truth In Winning Podcast (NPR story about 6 min) and LISTEN to the student podcast here. (about 12 min) LISTEN: Environmental Journalism Part 2: The Keys to Environmental Justice Reporting CLASS MEETING IN PERSON 3.1 Assignment Respond to PROMPT on 3.1 Discussion Board Students are expected to post a brief response to the assigned readings FIVE (5) times during the semester. Responses should be 600-800 words. Prompts will be very broad but responses should be specific and should reference the assigned readings for the week. Students are encouraged to respond to other student posts as well. PROMPT How does your identity affect how you relate to the environment?
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
3.2 Geographies of Racial Justice February 9 Read/Watch/Listen Before Class READ Esme G. Murdock. Nature Where Youʼre Not. Rethinking environmental spaces and racism. From Meagher, Sharon M. , Samantha Noll and Joseph S. Biehl , "The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of the City" (Abingdon: Routledge, 06 Sep 2019 ) READ Bullard, Robert D., and Beverly Wright. CHAPTER 5 in The Wrong Complexion for Protection : How the Government Response to Disaster Endangers African American Communities, New York University Press, 2012. READ Extractive Agriculture to Industrial Waste Periphery: Life in a Black-Puerto Rican Ecology By Hilda Lloréns & Carlos G. García-Quijano June 22, 2020 READ Guerrero, Jean. 2017. “Trumpʼs Border Wall Project In San Diego Faces Environmental Lawsuit.” KPBS. July 14. READ Biden faces call to heal environmental and cultural scars of Trump border wall. January 2021. The Guardian. LISTEN: Latino USA. 2014. Environmental Racism in San Diego. CLASS MEETING IN PERSON 3.2 Assignments Respond to PROMPT on 3.2 Discussion Board Students are expected to post a brief response to the assigned readings FIVE (5) times during the semester. Responses should be 600-800 words. Prompts will be very broad but responses should be specific and should reference the assigned readings for the week. Students are encouraged to respond to other student posts as well. PROMPT How does place matter to how we experience the environment?
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
MODULE 4: RACE, FOOD and SUSTAINABILITY MODULE 4 4.1: Sustaining Black Land and Food 4.2: Latino Farmers and Sustainability
Wednesday, February 16 Wednesday, February 23
Javier Zamora. Photo Credit: Civil Eats
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
4.1 Sustaining Black Land and Food February 16 Read/Watch/Listen Before Class READ Daniel, Pete. Dispossession: Discrimination. Against African American Farmers in the Age of Civil Rights. UNC Press: 2013. Chapter 1 Intended Consequences READ White, Monica M.. 2019. Freedom Farmers : Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. PART 1: Land, Food, Freedom READ Passidomo, Catarina. “Whose Right to (farm) the City? Race and Food Justice Activism in Post-Katrina New Orleans.” Agriculture and Human values 31, no. 3 (2014): 385–396. READ John J. Green, Eleanor M. Green, and Anna M. Kleiner From the Past to the Present Agricultural Development and Black Farmers in the American South. Chapter 3 of Cultivating Food Justice: Race, Class, and Sustainability. Alison Hope Alkon and Julian Agyeman (editors) MIT Press 2011
VISIT the website of the Land Loss Prevention Project. CLASS MEETING IN PERSON: 4.1 Assignments Respond to PROMPT on 4.1 Discussion Board Students are expected to post a brief response to the assigned readings FIVE (5) times during the semester. Responses should be 600-800 words. Prompts will be very broad but responses should be specific and should reference the assigned readings for the week. Students are encouraged to respond to other student posts as well. PROMPT: Does Black Land Matter? FINAL PROJECT TOPIC and PROPOSAL Due February 18, 2022 by 5PM
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
4.2 Latino Farmers and Sustainability February 23 Read/Watch/Listen Before Class READ Minkoff-Zern, Laura-Anne. The New American Farmer : Immigration, Race, and the Struggle for Sustainability Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2019. SELECTIONS TBA (THIS IS A BOOK YOU NEED TO BUY) READ Minkoff-Zern, Laura-Anne and Christy Getz. Farmworkers—The Basis and Bottom of the Food Chain. Race, Poverty & the Environment, Vol. 18, No. 1 (2011), pp. 17-19 READ Zelcer, Sarah. “Engaging Farmworkers in Enforcement of Environmental Policy: The Case for a New Cooperative Visa.” Vermont Journal of Environmental Law 16, no. 3 (2015): 542–71..
CLASS MEETING IN PERSON: 4.2 Assignment Respond to PROMPT on 4.2 Discussion Board Students are expected to post a brief response to the assigned readings FIVE (5) times during the semester. Responses should be 600-800 words. Prompts will be very broad but responses should be specific and should reference the assigned readings for the week. Students are encouraged to respond to other student posts as well. PROMPT What is sustainable farming?
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
MODULE 5 : WRITING and REFLECTION
MODULE 5: WRITING AND REFLECTION Wednesday, March 2 Read/Watch/Listen Before Class No new materials for todayʼs meeting CLASS MEETING No meeting during regular class time this week. FINAL PROJECT OUTLINE DUE FRIDAY MARCH 4, by 6:00 PM
*** SPRING BREAK***
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
MODULE 6: CASE STUDIES 6.1: FLINT WATCH FILM 6.2: STANDING ROCK 6.3: HURRICANE MARIA
Wednesday, March 16 Wednesday, March 23 Wednesday, March 30 Wednesday, April 6
Photo Credit: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
In this module we will explore three case studies. The Flint Michigan Water Crisis, the resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Each section has materials for content and analysis. And each section has examples of case studies organized by various advocacy, media, or educational institutions. Pay attention to these case study examples as potential models for how to organize and execute your final projects. NOTE: These three case studies are about water.
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
6.1: FLINT March 16 Read/Watch/Listen Before Class READ Lurie, J. “Meet the Mom who Helped Expose Flintʼs Toxic Water Nightmare,” Mother Jones, Jan. 21, 2016 READ Brady Dennis and Brittany Gresson. Flint has replaced over 10,000 lead pipes. Earning back trust is proving harder. The Washington Post. 2021. READ A Question of Environmental Racism in Flint New York Times. WATCH Flint Water Crisis Timeline of Communication (About 6 min) WATCH NOVA, Poisoned Water (About one hour) VISIT Flint Water Study Updates. (This website was created and maintained by the research team from Virginia Tech.) CASE STUDY EXAMPLES Harvard Global Health and Learning Incubator Campbell, C., Greenberg, R., Mankikar, D., & Ross, R. D. (2016). A Case Study of Environmental Injustice: The Failure in Flint. International journal of environmental research and public health, 13(10), 951. Paul Buckley and Eli Fahrenkrug. The Flint, Michigan Water Crisis as a Case Study to Introduce Concepts of Equity and Power into an Analytical Chemistry Curriculum Journal of Chemical Education 2020 97 (5), 1327-1335 (I find this one fascinating!) CLASS MEETING IN PERSON 6.1 Assignment Respond to PROMPT on 6.1 Discussion Board Students are expected to post a brief response to the assigned readings FIVE (5) times during the semester. Responses should be 600-800 words. Prompts will be very broad but responses should be specific and should reference the assigned readings for the week. Students are encouraged to respond to other student posts as well. PROMPT Does science advance environmental justice?
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
FENCELINE FILM March 23 WATCH
Students will watch. FENCELINE: A Company Town Divided (about one hour) Fenceline: A Company Town Divided. Directed by Grunberg, Slawomir. Filmakers Library, 2003. Fenceline follows the struggle of an African-American neighborhood known as the Diamond Community to be relocated because of the pollution from the Royal Dutch/Shell Oil Company. REMOTE ACCESS for WFU students through ZSR Library. CLASS MEETING: No class meeting. Watch film independently ASSIGNMENT: This assignment is not optional. Failure to complete this assignment will be counted as being absent from class on this date. FILM RESPONSE DUE Friday March 25 5pm Write 700-1200 word summary, analysis and personal reaction to the film
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
6.2: STANDING ROCK March 30 Read/Watch/Listen Before Class READ Estes, Nick. 2019. Our History Is the Future Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance. Verso. Chapter One (Origins) ChapterTwo (Siege) READ Nick Estes. Biden killed the Keystone Pipeline. Good, but he doesn't get a climate pass just yet. The Guardian, 2021. READ Goldberg, D. (2017). Lessons from standing rock — of water, racism, and solidarity.The New England Journal of Medicine, 376(15), 1403-1405. READ Josué Rivas; Solidarity in Standing Rock. World Policy Journal 1 December 2017; 34 (4): 62–75. LISTEN Backstory Podcast 0293. Standing Rock and History of Indigenous Resistance in the US CASE STUDY EXAMPLES: Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian American Bar Association University of British Columbia CLASS MEETING IN PERSON: Kirby 102 6.2 Assignment Respond to PROMPT on 6.2 Discussion Board Students are expected to post a brief response to the assigned readings FIVE (5) times during the semester. Responses should be 600-800 words. Prompts will be very broad but responses should be specific and should reference the assigned readings for the week. Students are encouraged to respond to other student posts as well. PROMPT Is Water Life?
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6.3:Hurricane Maria April 6 Read/Watch/Listen Before Class Watch Puerto Rico’s mental health crisis is an American disaster (3:47) Read and The View from Puerto Rico: Hurricane Maria and Its A ermath. Carmen Zorilla, MD. New England Journal of Medicine. 377:19. November 2017. Read Rejane Frederick and Cristina Novoa Echoes of Katrina: Post-Hurricane Maria Public Health Threats and Trauma. American Progress. March 2018 Read Bouncing Forward A er Irma and Maria: Acknowledging Colonialism, Problematizing Resilience and Thinking Climate Justice. Alex A. Moulton Read Pedro Caban. Hurricane Mariaʼs A ermath: Redefining Puerto Ricoʼs Colonial Status? Current HIstory. February 2019. Read Hilda Lloréns (2018) Ruin Nation, NACLA Report on the Americas, 50:2, 154-159. LISTEN A er Hurricane Maria: Puerto Rico and the United States. BackStory Podcast. CASE STUDY EXAMPLES David Kranz. Solving Problems like Maria: A Case Study and Review of Collaborative Hurricane-Resilient Solar Energy and Autogestión in Puerto Rico. J Sustain Res. 2021;3(1):e210004. Case Study of Maria from NSIT (National Institute of Standards and Technology) NOTE: notice the differences in a government agency case study. CLASS MEETING VIA ZOOM Meeting ID: 995 6284 7333 Passcode: 551637 Respond to PROMPT on 6.3 Discussion Board Students are expected to post a brief response to the assigned readings FIVE (5) times during the semester. Responses should be 600-800 words. Prompts will be very broad but responses should be specific and should reference the assigned readings for the week. Students are encouraged to respond to other student posts as well. PROMPT Is Hurricane Maria an issue of environmental justice, climate change, neither or both? Final Project Annotated Bibliography Due Friday April 8 by 5:00 PM
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
MODULE 7: WRITING AND REFLECTION
MODULE 7 Wednesday, April 13
Read/Watch/Listen Before Class No new assigned materials for this week. CLASS No Regular Class Meeting
FINAL PROJECT DIGITAL or ARTISTIC COMPONENT DRAFT Due MONDAY April 18 by 5:00 PM
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
MODULE 8: SEGREGATION MODULE 8 Wednesday April 20
Read/Watch/Listen Before Class READ Rothstein, Richard. The Color of Law : a Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America. Liveright. 2017 (NOTE: this is a book you need to purchase in print or digital format) READ Katherine Bagley. 2020. Connecting the dots between environmental injustice and the Coronavirus. Yale Environment 360. LISTEN: The Shady Business Behind Tree Equity . From The Takeaway. (About 10 min) CLASS IN PERSON 8.1 Assignment Respond to PROMPT on 8.1 Discussion Board Students are expected to post a brief response to the assigned readings FIVE (5) times during the semester. Responses should be 600-800 words. Prompts will be very broad but responses should be specific and should reference the assigned readings for the week. Students are encouraged to respond to other student posts as well. PROMPT How should we define “environment” in the study of and organizing to address environmental injustice?
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
MODULE 9: PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
9.1 Final Project Presentations Wednesday April 27
Read/Watch/Listen Before Class No new assigned materials for this week. CLASS Dinner at home of Professor Harris-Perry Groups will present their final projects.
All components of Final Project Due May 3, 5:00 PM
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
MODULE 10: SPEAKER SERIES
Throughout the semester our class will have an opportunity to engage with a series of speakers connected with our readings and discussions. All students must attend at least THREE (3) speaker events. Ideally students will attend the live, synchronous events. However, if the events conflict with student schedules, students can watch the recorded event at a later date. All speaker events are free and open to the general public via Zoom Webinar and Anna Julia Cooper Center Facebook Page live streaming. A er each speaker, students must complete a Speaker Reflection. All reflections are due 14 days a er the live event.
GUIDELINES FOR SPEAKER EVENT REFLECTION For each speaker write an essay of about 1000 words. Each essay should be organized into three main parts. You need not be rigid in your response, use these prompts as a guide. However, the best responses will explicitly address the three main themes of summary, connection to course readings, and reflection on personal learning outcomes. 1. Brief summary/description of the event. Who was the speaker? What is their title? What is their work and their significant contributions? Be sure to do a bit of background research to ensure you have a clear understanding of these individuals. Situate the speaker within the event. What were the stated goals of the discussion? Give a description that is meaningful and gives the reader of your brief essay a clear sense of the event. 2. Connect the event to the assigned readings of the course. What broad themes and specific examples from the assigned readings are relevant and tied to this speakerʼs presentation? Use clear citations. Link the lessons/arguments/ themes/claims of the authors in our course to the event. Did your experience reinforce or contradict the claims made in the assigned texts? How would you adjudicate contradictions? Why are these connections valuable? 3. Reflect on your own learning outcomes. Do you believe something different than you believed before the event? Are you more certain of your existing beliefs? Are you surprised, distressed, or excited by some aspect of the experience? What lasting lessons will you likely carry with you? Was the experience valuable? How might you connect it to other learning experiences you have had?
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022
Confirmed Speakers
JOY HARJO January 25-27, 2022 US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo will be on campus January 25-27, 2022. She will lead the fourth installment of our interdisciplinary writing workshop for students, and on January 26 in Wait Chapel, she will present a public poetry performance and commentary for campus and the broader community. Writing workshop spots are filling up fast, if you are interested, please register The one credit hour, three-day writing workshop will take place the evenings of Jan. 25 -27 from 4-7 pm (with Jan. 26 including the public lecture). Undergraduate and graduate students of all disciplines are welcome to participate. Those interested can sign up through this form by January 10, 2022 and will be contacted with more specific information regarding registration on WIN Prior to her visit, faculty, staff and students are invited to a reading group. Those interested can sign up through this form by December 15, 2021 and will be contacted with more specific information once the group is formed. During her visit, we have built into her schedule a discussion with reading group members on January 27 (midday, place TBD). We will be reading her memoir Poet Warrior If you have any questions regarding the writing workshop or reading group, please contact Dr. Lucas Johnston (johnstlf@wfu.edu).
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*Created by Melissa Harris-Perry @harrismv@wfu.edu, January 2022