Environmental Sustainability and People’s Movements

Course Description

Summary

How do we protect our planet while ensuring a just and prosperous world for all? This course addresses this question by drawing from environmental studies, political economy, ecological economics, economic sociology, and environmental history, seeking to investigate the vibrant global history of environmental movements and contemporary, successful practices of sustainability. With deep analyses of case studies and real-life experimentations from across the world, we will align historical and modern struggles with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Grounded in these global frameworks, the course uncovers the powerful truth at its heart: that environmental protection and sustainable development are almost always sparked by ordinary people fighting for their livelihoods, rights, equity, and communities.

Our weekly rhythm will pair deep reading of texts, supportive documentaries, and media screenings on Thursdays followed by lively discussions on Mondays. Among our explorations will be grassroots livelihoods and gender equity (SDGs 5 and 15) through India’s Chipko Movement and Kenya’s Green Belt Movement, alongside sustainable economic rights (SDGs 8 and 16) found in the Brazilian Rubber Tappers Movement and the Ogoni resistance against Shell in Nigeria. We will connect institutional policy and environmental justice (SDGs 10 and 17) via the historic Warren County movement in North Carolina and Costa Rica’s national eco-tourism frameworks. Finally, we will examine landscape-scale ecological repair, climate resilience, and community sovereignty (SDGs 1, 6, 11, and 13) through China’s Loess Plateau restoration, the Elwha River dam removal in the USA, the Netherlands' circular cities, and the pan-African Great Green Wall. Ultimately, these global journeys illustrate how critical ecological goals are achieved through human organization and collective action.

Course Requirements

Through lively debates, in-depth discussions, and collaborative visual analysis, your work in this class will be evaluated on two primary requirements:

• Class Participation: You must attend all classes and engage deeply with assigned materials. Specifically, Thursdays are dedicated to self-driven inquiry, reading, documentary viewings, and media screenings, which can be completed in either a collaborative group environment or an independent self-study format. On Mondays, we will have interactive, in-person discussions based on those assigned readings and media.
• Critical Commentary and Presentations: You will write short critical commentary papers reviewing the course materials and evaluating the broader systemic implications of specific historical events. Afterward, you will present your findings to the class, leading a dynamic discussion designed to foster deeper analysis and group exploration of the topic.

Who is This For?

This course has no prerequisites. It welcomes any of you who feel eager to explore vital questions surrounding global environmental justice, expanding economic rights, community organizing, and, ultimately, planetary change.