Environmental Justice & Civil Rights (S)

Environmental Justice can be defined as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws and policies. Over the last two decades efforts to secure environmental justice, including climate justice, have become important features of environmental policy and activism in the United States and globally. This seminar will explore whether a healthy environment is a basic human right, why environmental justice concerns have arisen, and what legal mechanisms may be used to address them. We will identify current situations where claims of environmental injustice might be made, and examine how existing legal tools, such as the US Constitution, the 1964 Civil Rights Act, federal environmental statutes, and international treaties might be applied to deal with them. Course requirements include a final paper, a class presentation based on the paper topic, and class participation. Students may also register for the Environmental Law Practicum and gain practical experience working on environmental justice issues at an environmental non-profit organization. There is no prerequisite for this seminar. LIMITED WRITING REQUIREMENT OPTION: A limited number of students may be permitted to satisfy the upper-class writing requirement with the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. GRADING NOTICE: This class does not offer the CR/NC/H option. OFFERING PATTERN: This class is not offered every year. Students are advised to take this into account when planning their long-term schedule. **A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar (designated by an (S) in the title), or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.