Revised Course Description (12.16.21)
ENVA 120/PHIL 333 Environmental Ethics
The current version of this course investigates the relationship between ethical theorizing and environmental activism. It explores the relationship between environmentalism and social justice, environmental racism, indigenized environmental justice, the connections between colonialism and the climate crisis, and the possibilities for ethical food systems. Students work up to a final environmental praxis (theory + action) project. Thus, the final projects are philosophically-informed actions upon which students reflect philosophically. This course takes philosophy out of the ‘armchair’ and into the real world. However, so far, most students have chosen to pursue individual actions for their praxis projects, such as going vegan, starting a compost pile, or reducing their waste.
The purpose of the course development project is to transform this action-based course into a social action course with higher, and more far reaching, positive social and environmental impacts. In particular, the next iteration of this course will focus on social action projects, guided by the Myers-Lipton social action model of student campaigns, and designed together with community partners. The professor and students will work together within a ‘students as colleagues’ model to accomplish the course redesign. To start, existing relationships with at least two community partners (Collard City Growers at the Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy, NY and Radix Ecological Sustainability Center in Albany, NY) will be pursued to explore social action related to the intersection of food sovereignty, resilience to climate disruption, and ethical relationships to the land, particularly in agriculture. As the course evolves over the semesters, students will be able to form diverse community based research projects, create policy briefs, and refine, articulate, communicate, and apply socially-relevant environmental ethics.
The current version of this course investigates the relationship between ethical theorizing and environmental activism. It explores the relationship between environmentalism and social justice, environmental racism, indigenized environmental justice, the connections between colonialism and the climate crisis, and the possibilities for ethical food systems. Students work up to a final environmental praxis (theory + action) project. Thus, the final projects are philosophically-informed actions upon which students reflect philosophically. This course takes philosophy out of the ‘armchair’ and into the real world. However, so far, most students have chosen to pursue individual actions for their praxis projects, such as going vegan, starting a compost pile, or reducing their waste.
The purpose of the course development project is to transform this action-based course into a social action course with higher, and more far reaching, positive social and environmental impacts. In particular, the next iteration of this course will focus on social action projects, guided by the Myers-Lipton social action model of student campaigns, and designed together with community partners. The professor and students will work together within a ‘students as colleagues’ model to accomplish the course redesign. To start, existing relationships with at least two community partners (Collard City Growers at the Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy, NY and Radix Ecological Sustainability Center in Albany, NY) will be pursued to explore social action related to the intersection of food sovereignty, resilience to climate disruption, and ethical relationships to the land, particularly in agriculture. As the course evolves over the semesters, students will be able to form diverse community based research projects, create policy briefs, and refine, articulate, communicate, and apply socially-relevant environmental ethics.
The current version of this course investigates the relationship between ethical theorizing and environmental activism. It explores the relationship between environmentalism and social justice, environmental racism, indigenized environmental justice, the connections between colonialism and the climate crisis, and the possibilities for ethical food systems. Students work up to a final environmental praxis (theory + action) project. Thus, the final projects are philosophically-informed actions upon which students reflect philosophically. This course takes philosophy out of the ‘armchair’ and into the real world. However, so far, most students have chosen to pursue individual actions for their praxis projects, such as going vegan, starting a compost pile, or reducing their waste.
The purpose of the course development project is to transform this action-based course into a social action course with higher, and more far reaching, positive social and environmental impacts. In particular, the next iteration of this course will focus on social action projects, guided by the Myers-Lipton social action model of student campaigns, and designed together with community partners. The professor and students will work together within a ‘students as colleagues’ model to accomplish the course redesign. To start, existing relationships with at least two community partners (Collard City Growers at the Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy, NY and Radix Ecological Sustainability Center in Albany, NY) will be pursued to explore social action related to the intersection of food sovereignty, resilience to climate disruption, and ethical relationships to the land, particularly in agriculture. As the course evolves over the semesters, students will be able to form diverse community based research projects, create policy briefs, and refine, articulate, communicate, and apply socially-relevant environmental ethics.