PHIL-236 Ecological Justice: Ethics in a More-Than-Human World (3)

This course is an in-depth study of ecological justice, that is, ethics in a more-than-human world. It tackles the question of how environmental justice intersects with social justice, especially along the axes of gender, race, sexuality, and disability. It begins with classic environmental literature, in order to interrogate the traditional (and yet changing) referents of the term “nature,” from animals and wilderness, to urban parks and chic products. It then explores the ways in which marginalized populations (especially women, people of color, queer people, and people with disabilities) have not only borne the brunt of environmental devastation and climate change, but have also historically led environmental justice movements around the globe. Throughout the course, students dig deeper to understand the conceptual underpinnings of environmental and social injustices. In particular, philosophical tools are used to critically assess how the notion of “natural” has been used to describe forms of life that are socially naturalized (e.g., white, cisheterosexual, able-bodied people) and similarly, how the notion of “unnatural” has been used to describe the socially marginalized (e.g., the queer, the immigrant, the impaired, etc.). Drawing on the traditions of ecofeminism, race and environmental justice, queer ecology, and disability theory, students learn that a robust environmental ethics must reimagine “nature” itself to address degrading ecosystems alongside social hierarchies and marginalization. Students deepen their knowledge of intersectional justice not only across human communities, but within a more-than-human world. AU Core Integrative Requirement: Diversity and Equity.