Course Meeting Times
Discussions: 1 session / week, 3 hours / session
Prerequisites
There are no formal prerequisites for this class, but permission of the instructor is required for enrollment.
Course Description
This seminar introduces students to basic principles of environmental justice and presents frameworks for analyzing and addressing inequalities in the distribution of environmental benefits and burdens from the perspectives of social science, public policy, and law.
The first section of the course explores conceptions of justice in relation to the environment and presents the foundations and principles of the environmental justice movement.
The second section of the course analyzes different approaches to challenging environmental racism. It applies environmental justice principles to cost-benefit and risk analysis practices and to federal and state environmental standards and regulations. It also analyzes the contributions of civil rights litigation, citizen science, land use policy, and community organizing to the environmental justice movement.
The third section of the course draws on this knowledge about approaches to environmental justice to consider contemporary issues in the field, such as environmental gentrification, climate justice, and economic justice.
Class Participation
This is a discussion-based, rather than lecture-based, course. Students should be well prepared to participate actively in class discussions with well supported arguments and should make an effort to build on and react to the arguments of classmates and faculty.
Grading
Requirements and grading are as follows:
- In-class participation (15%)
- A brief weekly [response paper](/courses/11-368-environmental-justice-law-and-policy-fall-2019/pages/assignments/#response papers) of not more than 500 words each (35%)
- Current event [facilitation](/courses/11-368-environmental-justice-law-and-policy-fall-2019/pages/assignments/#current event facilitation) (15%)
- A [project of change or research paper](/courses/11-368-environmental-justice-law-and-policy-fall-2019/pages/assignments/#project of change or research paper) (paper, 30%; presentation, 5%).
Grading Rubric
The following grading rubric will be applied to evaluate written submissions:
- Does it answer the question? (30%)
- Does it have a clear thesis that is responsive to the question?
- Does it support this thesis with appropriate evidence?
- Does it incorporate concepts and methodologies from the assigned readings? (40%)
- Does it interpret and apply those readings accurately?
- Does it add original critiques and analyses of those readings?
- Does it present an original argument? (20%)
- Does it display critical thinking?
- Does it offer innovative insights?
- Does it present a compelling, well structured argument? (10%)
- Does it have a logical structure that supports the development of the thesis?
- Does it engage with counter-arguments and acknowledge weaknesses?
Grading Scale
Grades are assigned using the following scale:
| Numerical Grade | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 96–100 | A |
| 91–95 | A- |
| 86–90 | B+ |
| 81–85 | B |
| 76–80 | B- |
| 71–75 | C+ |
| 66–70 | C |
| 61–65 | C- |
| 56–60 | D+ |
Late Submissions
All submissions should be submitted online. In the event that medical or other personal circumstances arise that interfere with your ability to complete assignments on time, extension requests can be made to the Office of the Dean of Graduate Education (ODGE). If the ODGE decides that an extension is warranted, they will send a generic note that your assignment deadline should be extended without penalty. This policy is intended to preserve your privacy. Any assignment submitted after the deadline, without a request for an extension that was approved by ODGE, will be marked down 5 points out of 100. Any assignment more than 3 hours late will be marked down a further 10 points. A further 10 points will be deducted for each day the assignment is late.
Writing Help
The WCC at MIT (Writing and Communication Center) offers free one-on-one professional advice from communication experts. The WCC is staffed completely by MIT lecturers. All have advanced degrees. All are experienced college classroom teachers of communication. All are published scholars and writers. Not counting the WCC’s director’s years (he started the WCC in 1982), the WCC lecturers have a combined 133 years’ worth of teaching here at MIT (ranging from 4 to 24 years).
The WCC works with undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs, faculty, staff, alums, and spouses. The WCC helps you strategize about all types of academic and professional writing as well as about all aspects of oral presentations (including practicing classroom presentations and conference talks as well as designing slides).
No matter what department or discipline you are in, the WCC helps you think your way more deeply into your topic, helps you see new implications in your data, research, and ideas. The WCC also helps with all English as Second Language issues, from writing and grammar to pronunciation and conversation practice.
Academic Integrity
Fundamental to the academic work you do at MIT is an expectation that you will make choices that reflect integrity and responsible behavior. Honesty is the foundation of good academic work. Do trust the value of your own intellect and credit others for their work. Do not copy ideas or phrases without citing them appropriately. Do not submit projects or papers that have been written for a previous class. See https://integrity.mit.edu/.
