Students in this course do research to produce case studies of environmental injustice in diverse communities across California. They learn to use environmental, health and social data provided by the US EPA and CalEPA, the US Center for Disease Control, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and other organizations. They learn to design qualitative research and about ways different kinds of data can be brought together for holistic understanding.

Students also learn to work with important concepts, including“social determinants of health,”  “historic disadvantage,” “the precautionary principle,” “greenwashing” and “media injustice.” Student case studies are published online so that they can be useful in efforts to address environmental injustice. Students’ published case studies and the skills they learn in producing them can be important additions to student resumes.

We focus on three kinds of environmental disasters -- fast, explosive disasters (that kill quickly), slow disasters like everyday air and water pollution, and combo disasters linked to climate change.  We study how these disasters impact human health, worsen social inequalities and are entangled with systemic racism.  We also study how people have become environmental activists to find and advocate for solutions.

Many different factors contribute to environmental problems (social, political, economic, biochemical, technological). This course thus  gives students in different majors (in the social and natural sciences, public health, engineering, urban planning and the humanities) the opportunity to work together in interdisciplinary research teams, leveraging their different skills.

Through collaborative work with other students, engaging different points of view, students also develop their own political perspectives and learn how ethical values can be translated into action.