Summer Field Course on Environmental Justice

Environmental Studies and L&S Interdisciplinary Studies 400

1215 W. Dayton Street, Weeks Hall Room A257

June 20 – July 7, 2005

 

Professor Herb Wang, Geology and Geophysics Department (wang@geology.wisc.edu)

Lecturer, Maria Powell (powell@wisc.edu)

 

This introductory course to issues involved in environmental justice (EJ) is based on readings, field trips, videos, personal reflection, lectures, and discussion.

Each week you will write an analysis (5-6 pp) considering and synthesizing what you have read, seen, and heard. This summary-review-analysis-critique should include all of the readings, videos, speakers, and field trips of the previous week, and is due on the following Monday.

In addition, you will work individually or in pairs on a final project or term paper, which will be presented to the class on the final day of the course. Ideas for topics and formats are suggested below.

Your grade will be based in fairly equal parts on your weekly written analyses, your participation and engagement in class/field trips, and your final project/presentation.

 

Final Project Guidelines and Suggestions

In class on Monday 6/27, everyone will present their project ideas – so we can prevent redundancy and you can move forward with an approved topic and format.

 

Final Projects for this course should develop further environmental justice topics and concepts – leaving a wide range of possibilities.

 

You can consider a variety of formats as well: research papers, PowerPoint or overhead presentations, videos, photo essays, interviews, web page content, curriculum pieces and classroom activities, performances…

 

We encourage you to consider a project that provides a service or accomplishes a needed activity for one of the organizations we visit, a school, or another entity of your choosing.

 

Whether you work individually or with someone else, each student will hand in a “journal” kept during the process of your project, with notes, ideas, reflections, and so forth. This can be turned in as a rough copy, in addition to the final project.

 

NOTE: Students who are taking this course for Biological Sciences credit will be required to do a project that qualifies as “Biology” based on consultation with Herb.  Also, you are expected to take the course for 3 credits, even though it is listed as variable credit between 1 and 3.  You must consult Herb for an exception.

 

A Note on Field Trips (more details in syllabus below):

Our travel days are June 21, June 23, June 28-29 (overnight in Chicago) and July 5. These days are longer, on both ends. We will be driving university vehicles so you don’t need to provide transportation. Our schedule is usually going to be tight, and people are awaiting us along the way, so it will be essential that we depart by the designated time. Sometimes we will stop to purchase meals, but generally you should bring something to eat and drink, especially a water bottle. Field trip destinations are both indoors and outdoors, so prepare for weather, bugs, air conditioning, etc. Often we will be touring places that have visitor requirements like long pants and closed-toe shoes.

 

Required Texts:

- Course Packet (available for purchase at Bob’s Copy Shop at Randall Tower across from Union South)

 

WEEK ONE

 

Monday, June 20 – Introduction to IES/Interdis LS 400 and to Environmental Justice

Introduction to the course, each other, logistics

What is Environmental Justice?

17 Principles of Environmental Justice

Toxic Racism (video)

Power of an Illusion (video)

Poisoned Promise of Altgeld Gardens (video)

 

Tonight Read:  (Wk number in parentheses refers to section in reading packet)

  1. Cole and Foster, From the Ground Up. Preface (Wk 2), Chapters 2 (Wk 2) and 3 (Wk 3)
  2. Robert Bullard. 1990. Chapter 3, “Dispute Resolution and Toxics” in Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class and Environmental Quality, Westview Press: Boulder, CO, 37-73. (Wk 3)

 

Tuesday, June 21 – Field Trip to Madison’s LULUs

- Sewage treatment

- Landfill

- Power plant

 

Tonight Read:

  1.  
  2. Basel Action Network. Export of Harm: the High Tech Trashing of Asia, 1-54. (Wk 14)

 

Wednesday, June 22 – Review Basic Concepts, EJ and Industry/Economy; Global/International EJ

Laid to Waste (video)

Export of Harm (video)

 

Tonight Read:

  1. William Shutkin and Rafael Mares. “Brownfields and the Redevelopment of Communities: Linking Health, Economy, and Justice,” 57-75. (Wk 12)

 

Thursday, June 23 – Field Trip to Milwaukee

Leave Madison 8:30  AM

16th Street Community Health Center

      - Clinic Tour

      - Environmental Health services and projects

      - Brownfields Redevelopment sites tour

 

Tonight Read:

  1. Alice Tarbell and Mary Arquette. “Akwesasne: A Native American Community’s Resistance to Cultural and Environmental Damage,” 93-111. (Wk 13)

 

 

WEEK TWO

Monday, June 27 – Native Americans and EJ

Al Gedicks  - UW-Lacrosse Professor of Sociology

 

Tonight Read:

  1. David Pellow, Garbage Wars, Chapter 4 – The Movement of Environmental Justice in Chicago and the United States,” (Wk 7)

 

Tuesday, June 28 – Field Trip to Chicago

Leave Madison 8 AM

Introduction to People for Community Recovery (PCR) and Altgeld Gardens

Lunch

PCR Toxic Tour (Lake Calumet/Altgeld Gardens/SE Chicago area maps in Course Packet)

Tour Calumet Area Ecological Management site with EPA Cluster Sites Manager, Kyle Rogers

Dinner

Lodging (not finalized)

 

Wednesday, June 29 – Field Trip to Chicago

Breakfast

Activities To Be Determined -

Leave Chicago 2 PM

 

Tonight Read:

  1. Ted Schettler, Gina Solomon, Maria Valenti, and Annette Huddle, eds. “The Role of Science in Public Health Decisions,” 21-48. (Wk 5)
  2. M. Kraft and D. Scheberle. “Environmental Justice and the Allocation of Risk: the case of lead and public health,” 113-122.  (Wk 6)
  3. Charles Lee. “Environmental Justice: Building a Unified Vision of Health and the Environment,” 141-144. (Wk 9)
  4. Barbara Allen. “Constructing Health,” 117-150. (Wk 9)
  5. Sandra Steingraber. “The Social Production of Cancer,” 19-38.  (Wk 5)

 

 

Thursday, June 30 – Environmental Health and Toxics

Visiting speaker, Colleen Moore – UW-Madison Professor of Psychology

Green (video)

Assignments Due (covering June 21-June 24)

Share final project ideas

 

 

Tonight Read:

  1. Paul Hawken and Hunter and Amory Lovins. “Human Capitalism,” 285-308. (Wk 8)
  2. Andrew Szasz. “Ecopopulism:  Toxic Waste and the Movement for Environmental Justice,” 11-37 (Wk 11)
  3. Ted Schettler, Katherine Barrett, and Carolyn Raffensperger. “The Precautionary Principle: Protecting Public Health and the Environment.”  (Wk 5)

 

WEEK THREE

Monday, July 4 – NO CLASS, State Holiday

 

Tuesday, July 5 – Field Trip to Fox River/Green Bay

Assignments Due (covering June 28-July 1)

Departure time to be determined

Glatfelter Paper Mill Tour, Neenah

Little Lake Butte de Morts PCB Remediation Presentation

Clean Water Action/Fox River Watch, Green Bay

 

Tonight Read:

Barbara Allen. “Debating Economics: Corporate Myths and Local Realities,” 51-79. (Wk 7)

 

Wednesday, July 6 – Jobs vs. Environment

 

Thursday, July 7 – Final Day of Class/Final Project Presentations

Final Assignments Due (covering July 5-6) today or Monday, July 11.