Special Topics in Environmental Policy and Culture (390-0-21)

Topic

Environmental Political Theory

Instructors

Hannah Glasson

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-420: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

Course title: Environmental Political Theory

Environmental Political Theory challenges the long-standing humanistic emphasis of political thought, insisting that nature is not simply a passive backdrop to human affairs but an active participant in political life. This course explores how social, discursive, and material forces interact to shape political systems, economies, and identities. We will examine how environmental political theorists reconceptualize the state, justice, and economic systems, while also rethinking political action and the meaning of human freedom. Special attention will be given to critiques of mainstream green politics and sustainable development, which, despite good intentions, can reinforce ideologies and institutions that drive ecological degradation. Alongside critique, we will study creative contemporary approaches that imagine new forms of political community and human freedom that do not depend on the domination and devaluation of nonhuman life. Finally, the course will turn to grassroots activism and community engagement as sites of possibility for building more just, democratic, and ecologically attuned forms of social, political, and economic order.

Learning Objectives

Students will critically evaluate various theoretical, political, and ideological lenses that have structured approaches to environmental governance. Through practices of close reading, classroom discussion, and analytical writing, students will evaluate strengths and weaknesses of different arguments, put divergent perspectives into conversation, and apply academic theories to the analysis of real world issues.