Special Topics in Global Health (390-0-22)

Topic

Feminist Political Ecology

Instructors

Elham Hoominfar

Meeting Info

University Hall 218: Thurs 9:00AM - 11:50AM

Overview of class

The course Feminist Political Ecology examines how power, gender, and social inequalities, including race and class, shape human-environment interactions. This approach demonstrates that environmental issues and natural resource management are never neutral; rather, they are embedded within broader economic and social structures. It argues that environmental crises and resource management are not gender-neutral and analyzes how women and local communities, particularly in the Global South, struggle for livelihood sustainability, rights, and climate justice.

The aim of this course is to introduce students to a critical perspective that enables them to understand environmental issues and climate change as phenomena deeply connected to power, justice, and inequality.

Class Materials (Required)

Harcourt, W., & Nelson, I. L. (Eds.). (2015). Practising feminist political ecologies: Moving beyond the'green economy'. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Lloréns, H. (2021). Making livable worlds: Afro-Puerto Rican women building environmental justice. University of Washington Press.

Simpson, L. B. (2025). Theory of water: Nishnaabe maps to the times ahead. Random House.