Courses I teach at Berkeley:

ESPM 163 - Environmental Justice.

This course engages environmental problems, community responses, and policy debates regarding “environmental justice” (EJ) issues – essentially the race, class, and equity implications of environmental problems and regulation. The course presents empirical evidence on distributions of environmental quality and health, enforcement of regulations, access to resources to respond to urban and industrial problems, and the broader political economy of decision-making around environmental and health issues. The course explores and critically analyzes philosophies, frameworks, and strategies underlying environmental justice movements and struggles of African American, Latino American, Asian American, and American Indian communities. The course is organized into five sections: (1) debating environmental justice claims; (2) methods for analyzing environmental, health, and social inequities; (3) cases of environmental injustice; (4) government policies and programs; and (5) community responses and future strategies. For the complete syllabus click here .

ESPM 260 - Governance of Global Production

This graduate seminar explores critical policy and theoretical questions regarding the governance of global production. The seminar engages current trends in the restructuring of industrial production, distributions of environmental, labor, and social impacts from this production, and new strategies for democratic governance. The course presents existing theories of regulation and governance, assesses market and state “failures,” and critically analyzes emerging responses to the limits of traditional regulation. Using cases from the wood products, electronics, garments, shoes, coffee, food, chemicals, and oil industries, the seminar explores the potentials and limitations of new governance strategies, including: corporate voluntary self-regulation, codes of conduct, multi-stakeholder monitoring systems, certification and labeling schemes, fair trade programs, transparency and reporting initiatives, legal strategies, and international accords and agreements. The course seeks to evaluate why these new institutions and policies have emerged, how they function, and when and under what conditions they can be effective in mitigating environmental, labor, or social impacts of production. For the complete syllabus click here.

ESPM 24 - Globalization, Sweatshops, Toxics and You

This seminar examines where and how the things you consume and use everyday – jeans, shoes, computers, coffee, food, plastics, etc. – are produced, the environmental and social impacts of producing and consuming all of this stuff, and efforts to reduce pollution, sweatshops, and other adverse impacts of global production. Students will analyze both the structure and control of global supply chains and their personal connections to these systems.

Courses I taught at MIT:
11.122 Environmental Policy

Examines causes of environmental problems in industrialized and developing countries, with a particular focus on the regulation of pollution from manufacturing and consumption, urbanization, and natural resource extraction. Impacts of globalization will receive attention. Students will analyze current and emerging policies and programs that seek to respond to urban and industrial environmental problems. Course engages debates on sustainable development and examines how global economic processes impact attempts at local environmental regulation. Cover major impacts of industrial society on the environment, and government, private sector, and NGO responses through environmental policies, plans, and campaigns.

11.368 Environmental Justice

Examines theories and practice of environmental justice in both domestic and international contexts, exploring and critically analyzing philosophies, frameworks, and strategies underlying environmental justice movements. Course evaluates ethical bases underlying environmental justice frameworks. Examines case studies of environmental injustices, including: distributions of environmental quality and health, unequal enforcement of regulations, unequal access to resources to respond to environmental problems, and the broader political economy of decision-making around environmental issues. Students will also explore how environmental justice movements relate to broader sustainable development goals and strategies.

11.369J Technology, Industry, and Ecology

Examines the ecological implications of industrial activities and the potential to reduce adverse environmental impacts through the re-design of industrial processes and products. Explores opportunities and challenges of advancing "Industrial Ecology" such as closing material loops, pollution prevention, toxics use reduction, design for environment, and life cycle assessment. Subject takes a multidisciplinary approach to examining the concepts and methods important to making the transition toward a more ecologically sound industrial society and engages debates on the political and economic barriers to making this transition.