TEACHING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: AN INNOVATIVE TEAM-DESIGNED COURSE AT LINN-BENTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Teaching environmental justice is one of the innovative ways geoscience educators can answer the repeated call to broaden participation. We report on the design and implementation of Environmental Justice at Linn-Benton Community College, the first environmental justice course taught at a two-year college in Oregon. The course was developed by a geoscience faculty member with help from social science faculty members through a social justice community of practice. The course is aligned and articulated as GEOG333 Environmental Justice at Oregon State University to meet the Difference, Power, and Oppression (DPO) general education requirement at both institutions. Students learn scientifically-relevant geoscience concepts, such as the hydrologic cycle, fate and transport of contaminants, and climate change impacts, then use data-driven activities and active learning to build connections to social justice issues such as environmental racism, redlining, and climate justice. These activities culminate in an individual final project in which students research an EJ case study of their choice and present it in a format meaningful to them, such as ArcGIS StoryMaps, slideshows, paintings, children’s books, and other formats. Students use principles of open pedagogy to openly license their work which then can be used, refined and expanded by future EJ students. Environmental Justice has been team taught for three terms with another DPO course, Contemporary Families in the United States. These courses use shared DPO course outcomes to explore how environmental injustices affect families. Students from both courses report greater understanding of the connections between science, environmental justice, and the quality of family life. This course can serve as a model for other educators wishing to expand their geoscience offerings to include environmental justice.