SEP 1700 A (CRN: 15329)
Sustainability Ecology Policy: Plastics Petrochemicals & Life (A)
3 credit hours
About SEP 1700 A
Covers the biophysical and social sciences of plastics including impacts related to climate change, ecosystems, and human and animal health. Petrochemicals and plastics are made from oil and natural gas; examines how students are are tied to environmental (in)justice, global fossil fuel regimes, colonialism, and capitalism. The final project centers hope and coalition building; students take group action on a specific plastics-related topic of their choice.
Notes
Open to Degree and PACE students.
Section Description
Plastics are not just a waste issue, they are inextricably linked to human rights, environmental injustice, and the global history of oil and gas. In this class, students will develop the analytical and research skills to understand these complexities. Topics may include, but are not limited to: plastics in the human body and reproductive health; impacts on wildlife and ecosystems related to plastic pollution; the environmental injustices of petrochemical production; Indigenous cosmologies of land and fossil fuel extraction; global plastics governance; the creation of new consumer markets by chemical companies; PFAS and the philosophy of toxicity; and more. Leaders from the global movement for a strong United Nations plastics treaty will share their stories with the class. These complex issues–and the inescapability of plastic in everyday life–can evoke overwhelm, dread, guilt, and anxiety. Students will learn how to harness and channel these emotions into coalition building, creativity, and action. The culmination of the course will invite students to work in groups on a plastics-related project of their choice.
Section Expectation
All are welcome. No disciplinary, methodological, or other knowledge is necessary for this class. Deep engagement with the material is expected; there are 3 required books for this class.
Important Dates
Note: These dates may change before registration begins.
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Resources
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