What is nature? Who gets to speak for nature? What is the institutional arrangement, political economic system, and form of political community best suited to cultivating a more sustainable relationship with the more-than-human realm? These questions are most effectively grappled with by putting political theory into conversation with environmental studies. In cultivating this transdisciplinary conversation, we will reconsider both (1) conventional political theoretical debates over democracy, citizenship, sovereignty and justice through the lens of environmental thought, and (2) long-standing environmental debates over wilderness, animal rights, environmental justice and climate change through the lens of political theory.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will:
-learn to decipher complex theoretical texts, honing their close-reading skills in the process.
-inquire into how the realities of climate change and environmental crisis complicate political debates and assumptions regarding borders, citizenship, sovereignty, and justice.
-hone their analytical and synthetic writing skills.
Delivery Method: Fully in-person
Prerequisites: Students should email me (johnhultgren@bennington.edu) a 1-2 paragraph reflection on why they want to take the class and how it relates to their plan of study and/or interests. Previous coursework in SCT is necessary. Previous coursework in environmental studies is helpful.
Course Level: 4000-level
Credits: 4
M/Th 10:00AM - 11:50AM (Full-term)
Maximum Enrollment: 18
Course Frequency: Every 2-3 years
Categories: 4000 , All courses , Environment , Four Credit , Fully In-Person , SCT
Tags: analytical writing , close reading , environmental justice , environmental politics , political theory