Eco-Spirit., Ecofeminism EJ

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course will explore the concepts of ecological spirituality and ecofeminism in relation to environmental justice. Following Joanna Macy in analyzing “the three stories of our time,” students will identify spiritual, communal, and political narratives and practices that contribute to protecting “Business As Usual” (the Industrial Growth Society and exploitative power structures); burning out in “The Great Unraveling” (the destabilization and destruction of our eco-social systems); or choosing “The Great Turning” (joining in collaborative action for the sake of all life). Students will study current environmental justice campaigns with an eye toward understanding the underlying influence of eco-spirituality on EJ movements, and its relationship to the values articulated in EJ principles. Through project-based and discursive learning, this course will invite students to reflect on the interconnection of their interior lives and embodied choices to ecological and social systems, and to apply these reflections to their understanding of environmental justice.