Description
STEM Pathway
The U.S. EPA defines environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies” (http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/). Too often, major sources of pollution are located in or near predominately poor and/or minority communities. These problems represent a type of social injustice.
The goals of the assignment are to help you learn about topics we don’t have time to cover in lecture, to improve your independent research skills, to connect course material to “real world” problems, and to improve your communication skills. The assignment consists of a research paper.
Each student will examine a type of pollution that impacts predominately poor and/or minority communities. Students will then write a research paper on one specific case study of an environmental injustice within their broader topic.
The paper must have the following sections:
Introduction – a brief description of the environmental injustice issue and the specific case study that will be discussed
Scientific Background – This discussion should general, not specific to one location or event.
Basic Information – The type of pollution and how it is released into the environment
Environmental Fate – How long the pollution persists and how it moves through the environment
Environmental Impacts – How it affects plants, animals
Human Impacts – How it affects humans
Solutions – Possible methods of remediation
Case Study – This should be a detailed discussion of a specific example of community impacted by the pollution
History – Explain how the pollution occurred and what has occurred since it happened, including any legal action and remediation
Key actors – Name and describe the community, legal, governmental, and corporate organizations involved
Demographics – The racial, cultural, and economic makeup of the community
Impact – the impact of the pollution on the community as a whole and on individuals; includes quantitative data such as how many individuals affected, lethal dose of pollutant determined in studies, etc.
Reaction – the community reaction to the pollution
Resolution – Discuss any resolution to the problem and/or ongoing efforts by or on behalf of the community
Conclusion – Give your recommendations on how the community should proceed and discuss how the problem can be avoided in the future.
References – List all articles and websites used as sources of information for the paper. Cite where the references are used within the text using numbers or an author, year format.
The choice of the case study is left up to the student. However, students are encouraged meet with the instructor and discuss their choice of topic before beginning substantial research or writing.