From Social Justice to Environmental Justice We will examine environmental justice cases in the context of the social justice movements that have preceded them, paying particular attention to how these earlier movements have influenced the challenges and tactics of environmental justice today.  Drawing on the work of Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day, and others, we will explore the roles race, class, gender, and religion have played in confronting poverty, racism, and violence.  We will then investigate contemporary environmental justice movements, using case studies to explore how these movements are rooted in, as well as distinct from, social justice movements of earlier periods (ENVS 0215 or any 100 or 200 level course in Religion or by permission)

Contested Grounds:  U.S. Cultures and Environments Throughout the history of the United States, Americans have created a complex set of meanings pertaining to the environments (wild, pastoral, urban, marine) in which they live.  From European-Native contact to the present, Americans’ various identities, cultures, and beliefs about the bio-physical world have shaped the stories they tell about “nature,” stories that sometimes share common ground, but often create conflicting and contested understandings of human-environment relationships.  In this course we will investigate these varied and contested stories from multi-disciplinary perspectives in the humanities—history, literature, and religion--and will include attention to race, class, gender, and environmental justice.

Religion, Ecology and Justice In this class we will consider the relationship between religion and ecology in some of the world’s great wisdom traditions, particularly Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Judaism.  Our approach will be comparative and attentive to “big ideas” about human-nature relationships. How do religious traditions perpetuate ideas of the natural world that are sometimes positive and protective and sometimes apathetic or destructive? Exploring such topics as stewardship, sacred landscapes, and the interdependence of living beings, we will consider both past and present, including examining how religious identity has fueled and shaped religiously-based environmental justice activism today.

Community-Engaged Environmental Studies Practicum In this course students work in small groups with one of a variety of partners and organizations to complete a semester-long, community-engaged project. Project themes vary by term and typically focus on local and regional environmental issues that have broader application. Projects rely on students’ creativity, interdisciplinary perspectives, skills, and knowledge developed through their previous work. The project is guided by a faculty member and carried out with a high degree of independence by the students. Students will prepare for and direct their project work through readings and discussion, independent research, collaboration with project partners, and consultation with external experts. The course may also include workshops focused on developing key skills (e.g., interviewing, public speaking, video editing). The project culminates in a public presentation of students’ final products, which may various forms such as written reports, policy white papers, podcasts, or outreach materials. (Open to Seniors) (ENVS  0112 OR APES[5]) AND (ENVS  0211 OR PSCI  0211) AND (ENAM 0215 OR ENVS  0215 OR ENGL  0215) AND (GEOG  0120 OR ENVS  0120 OR GEOG  0150 OR ENVS  0150 OR ENVS  0251 OR GEOG  0251 OR ENVS 0261 OR GEOG  0261 OR ENVS  0271 OR GEOG  0271 OR ENVS  0281 OR GEOG  0281 OR GEOG 0252))

The Spirit(s) of Trees What, or who, is a tree? In this course, we will probe central questions in the field of “religion and ecology” using human-tree relationships as our interpretive lens. Emerging scientific views of trees as communicators and climate-regulators evoke ancient, non-utilitarian views of trees. In some Hindu contexts, trees are protected as abodes of the gods, or as divinities themselves. In Thailand, climate activists ordain trees as Buddhist monks. Christian and Jewish authors are reinterpreting the biblical “Tree of Life” in terms of ecological awareness and as solace for climate grief. Drawing on the work of Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish and Christian scholars, our task will be to get to know trees— and thus, diverse eco-spiritual cultures— in a complex, multireligious way. This course counts as a humanities cognate for environmental studies majors.

Rebecca Gould

Reviews and ratings for Rebecca Gould at Middlebury College.Rebecca Gould teaches Social Environment Justice, Contested Grounds, Religion, Ecology and Justice and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Rebecca Gould good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

Loved Prof Gould! She is very passionate. Overall, I found the readings worthwhile and the class discussions meaningful. I enjoyed having a lot of liberty on paper topics as well. Would take this course again!

Grading of writing is hard, but you can get a good grade if you try and go to office hours. Interesting readings, can skim. class was discussion based but too large so class discussions were awkward. Other than that it was good. 2ish large writing projects, no exams. 

Professor Gould was great and I wish we could have gotten the full course with her. Her homework was engaging and fun and essay grading was fair. Her feedback was always thoughtful. Great way to start Middlebury classes