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  2. Master’s Programs
  3. Master of Environmental Management — MEM
  4. MEM Specializations
  5. People, Equity, and the Environment Specialization

People, Equity, and the Environment Specialization

The purpose of this specialization is to give today's professional environmental managers a range of theoretical, conceptual, and methodological skills necessary for understanding how to critique, improve and implement models of environmental management that address historically engrained challenges.

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    For the reasons above, this specialization expands beyond ahistorical and technical training by focusing students on historical processes, power dynamics and changing societal values. We believe that any solution to global environmental problems must consider issues of social equity and human well-being, in addition to environmental sustainability.

    Note that a capstone course used to fulfill the MEM capstone requirement cannot also be used toward fulfilling an MEM Specialization requirement; a capstone course taken once cannot be used to fulfill multiple requirements. Learn more about YSE capstone courses by visiting the MEM Capstone page.

    Program Courses

    Core

    Two core courses required. Choose one course from Group A and one course from Group B.
    Those students who matriculated to the program prior to Fall 2021 may follow the requirement for their entering class of 2 required core courses: ENV 826 & ENV 759.

    Group A

    Course Fall 2025 Spring 2026 Fall 2026 Spring 2027
    ENV 759
    Power, Knowledge, and the Environment: Social Science         		Dove
    M 1:00-3:50    		   Dove  
    ENV 764
    American Cosmologies         		Farrell
    Th 9:00-11:50    		   Farrell
    Tentative    		  

    Group B

    Course Fall 2025 Spring 2026 Fall 2026 Spring 2027
    ENV 631
    Poverty, Environment and Inequality         		Taylor
    Tu,Th 1:00-2:20    		   Taylor
    Tentative    		  
    ENV 642
    Environmental Justice/Climate Justice         		               
    ENV 682
    Environmental Justice/Water Justice         		Torres
    M,W 10:30-11:50    		   Torres
    Tentative    		  

    Elective

    Students must take at least 1 course from each of the three bins below (Social Science, Humanities, Ecological). The 4th elective course must be from either the “Social Science Perspectives” bin or the “Humanities: History, Religion, and Ethics” bin. 

    Social Science Perspectives

    Course Fall 2025 Spring 2026 Fall 2026 Spring 2027
    ENV 575
    Climate Communication in the Age of AI         		  Leiserowitz
    M 4:00-5:20    		        
    ENV 621
    The Ministry for the Future: Exploring The Science and Politics of Climate Solutions through Fiction         		        Sanford  
    ENV 633
    Critical Race Theory         		Torres
    Tu,Th 1:00-2:20    		   Torres
    Tentative    		  
    ENV 639
    Food Systems and Climate Services         		Hernandez-Aguilera
    Tu,Th 10:30-11:50    		   Hernandez-Aguilera  
    ENV 640
    Ethical Consumption: Promoting Workers’ Rights, Fair Prices, and Sustainability         		  Robinson
    Tu 1:00-3:50    		   Robinson
    Tentative
    ENV 645
    Urbanization, Global Change and Sustainability         		Seto
    Tu 1:00-3:50    		   Seto  
    ENV 740
    Understanding Environmental Philanthropy: Funding, Financing, and Grant Writing         		               
    ENV 742
    Fundamentals of Working with People         		  DeCew
    Tu,Th 8:30-9:50    		   DeCew
    Tentative
    ENV 799
    Sustainable Development Goals and Implementation         		  Geballe
    Tu,Th 11:35-12:50    		        
    ENV 819
    Measuring and Visualizing Urban Environments         		  Salazar Miranda
    Th 2:30-5:20    		   Salazar Miranda
    ENV 821
    Environmental Policymaking: From Local to Global         		Sanford
    M,W 1:00-2:20    		   Sanford  
    ENV 828
    Risk Assessment & Management: Climate Change         		          Wargo
    ENV 829
    Pathways to a Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions Future         		          Esty
    ENV 836
    Agrarian Societies: Culture, Society, History, and Development         		Faculty
    W 1:30-3:20    		   Faculty
    Tentative    		  
    ENV 850
    International Organizations and Conferences         		Boyd
    M,W 9:00-10:20    		   Boyd  
    ENV 878
    Climate and Society: Past to Present         		Dove
    Th 1:30-3:20    		   Dove  
    ENV 960
    Urban Climate Solutions Capstone: Topic TBD         		          Seto
    ENV 962
    Public Lands and Tribal Natural Resources         		Gonzalez-Rogers
    W 9:00-11:50    		   Gonzalez-Rogers
    Tentative    		  
    ENV 964
    Organizing: People, Power and Change         		  Robinson
    Tu,Th 9:00-10:20    		        
    ENV 975
    Western Lands and Communities Field Clinic: Research to Practice         		  Farrell   Farrell

    Humanities: History, Religion and Ethics

    Course Fall 2025 Spring 2026 Fall 2026 Spring 2027
    ENV 636
    Carbon Dioxide Removal         		O’Rourke
    M 2:30-5:20    		   O’Rourke
    Tentative    		  
    ENV 638
    Labs and Landscapes of the Green Revolution         		  Acciavatti
    M 11:00-12:50    		        
    ENV 766
    Genesis and Collapse: Environmental Archaeology of West Asia, Egypt, the Aegean and Indus.         		  Weiss
    Th 3:30-5:20    		        
    ENV 775
    Federal Indian Law         		  Faculty
    Tu,Th 2:10-3:35    		   Faculty
    Tentative
    ENV 959
    Clinic in Climate Justice, and Public Health         		Carrion
    Th 1:00-2:50    		   Carrion
    Tentative    		  
    ENV 970
    Environmental Protection Clinic Policy and Advocacy (Follows Law School Calendar)         		Kysar
    Tu 12:10-2:00    		 Kysar
    Tu 12:10-2:00    		 Kysar
    Tentative    		 Kysar
    Tentative

    Ecological and Conservation Science

    Course Fall 2025 Spring 2026 Fall 2026 Spring 2027
    ENV 602
    Ecosystems and Landscapes         		        Bradford  
    ENV 626
    Writing for Publication in the Natural Sciences         		  Queenborough
    Tu,Th 10:30-11:50    		   Queenborough
    ENV 629
    North American Drylands: Ecology and Land Use         		  Lauenroth
    Tu,Th 9:00-10:20    		   Lauenroth
    Tentative
    ENV 630
    The Physical Science of Climate Change         		  Raymond
    Tu,Th 10:30-11:50    		   Raymond
    ENV 644
    Coastal Environments in a Changing World         		        Decker  
    ENV 659
    The Practice of Silviculture: Principles in Applied Forest Ecology (Friday field trips)         		  Ashton
    M,W 8:30-10:20    		   Ashton
    ENV 660
    Forest Dynamics         		Duguid
    Tu,Th 10:30-11:50    		   Duguid  
    ENV 677
    Ecological Restoration         		  Duguid
    Tu,Th 10:30-11:50    		   Duguid
    Tentative
    ENV 686
    Synthesizing Science for Policy and Practice         		               
    ENV 696
    YFF:Tribal Forestry:         		          Dunning
    ENV 697
    Science for Policy and Practice: A Seminar         		          Bradford
    Tu 1:00-2:20
    ENV 705
    Global Climate Change: Simple, Serious, and Solvable         		Denning
    M,W 1:00-2:15    		   Denning
    Tentative    		  
    ENV 745
    Global Human-Wildlife Interactions         		  Harris
    Tu 1:00-3:50    		 Harris  
    ENV 752
    Ecology and Conservation of Tropical Forests         		Comita
    M,W 10:30-11:50    		   Comita  
    ENV 963
    Case Studies in Water Management: Conflict and Cooperation         		        Anisfeld  
    ENV 966
    Sustainability Implementation: Change Management in Institutional Settings         		Smiley Smith
    Th 9:00-11:50    		   Smiley Smith
    Tentative    		  
    Illustration: leaves on oak branch each leaf a different skin tone

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