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 | Spring |
| ENV 759 Power, Knowledge, and the Environment: Social Science |
Dove | |||
| ENV 764 American Cosmologies |
Farrell |
Group B
| Course | Fall 2025 | Spring 2026 | Fall | Spring |
| ENV 631 Poverty, Environment and Inequality |
Taylor | |||
| ENV 682 Environmental Justice/Water Justice |
Torres |
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 | Spring |
| ENV 633 Critical Race Theory |
Torres | |||
| ENV 639 Food Systems and Climate Services |
Hernandez-Aguilera | |||
| ENV 645 Urbanization, Global Change and Sustainability |
Seto | |||
| ENV 648 Organizing: People, Power, and Change |
Robinson Tentative |
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| ENV 742 Fundamentals of Working with People |
DeCew | |||
| ENV 819 Measuring and Visualizing Urban Environments |
Salazar Miranda | |||
| ENV 821 Environmental Policymaking: From Local to Global |
Sanford | |||
| ENV 828 Risk Assessment & Management: Climate Change |
Wargo | |||
| ENV 836 Agrarian Societies: Culture, Society, History, and Development |
Faculty | |||
| ENV 850 International Organizations and Conferences |
Boyd | |||
| ENV 878 Climate and Society: Past to Present |
Dove | |||
| ENV 962 Public Lands and Tribal Natural Resources |
Gonzalez-Rogers | |||
| ENV 975 Western Lands and Communities Field Clinic: Research to Practice |
Farrell |
Humanities: History, Religion and Ethics
| Course | Fall 2025 | Spring 2026 | Fall | Spring |
| ENV 636 Carbon Dioxide Removal |
O’Rourke | |||
| ENV 775 Federal Indian Law |
Faculty | |||
| ENV 959 Clinic in Climate Justice, and Public Health |
Faculty | |||
| ENV 970 Environmental Protection Clinic Policy and Advocacy (Follows Law School Calendar) |
Kysar | Kysar |
Ecological and Conservation Science
Learning Community
There is a corresponding “Learning Community” for each specialization, where anyone interested in the topic can find related news, spotlights, colleagues, and events.
Faculty Coordinator