How are the struggle for climate justice, toxic waste and corporate profits connected? Why does replacing your smart phone impact the health of a worker in Asia? Can the circular economy make waste disappear? The production and disposal of waste provokes several such questions that this unit aims to help explore. What we do with the objects that no longer have value for us is a cultural, economic and political issue. The materiality of waste allows us to reflect on global economic processes, people's relationship to nature and access to resources.
Through this unit students will examine the movement of waste at global, local and individual scale and the impact this has on the environment and people. Students will explore narratives used for making the garbage disappear such as the 3 R's of waste (reducing, reusing and recycling) and circular economy (where discarded materials are no longer considered waste but resources). Students will examine place-based struggles of climate justice over waste and toxic contamination. Examples from different historic and geographic settings will provide insights into specific debates and phenomenon that shape how waste is perceived and dealt with. All the above will be underpinned by theories of waste connecting development, consumption, politics and culture.
This interdisciplinary unit is a combination of theory and application. It will introduce students from different disciplines (arts, environmental science, public policy) to the knowledge and the tools- critical analysis, teamwork and communication- to tackle real-world issues. It will empower students to relate their position to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
