Our goal is to advance environmental justice in the West through humanities scholarship led by historically excluded scholars and frontline communities.

Since its inception, the Environmental Humanities Graduate Program has centered community-engaged learning and scholar activism for environmental and climate justice. In 2023, we received renewed funding from the Mellon Foundation to further this work. Through rigorous humanities research and reciprocal partnerships with grassroots groups, nonprofit, and frontline community members, the EH program is helping build an inclusive and equitable environmental movement that centers social justice and empowers rising leaders from communities most impacted by environmental degradation.

Objectives

1. Advance community-engaged environmental humanities scholarship and research to deliver environmental justice.
2. Build a network of scholars, leaders, and community members who can articulate and advance the many connections between environmental health and social justice.
3. Create pathways for historically excluded students to lead the environmental humanities and justice movements—within and outside the academy.
4. Move our curriculum toward a focus on environmental and climate justice.
5. Sustain meaningful work with non-profit environmental groups and community organizations.
6. Empower collaboration between leaders with deep experience in the field and students with passion.