POLS 1821V : Democracy and Inequality in American Cities

Richard Snyder
POLS 1821V explores the relationship between democracy and inequality in contemporary American cities. The seminar considers different kinds of inequality - economic, political and group/horizontal – from the standpoint of national politics in the United States. The focus then shifts to the literature on urban politics in the United States, assessing the major contrasting theoretical perspectives on the causes of local inequalities in American cities. Finally, we focus on unequal access to public safety and justice. Over the course of the semester, students will be expected to carry out “fieldwork” involving first-hand observation of local inequalities in the Greater Providence area.

ENVS 0705: Equity and the Environment: Movements, Scholarship, Solutions

J Timmons Roberts
The environmental justice movement emerged in the U.S. South from the observation that African-Americans were more exposed to toxics than whites. It spurred decades of academic and activist efforts to understand and address the relationship between inequality and environment. The issue has expanded around the world, and beyond unequal exposures to “bads”, to unequal access to “goods,” along lines of equity by race, class, gender, ethnicity, indigenous identity, and position in the global economy. Issues of assigning responsibility and applying theories of justice with legal instruments have made environmental justice policy difficult. This course seeks to serve first-years and sophomores.