Law Schedule of Classes

NOTE: Course offerings change. Classes offered this semester may not be offered in future semesters.

Apart from their assigned mod courses, 1L students may only enroll in courses offered as 1L electives. A complete list of these courses can be found on the 1L Elective Listings page. 1L students must use the 1L class number listed on the course description when enrolling.


272.2 sec. 001 - Environmental Justice: Race, Class, and the Environment (Spring 2023)

Instructor: Michelle Ghafar  
Instructor: Chelsea Hsin-Feng Tu  
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Units: 3
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person

Meeting:

Th 3:35 PM - 6:15 PM
Location: Law 130
From January 12, 2023
To April 20, 2023

Course Start: January 12, 2023
Course End: April 20, 2023
Class Number: 32576

Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 6
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 25
As of: 08/24 11:03 PM


Environmental justice describes a social and political movement to seek greater equity in the distribution of environmental harms and benefits in our society, and in particular, to address the disproportionate impact of pollution on low-income communities of color. This course explores the intersection between traditional environmental law and civil rights; how decision-making affects not only our natural environment but also our lived environment. The course will provide an overview of traditional and emerging environmental justice topics, and the innovative methods practitioners are using to address systemic environmental inequalities.

Instructor bios:
Michelle Ghafar is a senior attorney with Earthjustice’s California regional office in San Francisco. Her work focuses on challenging state and federal oil and gas projects and advocating for clean energy. Prior to joining Earthjustice, Michelle served as a public service fellow at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, where she staffed the Second Chance Reentry Legal Clinic. She is a graduate of UCLA School of Law, where she completed both the Epstein Public Interest Law & Policy Program as well as the Critical Race Studies Specialization.

Chelsea Tu Chelsea is the executive director of Monterey Waterkeeper. Previously, Chelsea worked as a senior attorney at the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment, where she advocated for sustainable land use and infrastructure investments in low-income communities of color in the San Joaquin Valley. Chelsea also led climate justice advocacy at Public Advocates, and worked to protect freshwater resources, curb sprawl, and reduce toxins and pesticides at the Center for Biological Diversity.


Attendance at the first class is mandatory for all currently enrolled and waitlisted students; any currently enrolled or waitlisted students who are not present on the first day of class (without prior permission of the instructor) will be dropped. The instructor will continue to take attendance throughout the add/drop period and anyone who moves off the waitlist into the class must continue to attend or have prior permission of the instructor in order not to be dropped.


Requirements Satisfaction:


This is an Option 1 class; two Option 1 classes fulfill the J.D. writing requirement.


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Exam Notes: (P) Final paper  
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Course Category: Environmental and Energy Law
This course is listed in the following sub-categories:
Race and Law
Social Justice and Public Interest

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Books:
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