Course Objective
This course will use readings, lecture, and discussion to introduce students to Pacific Island cultures and communities facing environmental crisis and threats due to climate change and other environmental factors. Students will examine environmental racism as it relates to the US industrial revolution fueled by the government and large business interests to the detriment of marginalized communities. Topics of the disparate health impacts to communities, economic impacts, red-lining and housing discrimination. We will also analyze colonial era racism embedded in U.S. law and policy.
Participants will explore Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander history and investigate the cultural connections that bind native people such as the (Hawaiian) kua'ina to the natural world. By identifying connections between culture, geology, climate and the biotic realm, students will gain a better understanding of the interplay between people and this unique landscape. Among the most remote islands on the planet, the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands provide a remarkable location for studying biological and human dimensions of the environment. Students will have a unique opportunity to learn about issues and solutions relating to cultural modification of landscapes, land use and conservation policies, development, resource production and other key environmental global topics by studying the Hawaiian and Pacific Islander landscape. This course will aim to connect academic discussion of the meaning of sustainability to real-life environmental challenges facing island ecosystems.
In this course we will be concerned with the experiences of both immigrant and indigenous Pacific communities. We will explore in depth the representations of the Pacific generated inside and outside the region. We will focus on the ways that individuals come to see, know, enact, and practice their membership in larger collectiveness that are both institutionally and self- defined along the lines of race, ethnicity, culture, language, gender, class, land, religion, politics and nation.
Due to the enormous amount of the diversity of cultures within the Pacific Islands we will explore general themes that impact all Pacific Islanders, but with a specific focus on the experiences of those who represent the largest Pacific Islander populations in the United States, which are namely: Tongan, Samoan, Hawaiian and Māori.
This course is designed similar to a reading and research seminar. Thus we will focus on theory and analysis rather than reporting and memorizing. You will be required to complete all the readings and participate in class discussions. Please keep in mind that you will not succeed in this course unless you attend class, keep up with all the reading assignments, turn in your work on time and study effectively for exams.
Our classroom must be a dynamic one, which would allow for both intellectual and personal growth, and must be open to having its boundaries pushed and developed by its students. It is my hope that as a class we will be able to speak from within, rather than from outside or above systems that have privileged and valued certain populations and marginalized others by virtue of race/ethnicity, national origin, class and gender, for we are all part of a system of oppression. Remember the focus is on the experiences and the treatment of Pacific Islander Americans in the United States primarily from the multiple perspectives of Pacific Islanders. There are times when you may disagree with the perspectives that are presented, and you may be uncomfortable with some of the information and discussions. However, the purpose of this class is to come to a better understanding of the diverse experiences of Americans, specifically those of Pacific Islanders and the complexities of their experiences. Your thoughts and perspectives are important, respected, and valued, and having them shared with the rest of the class is crucial to the learning that is expected to take place in class. The richness and diversity of discussions will depend on the collective class to both respect the right of others to express views and practice rigorous (but worthwhile) self-reflection.
Some of the writings, lectures, films, or presentations in this course include material that some students may find offensive. Please review the syllabus carefully to ensure that the course is one that you are committed to taking. If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to discuss it with me directly at your earliest convenience.
- Teacher: Kris Galago