It may be helpful to do some background reading on environmental justice and sustainability before you begin researching a specific topic. These readings can provide a solid understanding of the general topic from different perspectives, help you find a more specific focus within the larger subject, and give you ideas for how to outline your research paper. Here are a list of some selected readings on the topic:
Banerjee, D., & Bell, M. M. (2008). Environmental Justice. In R. T. Schaefer (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society (Vol. 1, pp. 442-445). SAGE Publications.
Byrne, J. A. (2013). Environmental Justice. Oxford Bibliographies in Geography. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199874002-0008
Clark, E. (2014). Sustainability Science. Oxford Bibliographies in Geography. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199874002-0100
Collin, R. M. (2011). Sustainability. In M. Shally-Jensen (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Contemporary American Social Issues (Vol. 1, pp. 305-311). ABC-CLIO.
Engel, J. R. (2014). Sustainability. In B. Jennings (Ed.), Bioethics (4th ed., Vol. 6, pp. 3040-3051). Macmillan Reference USA.
Fearnside, P. M. (2019). Sustainable Development. Oxford Bibliographies in Ecology. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199830060-0227
Figueroa, R. M. (2005). Environmental Justice. In C. Mitcham (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics (Vol. 2, pp. 665-670). Macmillan Reference USA.
Lee, W. L. (2019). Environmental Ethics. Oxford Bibliographies in Public Health. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780190221911-0085
Marsden, T. (2009). Sustainability. In R. Kitchin & N. Thrift (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of Human Geography (Vol. 11, pp. 103-108). Elsevier.
McElwee, P., Fernández-Llamazares, A., Thorpe, M. A., Whyte, K. P., Middleton, B. R., Reed, K., Sy, W. C., & Moldawer, A. M. (2018). Indigenous Ecologies. Oxford Bibliographies in Ecology. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199830060-0199
South, N., Brisman, A., & McClanahan, B. (2014). Green Criminology. Oxford Bibliographies in Criminology. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780195396607-0161
Temper, L. (2019). Environmental Justice: Approaches, Dimensions, and Movements. Oxford Bibliographies in Ecology. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199830060-0209
Williams, B. (2003). Environmental Justice. In K. Christensen & D. Levinson (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Community (Vol. 2, pp. 458-462). SAGE Reference.
The Sustainability and Environmental minor at John Jay College is a multidisciplinary pursuit including a range of academic disciplines. Having a particular area and/or issue on which to focus will help to develop your research query and result in finding relevant resources for your assignment. Below are some suggestions of course related issues you may wish to explore. Some topics listed are broad in nature, and therefore, may need to be narrowed.
conservation
natural resources
ecological balance
climate change
green criminology
environmental inequalities
pollution and recycling
renewable energy and social movements
energy efficiency practices
clean technology and chemical processes
environmental justice and political/economic initiatives
environmental justice and urban planning
environmental racism and ethics
human behavior and natural resources
water quality and economics
air quality and political issues
environmental crimes and water
alternative sources of energy
sustainable nutrition and social/economic inequities
eco art and design
wildlife crime and prevention/regulations
environmental economics and regulation/policy
global catastrophe and responsibility
literature and ecology
environmental ethics and global responsibility
NYC ecology and social/economic inequalities
food justice and government responsibility
environmental justice and public health
sustainability and human behavior
renewable energy and political initiatives/economic initiatives
environmental ethics and corporations
ecology of NYC
environmental sociology and population growth
food justice
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