STS 425
Living with Contamination Fall 2025
Division II D Difference, Power, and Equity
Cross-listed ENVI 425 / GBST 425

Contamination is an unavoidable part of modern life, from industrial pollution and toxic waste to the invisible presence of biocides, greenhouse gases, microplastics, and radiation. How did the world become so permeated by industrial pollutants, and could history have unfolded differently? And how do communities confront, resist, and adapt to living in a contaminated world, where contamination is distributed unequally by race, class, and gender? This advanced seminar invites students to examine contamination as a lived social and political reality. Through case studies and readings, we will analyze the systems that produce contamination; how contamination is defined, measured, and regulated by governments, corporations, and affected communities; and alternative ways of living with and mitigating contamination’s effects. Key themes include environmental justice, corporate and governmental accountability, and the long-term ecological and human health consequences of human-made toxics.