Environmental Activism: Actors, Approaches, and Outcomes

Whether via public blockades or behind-the-scenes boardroom votes – activism has been a driving force of change on environmental issues. This course will offer an overview of environmental activism, with an emphasis on business targets, impacts and responses. Reviewing a range of players, strategies and tactics, students will explore different types of activists (e.g., grassroots, NGO, employee, investor) and the relationships between activism aimed at businesses vs. governments. The course will help students understand the evolution of environmental activism, and what influence current demographics, public opinion, and technology have had, including on climate activism and business practices in recent years. Through case studies, news stories, academic readings, and class discussion, students will learn the various roles activists play, how activism impacts public policy and corporate practices, and different ways companies relate to activists. Quizzes, case analyses, and other methods will be used to demonstrate mastery of the material.