In a sign of the times, Stanford University has unveiled a new minor: Environmental Justice. The minor, under the umbrella of the Earth Systems Program, will be offered to Stanford undergraduates beginning this year. The minor will include an introductory environmental justice course as well as coursework in three streams: the history of socio-environmental movements, ethical frameworks, and real-world implementation of environmental justice principles through advocacy.

As Aditya Bora reports for The Stanford Daily in a piece entitled “Stanford announces new Environmental Justice Minor,” “‘The new minor is designed to provide students with ‘opportunities to study how and why environmental inequities occur, and learn from community-led efforts to redress these inequities,’ [Earth Systems Deputy Director Richard] Nevle wrote. The new minor comes after nearly six years of collaboration between students, faculty and activist communities. Student advocates, faculty and staff at Stanford’s Environmental Justice Working Group played a key role in the formation of the minor, according to the press release…The minor is meant to bring together people who care about environmental justice on Stanford’s campus and combine technical solutions with policy considerations, historic context and public service, according to Dr. Emily Polk, Advanced Lecturer in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric.”

And it should be expected that other highly selective universities will soon follow Stanford‘s lead. In fact, Ivy Coach’s famously accurate crystal ball hereby predicts other elite universities adding Environmental Justice majors and minors into their curriculums in the months and years to come. Will our crystal ball reading prove true? Stay tuned!