Environmental Justice Modules: A Case Study Approach for Intermediate and Advanced German Learners

Abstract

Sustainability and environmental justice are connected concepts; however, environmental justice serves as a foundation to an approach to sustainability that moves beyond conservation and preservation of resources for current and future generations to explore issues of equity in terms of access to resources and protection from environmental hazards. Examining environmental conditions for communities from an environmental justice lens uncovers disparities that suggest connections between lower socioeconomic status and exposure to environmental issues. This article addresses the need to integrate environmental justice across the German curriculum and demonstrates a case study approach for intermediate- and advanced-level German classes. The first case study presents an Instagram job application for environmental justice projects in Berlin-Neukölln, and the second case study deals with a blog about Schimmelwohnungen or apartments with mold in the city of Bremen. This article illustrates how case studies can be embedded in both a genre-based approach and how case studies on environmental justice can be integrated in courses across the German curriculum.