Teaching
Carly A. Krakow is a faculty member at the NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She teaches a new interdisciplinary seminar she has designed on environmental racism and environmental injustice, drawing from the fields of political theory, international law, sociology, literature, activism, and more.
At the London School of Economics and Political Science, she has taught “Public International Law” and “International Law: Contemporary Issues” classes for undergraduate students and “Legal Research and Writing Skills” for graduate students.
Read more about Carly’s teaching on her NYU Gallatin faculty profile page.
CURRENT TEACHING
NYU Gallatin School
Interdisciplinary Seminar – IDSEM-UG2114
Environmental Racism and Environmental Injustice: Rights, Citizenship, and Activism
How are environmental racism and environmental injustice related to belonging in—and exclusion from—local, national, and international communities? How do questions about citizenship, rights, and rightlessness relate to environmental racism and environmental injustice? This course addresses questions about how numerous forms of environmental racism and environmental injustice impact people’s access to their human rights—universally guaranteed in principle but so frequently inaccessible in reality. These questions have newfound urgency amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as marginalized communities already subjected to environmental repression have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Drawing on works from the realms of political theory, international law, literature, activism, and others, we will address relationships between race, class, gender, and environmental injustice. We will discuss fence-line communities. There are powerful connections between so-called “local” environmental injustice and the climate crisis—how are these connections overlooked by international law? We will focus on how communities of color, Indigenous communities, and stateless people are affected by and resist pollution inequity and differential access to healthcare. Historical and contemporary cases include denial of water access (e.g. Flint and Detroit, Michigan; the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza; and Cape Town, South Africa); forced exposure to toxins in armed conflict zones (ranging from the WWII bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to the Vietnam War, and the Iraq War); poisoning from industrial pollution (such as in Minamata, Japan in the 20th century); and international examples of lead poisoning. Scholars, novelists, poets, theorists, and practitioners whose work will be read and discussed may include: Robert D. Bullard, Rachel Carson, Steve Lerner, Harriet A. Washington, Walter Benjamin, Hannah Arendt, Seyla Benhabib, Benedict Anderson, Antony Anghie, Tōge Sankichi, Ghassan Kanafani, and Yoko Tawada.
STUDENT FEEDBACK
Below is a short selection of student feedback from Carly’s recent student course evaluations.
“I am very grateful for both the instructor and the course as a whole. I was determined to take one class in my very last semester about something I was passionate about … I could not have found a better course. I have discovered so much about the world, my communities, and myself through this course, and instead of exhaustion I actually feel empowered to learn more and do more with the knowledge I've accrued. Professor Krakow is by far one of my favourite instructors throughout my college career at NYU, and I strongly respect her empathic and open-minded approach to teaching and everyday conversation. She seems very knowledgeable in the subject matter of the course, and her willingness to discuss so many deeply concerning, systemic topics in an open format has truly inspired me. We learned in this class that there is indeed a lot to fix in the world, but her nature of teaching helped me believe that I am able to help fix it.”
“Prof. Krakow is an incredible professor, and I cannot recommend her higher. She was consistent with the course schedule but remained flexible with how we (as students) wanted to take the class – in terms of class discussions and going over specific materials together.”
“I truly enjoyed this course, and Prof. Krakow did an amazing job of organizing the course and following through with those expectations. Each class period was engaging, and related to the material we worked through outside of class. Ultimately, I highly recommend this course to any other student interested in this topic, and once again, I highly praise Prof. Krakow.”
“The diversity of the material offered in this course is what really stuck out to me. In the majority of courses that are reading/writing-heavy in higher level institutions, I find that most if not all sources on the syllabus originate from white men. This was most definitely not the case with Professor Krakow's course content, and this is the initial but one of the largest reasons why I felt welcome. She made the effort to incorporate content that had to be translated into English, as the original source held its context outside of the U.S. and English-speaking territories. Issues involving underprivileged communities, were spoken about by members of those underprivileged communities, instead of an external, privileged perspective. This course was refreshing, to say the least. This is truly one of the courses where I can carry what I learn with me throughout my future endeavors, and where I learned to broaden my scope of creativity, even my scope of thinking”
“Overall I enjoyed this class. The texts introduced in the course were all phenomenal and I can guarantee at least one of them will be included in my list of works in the future. Professor Krakow was also a great teacher. She was clearly passionate about the subject she taught and made the class engaging. She was very understanding of students' schedules and made herself available whenever she could. I would recommend this class to a friend!”
“Professor Krakow is very thorough as an instructor. I appreciate the obvious effort she puts into each lesson plan/lecture/assignment/reading—It's a very minute, guided approach. Always plenty of supplemental readings, PowerPoint presentations, and flexible office hrs.”
“This course challenged me by opening my eyes to the vastness of environmental justice and environmental health. I was forced to redefine my preconceived notions of these things, and the role I can play fighting for environmental justice. I especially liked our discussion of "local" and will continue to think about and challenge definitions of "community."”
“Overall, great instructor who encouraged students to participate and express different thoughts and opinions. The instructor provided a very good learning environment and a safe space for students. Love this professor!”
“The course structure and content was very organized, and very well structured. The syllabus was always updated and easy to access with all the readings and explicitly stated the work that had to be done. The assignments were also very detailed, and had clear instructions.”
“Professor Krakow is very intelligent and humble, she does not come across as a "know-it-all" which is great especially considering how knowledgeable she is. She is also very caring and accommodating for students, prioritizing our health, comfort, and safety.”
ADVISING
Carly serves as an adviser for the NYU Gallatin School’s Embedded Internship program. Through this program, select Gallatin courses partner with internship opportunities at non-profit organizations that have missions that align with the course’s topics and learning objectives. The goal of the Embedded Internship program is to give students the opportunity to learn course material more deeply by connecting specific, academic knowledge with applied skills and experiences related to their course topics. Carly’s course Environmental Racism and Environmental Injustice: Rights, Citizenship, and Activism has partnered with NY Renews, a coalition working for environmental and climate justice.
Carly serves as a faculty committee member for The Colloquium, NYU Gallatin’s final oral examination that is a hallmark of the School’s interdisciplinary approach to education. The Senior Colloquium requires students to reflect on their individualized concentrations and to synthesize various learning experiences into an integrated discussion focused on works and themes that have been central to their undergraduate education. Students prepare a Rationale Essay and List of Works for this process, with texts drawn from the humanities, social and natural sciences, premodern and early modern periods, and their specialized area of concentration.