Call for Course Proposals:
BMI Environmental Justice Collaboratory
Deadline: December 15, 2025
The Black Midwest Initiative (BMI) invites proposals for courses to be taught as part of the BMI Environmental Justice Collaboratory. The Collaboratory will consist of a cohort of up to 10 courses that will be taught on the theme of environmental justice during the 2026-27 academic year. We conceive of environmental racism, in alignment with environmental sociologist David Pellow, as a “form of violent control over bodies, space, and knowledge systems” and therefore welcome course proposals that focus on a broad range of topics including urban agriculture, food systems, climate change, residential segregation, sustainability, community health and wellness, and beyond. We also welcome proposals for courses that are broadly construed or focused on multiple systems (e.g., Environmental Justice 101). Applications from and collaborations involving contingent and underrepresented faculty are strongly encouraged.
A primary component of the Collaboratory will be the Black Midwest Justice HUB, a digital platform that will launch in summer 2026. The HUB will serve as a central repository for the Collaboratory that will include syllabi, readings, visual aids, toolkits, audio and video media, and other resources relevant to the course topics—some of which will be exclusive to the HUB. Collaboratory instructors will also help to curate the year’s event programming, which may include virtual and in-person guest lectures, panels, artist talks, readings, and other events that will provide special opportunities for students to engage directly with leading environmental justice scholars, practitioners, and organizers. Undergraduate students who participate in the Collaboratory courses will also have the opportunity, at the conclusion of the Collaboratory year, to apply to become BMI Summer Fellows in summer 2027. The summer fellowship, which will come with a stipend, will provide students an enhanced opportunity to develop their environmental justice work in collaboration with other students and leaders in the field of environmental justice.
The deadline for submissions is December 15, 2025!
Preference will be given to the following:
Courses being taught at institutions located in the Midwest or Rust Belt regions of the United States and/or that include units on local communities in these regions.
Courses that incorporate community partnerships or feature community-led initiatives as a core component of the course.
Courses that will be taught in person or synchronous online.
Course Requirements:
The course must be held between August 2026 and June 2027.
The course must be an undergraduate, graduate, or hybrid (undergrad and grad) course being taught at a 2- or 4-year college or university in the U.S.
The course must have a central focus on the experiences of Black communities mand/or other marginalized communities that are especially vulnerable to environmental harm.
Details of Participation:
Each instructor will be granted $1750 in course development funds that can be used toward guest speaker fees, supplies or materials for enrolled students, student projects, or any other instructional needs specific to the Collaboratory course.
Collaboratory instructors will convene in June or July 2026 for a mandatory 1-2 day in-person workshop at UIC. During this workshop, instructors will be introduced to the HUB, discuss the coordination of courses across institutions, share course project ideas, and develop ideas for Collaboratory programming. BMI will pay the costs of travel to Chicago, lodging, and workshop meals.
Questions: theblackmidwest@gmail.com
Submission Deadline: December 15, 2025
