HSEM3025H

At a time of rising income inequality, in which billionaires grow richer while millions struggle to survive, this course will examine the social, environmental, economic, and ethical aspects of consumption and poverty through the lens of three basic needs: food, clothing, and shelter. It seeks to help you answer three key questions: what should you eat, what should you wear, and where should you live, so that others might do the same. We will begin by exploring the theory and practice of simple living through three comparisons: the realities of social and environmental insecurity versus the ideals of Sustainable Development; voluntary simplicity as historically practiced by communities as opposed to individuals; and the movement for degrowth compared to business as usual. In the central portion of our course, we will consider several contemporary forms of simplicity that exist alongside the "involuntary simplicity" often dictated by poverty: cooking at home and eating lower on the food chain because it is virtuous rather than because it is cheaper; shopping in thrift stores and buying fewer clothes because you want to rather than because you have to; and camping and living the #vanlife because you can rather than because you must. In our exploration of simple living and basic needs, we will address major issues in sustainability studies, including the Anthropocene, decolonial approaches to economics, and effective altruism, and we will consider a range of literary and historical perspectives on food, fashion, and architecture, such as Henry David Thoreau's "Walden," Marie Kondo's "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up," Sarah Susanka's "The Not So Big House," and the films "The True Cost," "The Minimalists," and "Nomadland." Throughout our course we will also attempt to answer two big questions about simple living: Is it the ultimate embodiment of white, middle-class, leisure-based U.S. environmentalism, or is it part of a global, multicultural challenge to the racist and colonial foundations of capitalism? Does it express some profound truths about the human condition, or will it never be anything more than a niche response to the social and environmental challenges of the 21st century? Requirements will include attendance and participation, a series of short reading responses, several reflective writing assignments, and a final project exploring some aspect of our subject in greater depth.

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