On February 6, the Duke University Arts & Sciences Council approved a new Carceral Studies Certificate to be housed at the Kenan Institute for Ethics.
At the January 10 meeting of the council, professors James Chappel and Christopher Wildeman presented their proposal for the certificate, Duke Chronicle University Editor Lucas Lin reported.
Formerly, the Sociology of Crime, Law, and Justice concentration within the Sociology major was the only option for undergraduate students interested in studying criminal law. Open to all majors, the new certificate will examine the topic through an interdisciplinary perspective.
The certificate requires students to take a gateway course covering the history of incarceration and confinement, four electives across four departments, and a senior year capstone course.
“The students that we have now — by virtue of how the incarceration rate has changed in the U.S. over the last 60 years — have been tremendously more affected in terms of their daily existence by mass incarceration than many of those of us in older cohorts…There is this deep desire for [some] sort of interdisciplinary engagement in this space.”
— Christopher Wildeman
The Kenan Institute for Ethics has agreed to fund and staff the program through a five-year pilot phase as part of its Prison Engagement Initiative, with Chappel and Wildeman serving as its co-directors.
Panelists at the book launch for ”Love’s Braided Dance” pose after the event at the Ahmadieh Family Lecture Hall in Smith Warehouse. From left to right: Brian McAdoo, Polly Ha, Norman Wirzba, and Abdullah Antepli.
In this book, Wirzba seeks to reframe the concept of hope at a time when many are skeptical of it through a multidisciplinary lens of theology, philosophy, ecology, and agrarian and environmental studies. The event featured panelists Abdullah Antepli, Polly Ha, and Brian McAdoo, who offered their responses on the book and how it relates to their fields.
“You don’t have hope; it’s not like a vaccine or medicine you can take. Hope begins with the question: What do you love? It grows when you work with others to activate that love.”
— Norman Wirzba
Wirzba makes the point that while there is no magic formula for hope, there are strong foundations that can foster hope — caring for others, finding a sense of belonging, and acting on the things that we love.
You can read Kirstin Khire’s recap of the event for Duke Today here.
Just Environments, a joint program of the Kenan Institute for Ethics and the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, recently published a study showing that concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in North Carolina decrease the value of nearby homes by 30% — raising questions about this unregulated industry’s impact on nearby communities.
An aerial shot shows the size of a poultry farm in Wilkes County, North Carolina, with four barns clustered in a row. The Charlotte Observer reports that one poultry barn can measure over 600 feet long and contain up to 40,000 birds. Photo credit: Blackboxguild – stock.adobe.com.
Just Environments is the home of the Duke Environmental Justice Lab (or EJ Lab), which uses data analysis and quantitative research methodologies to examine the unequal distribution of negative environmental impacts, which disproportionately fall on low-income and minority communities. Just Environments director Kay Jowers, former Duke economics professor Christopher Timmins (now at the Wisconsin School of Business), and Duke environmental policy Ph.D. Yu Ma (now at Oak Ridge National Laboratory) authored the study, with students in EJ Lab providing data support.
Though a moratorium in place since 1997 limits new hog farms, North Carolina has seen a 9% increase in poultry production capacity since 2017, according to Environmental Working Group estimates. The activities of concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, can introduce nitrogen, pesticides, airborne particulates, and pervasive odors to nearby homeowners’ property and water supply.
Despite these contamination risks, farms are not required to obtain permits or to have their waste management systems inspected. Although there have been a large number of studies regarding the various impacts of CAFOs, there has been a lack of research regarding how they affect housing prices.
Published in Land Economics, Just Environments’ study examines the financial impacts of living near industry poultry and hog farms in North Carolina. Jowers and her team tracked real estate sales in 43 eastern North Carolina counties between 2010–2014. The research examined two factors: proximity to farms and drinking water sources.
After reviewing the sales of 45,000 homes, the study found that homes on well water and within three kilometers of a large poultry farm had a drop in value of up to 32%. Homes on municipal water near a poultry farm had a drop in value up to 30%. These findings suggest growing concerns among home buyers over contamination risks.
“Seeing an effect of 30% [reductions in housing prices due to nearby poultry farms] is a surprisingly big number. But if you go out and visit one of these places and smell the exposure, it’s really not that surprising.”
— Chris Timmins
The study was quickly picked up by The Charlotte Observer, who reported on these findings in an article that also cited the nuisance CAFOs pose to their neighbors — in addition to the reduction in property values they bring.
In their study, the Just Environments team acknowledged that the hog and poultry industries create jobs and economic growth in North Carolina — the state is now the third largest producer of hogs and pigs, and produces the most pounds of poultry in the country. However, the methods required for this large scale production also pose health and environmental challenges for North Carolina residents.
The list of DukeEngage group programs for summer 2025 is now live — including eight new programs this year!
DukeEngage is an eight-week immersive summer program that places Duke students in global communities addressing critical social issues and involves full-time volunteer work, community engagement, and daily reflection.
Explore these opportunities on the DukeEngage website.
