Michael Classens

Michael Classens is an Assistant Professor in the Teaching Stream at the School of the Environment, University of Toronto, specializing in social and environmental justice within food systems. He serves as Undergraduate Associate Director, emphasizing community-based learning and integration of Indigenous and community knowledge into pedagogy.

• Education: PhD in Environmental Studies (York University, 2015), MA (University of Windsor), BA (Western University)

His research explores environmental injustice/racism, food systems governance, and prefigurative learning spaces, particularly through campus food initiatives and critical cartography. He has published extensively on food solidarity, racialized food insecurity, and transformative pedagogies.

Recent publications (2021–2024) analyze neoliberal responses to food crises, anti-racist food system frameworks, and campus foodscapes as sites of radical pedagogy. Keywords span environmental justice, critical race theory, urban agriculture, and labor studies.

• Scientific Awards: 2024 A&S Outstanding Teaching Award (Early Career, Faculty of Arts and Science)

He advocates for informal and prefigurative learning, connecting classroom knowledge to real-world justice movements. His work bridges academic research with grassroots activism, focusing on equitable food systems and decolonizing educational practices.