Assistant Professor, Urban & Environmental Policy
B.A., California State University Northridge; M.S., University of Michigan; M.S., Ph.D., Cornell University
Appointed In
2023
Office
UEP 205
Hours
via appointment only.
Karla Peña's teaching and research is centered on social movements and the political ecology of natural resource extraction and environmental change, from a local and global perspective.
Karla Peña is writing a book on the sustainability of bananas - from the plantations of Ecuador’s southern coast to the school cafeterias of the Los Angeles Unified School District. She is a faculty affiliate in Latino/a and Latin American Studies (LLAS) and Food Studies and welcomes students interested in learning more about the local-global agri-food system and environmental-climate justice.
Fall 2024 Courses
- UEP 101 Environment and Society
- UEP/LLAS 390 Los Angeles and the Global Food Economy
- UEP 410 Controversies in Policy and Politics (UEP seniors only)
Spring 2025 Courses
- UEP 300 Environmental Law and Policy
- UEP 411 Applied Public Policy Practicum (UEP seniors only)