GSU Environmental Class: SPCH/JOUR 3040 Communicating Environmental Issues
Open to All Majors. No pre-‐reqs. SPRING 2015: TUES & THURS 1 – 2:15
Contact Prof. Carrie Freeman to have any pre-‐reqs waived: [email protected]
COURSE OVERVIEW: The discussion over environmental issues will only grow in importance, as we navigate the global crises of extinction of species, genetic modification of life, pollution, water and energy shortages, and climate change. Often limited to the realm of science and technology, these issues must also be recognized as political, moral, and social justice issues. The sustenance of life on earth relies not just on geology and biology but on cultural identity and belief systems that define who we are and what we care about – discourses determined by our communication. SPCH 3040 / JOUR 3040 will examine:
• Worldviews: How communication constructs and maintains our worldviews on humanity, other animals, nature, and “the environment.”
• Problems: How these common worldviews cause material problems for all species and then discursively define and prioritize what/who gets recognized as a problem and what that means.
• Solutions: How (your) use of communication and media can serve as the solution to create a more just and sustainable world.
Environmental issues will be examined via: corporate rhetoric and advertising, activist advocacy and public relations, journalism, entertainment media, art, and scientific communication. GRADING CRITERIA: There are no exams in this class. Evaluation is based on a team environmental project on campus, weekly journal responses to readings, class participation and attendance, and a mid-‐
term paper examining the various discourses that construct an environmental issue of your choice, including: climate change, pollution, energy, water, food and agriculture, biodiversity and extinction, ocean life, wilderness habitat, environmental racism/justice, human population growth, war, and consumerism/commerce. We end with you crafting a moral
vision statement, defining the kind of world you want to create.
Become environmentally literate.
We will be dealing with environmental issues for the rest of our lives. Are you
prepared to join the conversation?
