Environmental Activism

Motivation to Teach Social Action:

I am currently developing a new course on science communication, which will look at among other things how science is translated into policy. I would like students to have an opportunity to take what we are learning in class about how to effectively communicate science and put it into action by using science to support a social action campaign.

Course Description:

This course explores strategies and tactics used for communicating complex scientific concepts to non-scientists. Through an exploration of best practices and examples of science communication we will discuss what it means to translate science to different audiences and using different mediums. Prereqs: GES 102 and any science class.

Taught By:

Ellen Kohl

Assistant Professor

Geography and Environmental Science

University of Maryland, Baltimore

Read profile here.

Student Campaigns:

Syllabus:

eakohl@umbc.edu

Breakout Group

Environment & SustainabilityGeography

When Taught

I am teaching this course this spring for the first time but I plan on teaching it as part of my regular rotation and would like to integrate a social action component to the course next spring when I teach it again

Status

Approved

Semester Teaching

Fall '26

Phone

Call notes

Book Sent

12/29/2025

Doing it!

School

No access

Course Plan

Existing Course

Interest

People

No access

Experience

I have not taught social action before, but I have taught about social movements and have taught project based courses where we work with community partners to achieve goals as defined by the community, such as applying for grants or for the development of a community garden. While these are not specifically social action, they have students working in the community to address specific problems communities identify.

Engagement Description

Environmental issues that rely on scientific data as evidence for why we need to address the specific issue that the students use. This could be at the campus, city, county, or state level depending on what scientific information that students want to use to address a societal issue.

Community Engagement

Social Action

Profile URL

https://ges.umbc.edu/kohl/

Syllabus?

Fiscal Year

How did you hear about opportunity

I received an email advertising the Institute on Teaching Social Action

Grant Category

Publish?

Highlight

Title

Assistant Professor

Call date

Mtg Category

SA Institute

Mtg Semester

Fall

Mtg Year

2026

SA Day 1

SA Day 2

SA Day 3

Minutes per Session

Sessions per Week

Weeks in Semester

Mode

Questions

Scheduled

Messag

Discipline

Environmental Studies / Sustainability

MailingAddress

Region

South

State Name

Maryland

Sub-Region

South Atlantic