Taught By:
Sue Collins
Associate Prof Comm, Culture, and Media
Michigan Technological University
scollins@mtu.edu
Read profile here.
Course Description:
Introduces students to the dominant critical perspectives and theoretical approaches that have contributed to the growing field of environmental communication. Premised on the idea that communication powerfully impacts perceptions of the natural world, the course begins with an examination of how symbolic constructions of nature and technology shape the way people understand their relationships to the environment, society, and the world. Students engage key concepts and issues raised in environmental controversies, including the role of discourse, rhetoric, and media in shaping public understandings of climate change; how representations about the environment are economically, politically, and socially framed by governments, corporations, NGOs, social movements, and influencers; the significance of historical events, legal landmarks, and technological developments in environmental policy-making; and the constitutive importance of communication and culture to critical analysis and debates about sustainability, environmental justice, democracy, and the global public sphere. Students explore the politics of environmental representation through journalism, scientific discourse, popular culture, consumerism and “green” marketing, and environmental activism.
