Environmental Communication

Course Description

Explores environmental communication including current issues, theoretical frameworks, ethical frameworks, and the symbolic relationship of humans to nature. Emphasizes research, analysis, critical self-reflection, and practices.

Syllabus

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

  1. Identify ideas, facts, and concepts important to environmental communication.

  2. Describe the role of communication in constructing the view of and relationship with the environment and environmental problems.

  3. Examine and evaluate communicative constructions of the environment and environmental problems by applying key environmental communication concepts and approaches.

  4. Develop research-based analysis of environmental problems and the role of communication in creating and transforming them.

  5. Reflect critically and thoughtfully on one’s own and peers’ relationships to and communication about the environment.

  6. Use effective, professional, and engaging communication to present learning and research.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure

Percentage/Points

Relevant SLOs

Quizzes

20%

1

Reflections

5%

1, 2, 5 & 6

Weekly Discussion Post

26%

2, 3 5 & 6

Peer Comments

15%

5 & 6

Semester Project Proposal Part I

4%

All

Semester Project Proposal Part II

16%

All

Semester Project Proposal Part III

14%

All

There is no extra credit. Late assignments will lose 10% of the total points per day. Each partial day will be rounded up. Canvas calculates all this automatically.

No attendance is taken because this is an asynchronous online class.

You will receive numerical grades that can be converted to letter grades as follows:

Grading Scale

Percentage

Letter Grade

94 to 100%

A

90 to <94%

A-

87 to <90%

B+

84 to <87%

B

80 to <84%

B-

77 to <80%

C+

74 to <77%

C

70 to <74%

C-

67 to <70%

D+

64 to <67%

D

60 to <64%

D-

0 to <60%

F

Attendance/Participation:

No attendance is taken because this is an asynchronous online class.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

Textbook (ebook): Pezzullo, P. C. & Cox, R. (2025). Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere (7th ed.). Sage.

Scholarly Perspectives

This course engages diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate and inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement.