Latest Module Specifications
Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026
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Description This module will introduce students to some of the key concepts and debates surrounding the communication of environmental issues. It will examine how organisations, institutions, and individuals communicate about the environment and the impact these efforts have on public understanding and political debate. It will explore the varied portrayal of the environment in journalism, advocacy communications, documentary, and film. It analyses the interplay between media, citizens, and environment-focused organisations in contemporary debates about climate change, pollution, food, energy, and animal welfare. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Learning Outcomes 1. Identify the different discourses -- the varied ways of thinking or talking -- about the environment that shape how the environment is portrayed in public life. 2. Recognise the major institutions, organisations, groups and individuals that seek to persuade the public about environmental issues. 3. Describe how advocates, scientists, policymakers, institutions and corporations use public communication to influence citizens’ attitudes and behaviours towards the environment. 4. Analyse critically the communication strategies and arguments used by advocates, scientists, policymakers and corporations to influence citizens’ attitudes and behaviours towards the environment. 5. Analyse critically journalistic coverage of the environment. 6. Evaluate critically the portrayal of the environment in popular culture. 7. Apply concepts, principles, and ideas of environmental communication to current events and issues through the production of original research and analysis papers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml |
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Indicative Content and Learning Activities
From Silent Spring to Hot, Flat and Crowded: The Discourses That Define Our Environment. This introductory lecture introduces to the main themes of the module -- the different ways of understanding the natural world and humanity’s relationship to it. It also provides a historical background to the development of environmental communication as an area of research specialism and professional focus. Environmental Journalism: Between Reporting and Advocacy This lecture examines the role of environmental journalism, which emerged as a distinct specialism in the 1960s and drew global attention to new ecological threats. It will examine the unique features of environmental reporting, as well as the claims that environmental reporting is too environmentalist in its coverage. Environmental Advocates: Nature’s Defenders This lecture examines how advocates in environmental organisations such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth have communicated -- in often controversial ways -- their messages and ideas. It explores how advocates aim to persuade citizens and policymakers of their point of view and examines the effects of these efforts. Companies and Policymakers: Sustainable Responses? This lecture examines how companies take environmental goals into account as they shape their public image, as well as exploring the role of corporations in addressing ecological challenges. It examines also how policymakers engage with and make decisions about environmental issues -- with public communication an important influence. Documentarians: Nature’s Witnesses This lecture explores the role and functions of documentary film and filmmakers in our understanding of the environment. It will focus on one case study -- the documentary Food Inc. -- exploring how it portrayed the environment and examining its cultural impacts. Filmmakers: Ecological Visionaries This lecture will examine the role and impact of fiction films about the environment, especially in portraying possible environmental futures. Climate Change: Challenges and Controversies This lecture will examine the complex issues in the communication of climate change, addressing in particular the difficulties in motivating citizens and policymakers to address the potential impacts of climate change. It will also address the communication strategies and responses to climate skeptics. Food: A New Social Movement This lecture will explore the communication of food issues, focusing on the communication issues surrounding organic food, sustainable farming, genetically-modified food, and the industrial food industry. Water: The 21st Century Crisis This lecture focuses on the role of communication in global debates over water: responses to drought, conflicts over water scarcity, and protests to the privatisation of water. Energy: How to Power the Future? This lecture will examine the portrayal of energy, including the social debates over nuclear energy, fracking, and renewable energy. Animal Welfare & Farming: Who Speaks for Nature? This lecture examines the role of communication in the animal rights’ movement and the communication of issues related to agriculture. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Indicative Reading List Books:
Articles:
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Other Resources None | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||