Environmental Communication
A course for you interested in Environment and News Media, Strategic Communication, Environmental Activism and Politics. Course in subject Media and Communication Studies. The course is at full pace, half the semester at basic level. Teaching in English. NOTE: This Course is not given Spring 2026
Fotograf: Yuri Arcurs/MOSTPHOTOS
NOTE: This Course is not given Spring 2026
The course has two modules:
- Environment and News Media, 7,5 ECTS
- Strategic Communication, Environmental Activism and Politics, 7,5 ECTS
The course provides knowledge about environmental communication from an interdisciplinary perspective. It addresses the role of communication in driving societal change towards environmental awareness and action. The course adopts an integrated approach that provides the student with an understanding of the relationships between communication, media and environmental issues, while examining how different communication processes shape knowledge about planetary change.
Through case studies and theoretical frameworks, it is analyzed how different forms of media, including news media and social media, construct knowledge about environmental issues and influence society. In addition, the field of tension between organizations' strategic communication, environmental activists' communication strategies and environmental policy is studied.
Combine this course to get a full semester.
The course is divided in two modules of 7,5 ECTS each. Final grade - and 15 ECTS - is rewarded after passing result in both modules.
Modules
1. Environment and News Media, 7,5 ECTS
The first module focuses on the crucial role of news and journalism in shaping the public's understanding of environmental issues. Here the focus is on how news represents the environment, environmentalism, climate change and climate activism. The course examines how both traditional and digital news channels have represented these topics over time, and explores how journalists, editors and media organizations contribute to the production and dissemination of knowledge about planetary change. With a starting point in the humanities and social sciences, the course analyzes how news, investigative reporting and media campaigns influence the public and political debate as well as activism related to environmental challenges. It also considers the implications of emerging media platforms as well as the role of citizen journalism in the changing landscape of environmental communication.
2. Strategic Communication, Environmental Activism and Politics, 7,5 ECTS
The second module explores the intersection between media and the environment, with a focus on how different communication strategies are used by different actors, such as companies and organizations on the one hand and environmental activists on the other, to influence politics and public opinion. The course emphasizes the role of the media in shaping knowledge about environmental issues, and examines how actors use communication to mobilize support. Through case studies and theoretical frameworks, students will critically analyze the effectiveness of both organizations' strategic communication and media-driven activism in influencing environmental policy
Teaching Format
The teaching consists of lectures and student-active seminars.
Compulsory elements: Seminars are compulsory and contain both individual exercises and group exercises.
Assessment
1 Environment and News Media
The module is examined through a on-campus written examination. The examination is in English. For more detailed information, see the course description. The course description is available no later than one month before the start of the course.
2 Strategic Communication, Environmental Activism and Politics
The module is examined through an individually written take-home exam. The examination is in English. For more detailed information, see the course description. The course description is available no later than one month before the start of the course.
Until one month before the start of the course, you should consider the schedule as temporary.
