EDU-31806 Applied Environmental Education and Communication

Vak

Studiepunten 6.00

Language of instruction:

English

Assumed knowledge on:

CIS 20804 Environmental Communication

Contents:

This course explores a variety of approaches to environmental education and communication. These approaches will be explored, related, challenged and illustrated by practical examples derived from multiple perspectives and contexts. Special attention will be paid to the methodological aspects of environmental education and communication. Depending on the students' interest they will be exposed to the design, implementation and evaluation of a subset or combination of a number of possibilities. These possibilities include: a public environmental awareness campaign, a community-based social environmental learning project, an interactive environmental policy-making process and an environmental education project designed for a formal education setting or for a non-formal education setting.

Aims:

At the end of the course students will have developed:
- an understanding of environmental behaviour and environmental lifestyles and the possibilities and limitations of influencing them through education and communication strategies;
- an understanding of the role of education and communication in environmental policy making, systemic environmental innovation and other sustainable development initiatives;
- an understanding of the differences between environmental education, environmental persuasion and interactive environmental policy making, as well as of their relationship;
- the ability to develop and critique an environmental education and/or communication strategy or a specific strategy for an environmental innovation process of their own choice.

Activities:

A reader will be provided containing some of the most recent thinking on environmental education and communication. The study of the thematically organised literature feeds into the case study-oriented classes. In small groups students develop their own environmental education and/or communication strategy, programme or project which they validate by soliciting feedback from a variety of relevant stakeholders. An excursion to a local environmental education and communication centre, and/or to a sustainable development organisation is an integral part of the course. All course information, power point sheets and summaries will be available through EDU Class.

Examination:

The grade will be based on the quality of the students' own environmental education/communication strategy (40%) and their performance on a final written exam (60%).

Literature:

A reader will be provided during the first session.