Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere

This class explores the communication and public forums that are used in environmental controversies in the U.S. By studying these controversies, you'll become familiar with: ways that language (and images) influence our perceptions of "Nature"; how individuals participate in environmental decisions; collaboration and consensus in resolving environmental conflicts ; news media and environmental journalism; advocacy campaigns by groups like the Sierra Club; how "acceptable risk" is socially constructed; new grassroots movements for "environmental justice" and "climate justice"; science communication and "Early Warners"; corporations' use of "green marketing" and "greenwashing."