Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "CMS 323"
COURSE NAME: "Media and the Environment"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2022

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Antonio Lopez
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 10:00 AM 11:15 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 45
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: COM 220
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
As we transition from an industrial model of media distribution to networked communications, corporations and grassroots environmental activists are vying to define environmental opinion in an evolving media landscape. By applying media literacy tools to examine paradigms of communication and ecology we’ll seek to understand how media impact environmental concepts, and explore media strategies for addressing issues such as global climate change. The course covers three core concepts: 1) comparing media and environmental ethics and paradigms, 2) environmental messaging, and 3) the interrelationship between the form of media systems and sustainable business practices.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

Using a sustainable media ecosystem framework, students will gain insight into how environmental issues are framed in the media. We examine how the political economy of media influences marketing, news, popular culture and the production of screen technology. Students will explore environmental ideologies and claims making by critically examining advertising, social marketing, documentaries, news and feature films. In addition, the material economy of media gadgets and screen technology will be extensively examined. Finally, this course will demonstrate how alternative approaches to environmental discourses, green cultural citizenship and green technology can lead to a healthy media ecosystem.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

· Connect media with their physiological impact on living systems;

· Evaluate media’s interdependence with the global economy, and how the current model of globalization impacts living systems;

· Analyze how media form symbolic associations and discourses that promote environmental ideologies and claims making in the news, popular culture and advertising; and

· Comprehend how media impact our ability to engage in sustainable cultural practices by exploring alternative uses of media that promote sustainability.

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments	Format	Local Bookstore	Online Purchase
Communicating Nature: How We Create and Understand Environmental Messages	Julia B. Corbett	Island Press	978-1597260688
Ecomedia Literacy	Antonio Lopez	Routledge	978-1138303393

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number
Ecomedia: Key issues	Stephen Rust, Salma Monani, Sean Cubitt	Routledge	9781138781559
Greening the Media	Maxwell and Miller	Oxford	978-0195325201
Goodbye iSlave: A manifesto for digital abolition	Jack Linchuan Qiu	University of Illinois Press	9780252099069
Signal traffic: Critical studies of media infrastructures	Lisa Parks (Editor.), Nicole Starosielski (Editor.)	University of Illinois Press	97802520974161
Sustainable Media: Critical Approaches to Media and Environment	Nicole Starosielski (Editor), Janet Walker (Editor)	Routledge	978-1138014060

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Midterm essay	A take-home analytical essay that will examine key issues from the first half of the semester.	30%
Mediasphere analysis	Paper and presentation based on an ecological assessment of a media object.	30%
Weekly reading observations	Students will post weekly video observations based on the assigned readings.	20%
Attendance and participation	More than three unexcused absences and excessive tardiness will result in an automatic F for attendance and participation.	10%

Final presentation	Students will make a presentation based on their final research projects.	10%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the cours
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
More than three unexcused absences will result in the automatic loss of a letter grade. Being late three times counts as an absence. Chronic tardiness will also impact your attendance/participation grade.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Readings and schedule are subject to change. Please consult weekly the Moodle page for the most current assignments.

Week 1: Constructing Environmental Paradigms

· Corbett: Intro, 1-2

· Lopez: 2

Week 2: Constructing Environmental Paradigms

· Lopez: 1, 3-4

Week 3: Ecological Mindprint: Advertising and Popular Culture

· Corbett: 3-4

· Lopez: 8

Week 4: Advertising and Popular Culture

· Corbett: 5-7

· "Selling with Gaia: Advertising and the natural world," Joseph Clark (Ecomedia, PDF)

· 6_sins-greenwashing.pdf

Week 5: Ecological Mindprint: Political Ecology: Constructing Environmental Issues and Claims Making

· Lopez: 7

· "Communication, media and social construction of the environment," Anders Hansen (Routledge Handbook of Environmental Communication, PDF)

· "Systems dynamics meets the press," Donella Meadows (PDF)

Week 6: Constructing Environmental Issues and Claims Making

· Corbett: 8

· "Democracy, climate crisis and journalism: Normative touchstones," Robert Hackett (Journalism and Climate Crisis, PDF)

· "Conclusion: Media reform for climate action," Robert Hackett (Journalism and Climate Crisis, PDF)

Week 7: Corporate PR and Activist Image Events

· Corbett: 9

· "Interview with David Ritter: Mobilising on change--The experience of Greenpeace, Benedetta Brevini (Carbon Capitalism, PDF)

Week 8: Midterm and Catch-up

Week 9: Ecological Footprint: Intro to Political/material ecology of media

· Lopez: 5

· "An interview with Naomi Klein: Capitalism versus the climate," Christopher Wright (Carbon Capitalism, PDF)

Week 10: Ecological Footprint: Conflict minerals/production

· Watch: Ghana Digital Dumping Ground

· Play: The Phone Story

· How Green is you Smartphone? Richard Maxwell and Toby Miller: Chapters 1 and 2 (reserve)

Week 11: Ecological Footprint: Energy/e-waste

· Lopez: 4-5

Week 12: Ecomedia footprint: Selfworld/Affect

· Lopez: 5

· "Mind your media: From distraction to attention," Jennifer Rauch (Slow Media, PDF)

Week 13: Conclusion: eco-citizenship

· Corbett: 10

· "Digital technology and the environment: Challenges for green citizenship and environmental organizations," Richard Maxwell and Toby Miller (Carbon Capitalism, PDF)

Week 14: Review