Sustainability Communication

Lehrende/Lecturer/s: Prof. Dr. Franzisca Weder
Zeitraum/Time period: Anytime
Credit Points: 3 CP
Workload: 90 hours
Sprache/Language: englisch
VAK-Nr./Course No.: eGS-VA-SC-22
Anbieter/Supplier: VAN & eGS
Lizenz/License: CC BY
Open course

Content of the Course

In this course, you will explore the role of communication in relation to sustainability and sustainable development.  After expanding your disciplinary and terminological background, the lecture focuses on the three dimensions of sustainability communication, communication of sustainability (Marketing and product communication, PR and organizational communication), communication about sustainability (i.e. climate change & sustainability representations in the media or in political discourses) and communication for sustainability (i.e. social movements, stakeholder engagement and participatory approaches). The lecture-units are complemented by interviews and dialogues with experts from the sister disciplines such as science and environmental communication, communication for social change and journalism and media research. The course ends with an outlook into future research fields and questions as well as perspectives for professional communication and communicators.

The course is offered in 10 lectures, which mostly contain 4 lecture-units, except the two introductory chapters and the interviews. 



Acquisition of Competences

  • Discovering the nature of contemporary practices of sustainability communication on an individual, organizational and societal level in a multiple crisis scenario
  • Exploring the relationship between strategic communication practices to other public communication practices, especially the media.
  • Developing comprehensive and well-founded knowledge in sustainability communication as field of study and understanding the inter- and transdisciplinary character and how other disciplines relate to the field
  • Advancing your understanding of social and civic responsibility and developing an appreciation of and agency for the social context and cultural value of sustainability communication.


Exam Information

To receive a certificate of achievement and credit points, you must complete the course with an electronic exam. You can choose the examination date freely from several examination times in the semester. The examination takes place in presence.

  • Students of the University of Bremen take their exams in the university's test center.
  • Students from partner universities of the Virtual Academy of Sustainability take their exams on dates at their home university.

Target Group

The course is open to students of all disciplines. The offer is especially addressed to students of the University of Bremen and students of the partner universities of the Virtual Academy Sustainability. The content is designed as OER (Open Educational Resources) and therefore available for all interested parties. In principle, the learning videos can also be used in non-university settings. Thus, learners from other groups (e.g. companies) also have the opportunity to benefit from them.

Lecturers of the Course

Assoc. Prof. Dr. habil Franzisca Weder, Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland, Brisbane (Australia), is researching, writing and teaching in the areas of Organizational Communication and Public Relations with a specific focus on Sustainability Communication and Corporate Social Responsibility.

She worked as Associate Professor at the University of Klagenfurt (Austria), and as Guest Professor at the University of Alabama (USA), the University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (GER), the University of Waikato (NZ), at RMIT (Melbourne, AUS) and at the University of Ilmenau (GER). Franzisca Weder is Chair of the International Environmental Communication Association (IECA).


Course Management

This course is managed by the eGeneral Studies team and the team of the Virtual Academy of Sustainability. If you have any questions, please contact:

  • info@egs.uni-bremen.de (for students of the University of Bremen)
  • info@va-bne.de (for students of the Virtual Academy Sustainability)

Duration

This course is a self-paced course. It takes place only online; you can start with the course at any time.

Requirements

None, Course for basic knowledge