Communicating Environmental Risks

Author
Evensen, Darrick
Description
A winner of the James F. Slevin Assignment Sequence Prize, this sequence originates from Natural Resources 1200, Environmental Risks in Our Backyards—Communication and Ethics. This sequence of the final four essays in the course requires students to model writing styles used by a variety of actors to communicate about environmental risks to myriad audiences. As the environmental risk about which they write, students use a locally relevant topic, namely, unconventional gas development via hydraulic fracturing, "fracking." In the fourth and final, assignment (developed over most of the semester), students may select the genre in which they will share an important, researched, message about an environmental risk of their own choosing. Genre studied include a policy brief, a journalistic article, and a press release. Materials include descriptions of preparatory activities such as role-playing, debate, free-writing, in-class group work, and visits to the library to learn about research methods. 19 page pdf
Date Issued
2012
Keywords
Type
learning object