JBV3800 Climate Change Journalism Course description

Climate change encompasses most areas of human knowledge. The role and responsibility of journalists is to tell stories and make climate change relevant as a society issue. This course zooms in on aspects of the transformations in economics, politics, technologies and ethics. But students will be encouraged to pursue any topic, from human health to species migration, related to climate change.

No required prerequisite knowledge, but note that the study has progression rules, see the generell part of the programme description.

Knowledge

The student has knowledge about

• climate change
• political, economic, and ethical questions raised by the need for transformative change of societies in the wake of climate change

Skills

The student can

• analyse and reflect over the development of climate change as a nature and a society issue
• convey climate change as a society issue in engaging ways for the general public

General competence

The student can

• synthesize knowledge from different areas related to climate change
• reflect on the norms and values of journalism in the context of climate change as a society issue

The class session will combine lectures on climate change and aspects of the societal transformations with group work to generate ideas by the students. Most of the sessions will take place during two intensive weeks of tutoring, where the presence of students is mandatory.

Course Requirements

Participation during class sessions is mandatory. Students who have more than 20 percent absence from class sessions will not be qualified to take the exam.

There are two assignments: One journalistic reportage, and one term paper which both covers the curricula and reflects over the journalistic reportage. Both assignments must be written in English.

A newspaper reportage should not exceed 12 000 caracthers (spaces included). A radio or TV reportage should not be longer than 5 minutes. The instructor will give feedback to the journalistic reportage at the class sessions.

The term paper should be approximately 12 pages, or 4000 words, 1,5 space, font size 12, discussing the course curricula and reflecting theoretically on the journalistic work.

Students with legitimate absence, or who have failed an ordinary examination, are entitled to a new examination.

All utilities allow as long as rules for source reference is followed.

The journalistic reportage and the term paper are given one grade, and are assessed according to a scale ranging from A to F, with A-E as pass grades and F as fail grade.

Assessment is done by an evaluation committee consisting of both an internal and an external examiner.