Keele Badge

MDS-30063 - Module Specification
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2025/26 Last Updated: 04 December 2025

MDS-30063 - Media and Climate Change
Coordinator: Pawas Bisht Room: N/A Tel: +44 1782 7 33242
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 6
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office:

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26

Are you passionate about telling new and more powerful stories about climate change, biodiversity loss and human-nature disconnection, the key environmental concerns of our time?
Would you like to develop your creative storytelling skills in the context of environmental communication?
Would you like to use interdisciplinary approaches to craft environmental stories?
This module aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills to work collaboratively using interdisciplinary methods to understand and communicate key environmental concerns including climate change, biodiversity loss, and human-nature disconnection. You will be introduced to different models and disciplinary approaches to environmental communication and learn how to mobilise the power of creative storytelling in maximising the efficacy of environmental communication. You will be trained in the development of context specific, situated, and dialogic forms of environmental communication. You will have the opportunity of developing your own portfolio of creative environmental stories and engage strategic audiences and the wider public with your work. This module will provide you with vital skills and competencies relevant to professional roles in a wide variety of communications, environment and sustainability related fields.

Aims
The module aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills to work collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams to understand and communicate key environmental concerns including climate change, biodiversity loss, and human-nature disconnection. Students will be introduced to different models and approaches to environmental communication. Students will learn how to mobilise the power of creative storytelling in maximising the efficacy of environmental communication. They will be trained in the development of context specific, situated, and dialogic forms of environmental communication.

Intended Learning Outcomes

collaborate efficiently using interdisciplinary approaches and where possible, in interdisciplinary teams, to research, plan and produce effective and engaging forms of environmental communication: 1
creatively use different modes of storytelling to maximise the efficacy of environmental communication: 1
analyse the requirements of different communicative contexts and audiences to develop situated forms of environmental communication that are inclusive and empathetic: 1,2
reflect on the advantages and challenges of interdisciplinary approaches towards environmental communication: 1,2
use theories of environmental communication in the analysis and planning of effective environmental communication: 1,2

Study hours

Lectures/seminars 10hrs
Creative practice workshops 14hrs
Portfolio preparation 70 hrs
Reflective analysis preparation 28hrs
Preparation for lectures/seminars, wider reading/training 28 hrs

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Portfolio weighted 70%
A creative portfolio of environmental communication produced in the context of a specific place, theme and audience
Students will work in groups of 3-4 students (where possible, groups will include students from different disciplinary backgrounds) to plan and produce a digitally hosted portfolio of creative environment communication responding to a specific place and theme and engaging a defined audience (to be determined in consultation with the tutor). The portfolio will be made up of multiple, linked components. Each student will take the lead on one submission BUT all submissions should demonstrate some evidence of interdisciplinary thinking and collaboration. Students can use different media and forms for their submission (photo series, creative writing, posters, short videos). Choice of media and scope of submission to be determined in consultation with the tutor to ensure fit with aims and weightings of the assessment. As an indicative guide: short videos should be between 5-7 minutes in length, photo-series should include 10-15 photographic images with accompanying captions, creative writing would range between 1500-2000 words.

2: Essay weighted 30%
1000 word reflective analysis (excluding references)
Each student will produce an individually crafted 1000 word reflective analysis (word count excludes references) of their creative communicative practice. They will be required to contextualise their work in relation to theories of environmental communication and other relevant examples of existing communications practice. The reflection should also include a theoretically informed analysis of the value of interdisciplinary frameworks of collaboration in their communicative practice.

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 04 December 2025