Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2026 - CMNS 311 B100

Topics in Communication and Social Justice (4)

Environment, Media & CMNS

Class Number: 4873

Delivery Method: Blended

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 5 – Apr 10, 2026: TBA, TBA
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    17 CMNS units with a minimum grade of C- or 45 units with a minimum CGPA of 2.00.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Topics pertain to issues of inequality, resistance and activism with a focus on entanglements with media and communication. Explores how relations of power are shaped and contested through media and communication. Topics include: racial justice, environmental policies, globalization, social activism, and labour. This course can be repeated twice for credit if the topics are different (up to a maximum of three times).

COURSE DETAILS:

Topic for Spring 2026:  Environment, Media & Communication

What role do different forms of media and culture play in raising (or suppressing) public awareness about key environmental issues such as climate change, (un)sustainable resource use, or the pollution of social and natural spaces?  How do different actors (e.g., scientists, corporations, governments, environmental groups, Indigenous communities) communicate about the environment in different ways?  What factors shape environmental journalism?  What is the relationship between communication and (lifestyle and/or political) behavioural change?  What opinions do the public hold about environmental issues, and how are they influenced and represented?  What communicative practices are most effective in motivating public engagement with environmental politics and policies?  What role does communication play in environmental advocacy and activism?  How can we tell better stories about the overlapping ecological crises we face and the solutions to address them?  In this course, we will explore these questions by investigating some of the many ways in which we use different media to represent and communicate about the natural environment.

Grading

  • Tutorial Facilitation, Attendance & Participation 20%
  • Lecture-Based Writing-Reflection Exercises 10%
  • Review Essay 20%
  • Mid-Term Exam 20%
  • Final Exam or Final Project 30%

NOTES:

The school expects that the grades awarded in this course will bear some reasonable relation to established university-wide practices with respect to both levels and distribution of grades.  In addition, The School will follow Policy S10.01 with respect to Academic Integrity, and Policies S10.02, S10.03 and S10.04 as regards Student Discipline. 

NOTE -- Tutorials and Labs do not start in Week 1 (5-9 January 2026) -- unless specified by the Instructor.  If your tutorial/Lab is scheduled to occur prior to your first lecture/seminar -- please check with the course Canvas page, or with your Instructor (via email), to find out if you will have a tutorial/Lab in the first week of Spring Semester 2026.   If your tutorial/Lab occurs after the first lecture/seminar, then just ask in the first lecture/seminar whether or not there will be tutorials/Labs during Week 1.

Note:  Students who have credit for CMNS 349 should not take this course for further credit.

Course Format:

This is a blended course that involves both asynchronous lecture materials and in-person tutorials.  All course materials are accessible through the canvas course page.  While there will be some overlap between canvas-based lecture modules, in-person tutorials and course readings, there will also be important material that is only covered in one of these formats.  In other words, students are required to engage with asynchronous lecture and attend weekly in-person tutorials.

 

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

All readings will be available through the course website on Canvas or the SFU Library.


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.