Internship in environmental communication
This course offers the opportunity to do an internship as a part of your environmental communication education during a minimum of 5 weeks. As part of the course, the student reflects on and writes about the experiences of environmental communication relevant situations, and about the social norms and processes appearing in the organization. The student writes a report and holds a presentation at the end of the course.
Information from the course leader
This is a course only for students of the Environmental Communication and Management programme. All conversation happens via Canvas. If you have any questions or would like to join the Canvas page, please contact the course leader.
Course evaluation
The course evaluation is now closed
ÖT0002-10366 - Course evaluation report
Once the evaluation is closed, the course coordinator and student representative have 1 month to draft their comments. The comments will be published in the evaluation report.
Additional course evaluations for ÖT0002
Academic year 2024/2025
Internship in environmental communication (ÖT0002-10171)
2024-09-02 - 2024-10-31
Academic year 2022/2023
Internship in environmental communication (ÖT0002-10075)
2022-08-29 - 2022-10-31
Academic year 2021/2022
Internship in environmental communication (ÖT0002-10278)
2021-08-30 - 2021-11-01
Academic year 2020/2021
Internship in environmental communication (ÖT0002-10242)
2020-08-31 - 2020-11-01
Academic year 2019/2020
Internship in environmental communication (ÖT0002-10076)
2019-09-02 - 2019-10-31
Academic year 2018/2019
Internship in environmental communication (ÖT0002-10165)
2018-09-03 - 2018-11-11
Syllabus and other information
Syllabus
ÖT0002 Internship in environmental communication, 15.0 Credits
Praktikkurs i miljökommunikationSubjects
Communications scienceEducation cycle
Master’s levelModules
| Title | Credits | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Single module | 15.0 | 0001 |
Advanced study in the main field
Second cycle, in-depth level of the course cannot be classifiedMaster’s level (AXX)
Grading scale
The grade requirements within the course grading system are set out in specific criteria. These criteria must be available by the course start at the latest.
Language
EnglishPrior knowledge
Knowledge equivalent to: 15 cr environmental communication 7,5 cr communication strategy 7,5 cr communication theoryObjectives
The aim of the course is to give participants opportunities to make and reflect on experiences of working in organizations relevant for environmental communication.
After completion of the course the participants will be able to:
- Describe their experiences of environmental communication in terms of social interaction, strategic planning and democracy theory
- Describe the role and organization of environmental communication tasks within an organization
- Describe the methods used for conducting environmental communication activities within an organization
Content
The main activity in this course is an internship in an organization which is relevant for environmental communication. The student contact and make agreement with internship organization. The internship should be approved by course coordinator. The duration of the internship should be minimum 5 weeks. There should be one contact person from the organization and one from university. During the internship the student should write about experiences of environmental communication relevant situations, and about the social norms and processes appearing in the organization, and summarize these observations in a synthesis paper, which should be presented and discussed with the examiner.
Grading form
The grade requirements within the course grading system are set out in specific criteria. These criteria must be available by the course start at the latest.Formats and requirements for examination
Examination:
- Synthesis paper
- Oral presentation
To pass the course students need to:
- Participate in the introduction seminar
- Participate in the final seminar
- Do (as a minimum) a 5 weeks internship in organization relevant for environmental communication
- Keep a logbook
- Write an approved synthesis paper
- Make an approved oral presentation
If a student has failed an examination, the examiner has the right to issue supplementary assignments. This applies if it is possible and there are grounds to do so.
The examiner can provide an adapted assessment to students entitled to study support for students with disabilities following a decision by the university. Examiners may also issue an adapted examination or provide an alternative way for the students to take the exam.
If this syllabus is withdrawn, SLU may introduce transitional provisions for examining students admitted based on this syllabus and who have not yet passed the course.
For the assessment of an independent project (degree project), the examiner may also allow a student to add supplemental information after the deadline for submission. Read more in the Education Planning and Administration Handbook.
Other information
The right to participate in teaching and/or supervision only applies for the course instance the student was admitted to and registered on.
If there are special reasons, students are entitled to participate in components with compulsory attendance when the course is given again. Read more in the Education Planning and Administration Handbook.
Responsible department
Department of Urban and Rural Development
Further information
Litterature list
The literature list has been selected to further strengthen your ability to reflect on experiences from the internship, and are expected to use some of these in your ARP. At the bottom of the list you will also find the text regarding the IMRAD format for writing the ARP and on the complex issues of anonymization in ethnographic fieldwork.
Books
Please get any of these books from the library or purchase them.
Lave, D. & Wenger, E. 1991. Situated Learning
[Description from publisher] In this important theoretical treatist, Jean Lave, anthropologist, and Etienne Wenger, computer scientist, push forward the notion of situated learning - that learning is fundamentally a social process. The authors maintain that learning viewed as situated activity has as its central defining characteristic a process they call legitimate peripheral participation (LPP). Learners participate in communities of practitioners, moving toward full participation in the sociocultural practices of a community. LPP provides a way to speak about crucial relations between newcomers and old-timers and about their activities, identities, artefacts, knowledge and practice. The communities discussed in the book are midwives, tailors, quartermasters, butchers, and recovering alcoholics, however, the process by which participants in those communities learn can be generalised to other social groups.
Goffman, E. 1959. The presentation of self in everyday life.
Goffman’s book is a real sociological classic. Many people, including sociologists perceive it as provocative. [Description from publisher] A study of human behavior in social situations and the way we appear to others. Dr. Goffman has employed as a framework the metaphor of theatrical performance. Discussions of social techniques are based upon detailed research and observation of social customs in many regions.
Turner, J. 2002. Face to Face.
Jonathan Turner summarizes the processes and mechanisms involved in interpersonal behaviour and how they are constrained by human biology, social structure and culture. The aim of the book is to summarize a unified, general theory of what happens when people interact.
Nicolini, D. 2012. Practice Theory, Work, and Organization - An Introduction
[Description from publisher] This book is a rigorous yet accessible introduction to contemporary practice theories, discussing their distinctive contribution to the study of work and organizations. It surveys their origins, theoretical assumptions, concepts, and application.
Scientific journal articles
Barge, J. K., & Craig, R. T. (2009). Practical theory in applied communication scholarship. In L. R. Frey & K. N. Cissna (Eds.), Routledge handbook of applied communication research (pp. 95–118). Routledge.
Gherardi, S. & B. Poggio (2001) Creating and recreating gender order in organizations, in Journal of World Business, 36 (3): 245–259.
Gosovic, A. K. J. (2019). Gifts, reciprocity and ethically sound ethnographic research: a reflexive framework. Journal of Organizational Ethnography.
Handley, K., Sturdy, A., Fincham, R., & Clark, T. (2006). Within and beyond communities of practice: Making sense of learning through participation, identity and practice. Journal of management studies, 43(3), 641-653.
Pink, S. & Morgan, J. (2013) Short-Term Ethnography: Intense Routes to Knowing. Symbolic Interaction. 36 (3): 351–361
Somerville, D., Keeling, J. (2004) A practical approach to promote reflective practice within nursing. Nursing Times; 100(12) 42–45.
Wenger, E. (2011). Communities of practice: A brief introduction Download Wenger, E. (2011). Communities of practice: A brief introduction
Yanow, D. & Tsoukas, H. (2009) What is Reflection-In-Action? A Phenomenological Account. Journal of management studies 46(8):1339 – 1364.
Further Reading
Text regarding IMRAD format for ARP:
Nair, P. K. R., & Nair, V. D. (2014). Organization of a Research Paper: The IMRAD Format. In P. K. R. Nair & V. D. Nair (Eds.), Scientific Writing and Communication in Agriculture and Natural Resources (pp. 13–25). Springer.
Essay about the issues of anonymisation and trust in ethnographic fieldwork:
Rhoads, R. A. (2020). “Whales Tales” On the Run: Anonymizing Ethnographic Data in an Age of Openness. Cultural Studies↔ Critical Methodologies, 20(5), 402-413.