COMM 3500 — Environmental Issues, Communication, and the Media
4 semester hoursUndergraduateLectureNUpath SINUpath WIusually offered: fall, springtypical days: WBostonTraditional
Analyzes major debates over the environment, climate change, and related technologies such as nuclear energy, wind power, natural gas “fracking,” and food biotechnology. Studies the relevant scientific, political, and ethical dimensions of each case; the generalizable theories, frameworks, and methods that scholars use to analyze them; and the implications for effective public communication, policymaker engagement, and personal decision making. Offers students an opportunity to gain an integrated understanding of their different roles as professionals, advocates, and consumers and to improve their ability to find and use expert sources of information; assess competing media claims and narratives; write persuasive essays, analyses, and commentaries; and author evidence-based research papers.
Prerequisites
- one of:
Offering history
| Term | Sections | Enrolled | Capacity | Full | Open seats/section |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2023 | 1 | 16 | 16 | 100% | 0.0 |
| Spring 2024 | 1 | 14 | 16 | 88% | 2.0 |
| Fall 2024 | 1 | 13 | 16 | 81% | 3.0 |
| Spring 2025 | 2 | 27 | 32 | 84% | 2.5 |
| Fall 2025 | 2 | 20 | 32 | 63% | 6.0 |
| Spring 2026 | 2 | 18 | 32 | 56% | 7.0 |
Snapshots from scheduled scrapes — not live seat availability. "Full" can exceed 100% when sections over-enroll.
Meeting times
Share of recent sections by weekday: M 24% · T 36% · W 53% · Th 11% · F 36%
Common patterns: TF (36% of sections), W (29% of sections), MW (24% of sections), R (11% of sections) — in patterns, R means Thursday
Professors
Fall
- John Matthew Nisbet (69% of students) · reviews
- Catherine Lambert (31% of students) · reviews
Spring
- John Matthew Nisbet (56% of students) · reviews
- Catherine Lambert (44% of students) · reviews
Percentages are each professor's average share of the season's enrolled students in recent terms.
Links
Official catalog (COMM course descriptions) · Student reviews on RateMyHusky · All COMM courses · Plan it at numap.app