Lieve Göbbels
Nieuwe Media Filosofie
Semester 1, 2019-2020
Green Media and Civic Engagement
Week 1: Introduction 2
The course in general 2
History of green media and civic engagement 2
Approaches to green media and civic engagement 2
Week 2: Eco Sea/See 1 4
Eco Sea 1 4
Mainstream versus independent film 4
Green television and theatre 5
How to study green media and civic engagement 5
Reflection note chapter 2 and 3 Parham 5
Week 3: Eco Sea/See 2 7
Eco Sea/See 2 7
Art film and documentary 7
Animation 7
Discourse analysis 8
Reflection note chapter 7 and 9 8
Week 4: Eco Think 9
Short description of topics 9
Week 5: Eco Design 10
Short description of topics 10
Reflection note “Environmental Literacy, Ecological Literacy, Ecoliteracy” (McBride, 2013) 10
Week 6: Eco Play 11
Short description of topics 11
Reflection note chapter 8 Parham 11
Week 7: Eco Life 12
Short description of topics 12
Reflection note “What is an Ecological Identity?” (Light, 2000) 12
“Green media and popular culture is
governed by the complexities of
ecology itself. For an ecocritic the
fact that there exists, independent of
green thought, a field of research
called ‘media ecology’ is intriguing. ”
- John Parham
, Week 1: Introduction
Short:
• The course in general
• History of green media and civic engagement
• Approaches to green media and civic engagement
The course in general
The most pressing issue nowadays is sustainability, regarding different cases, like climate change or
diversity in nature and culture. Climate change debate, at its core is cultural, since the public
(mis)understanding of climate change is not because there is a lack of information, but there is the
avoidance of that information, both intentional and unintentional. Therefore, the lack of social
consensus and the potential of media as awareness raisers are discussed in this course. The course
is thus about the power and effects of media on ecological issues and sustainability.
Green media and civic engagement can be studies in the way of images of ecology or in the
way of ecology of images. In the first one you identify where and how green messages are neglected
or simplified or where they offer genuine ecological content. The second way studies media as
environments (media ecology). One can focus on the aspect of media production (resource impact of
production, distribution or reception), do a textual analysis (main focus of the course) or do audience
research. In this course the five question pie chart is used to do research and can be found on the
students.uu website containing ‘academic skills’.
the book central to this course is John Parham’s Green Media and Popular Culture: An
Introduction (2015). In this book, he wants the reader to look out for contradictions of popular
culture. Parham argues alternative film is not completely countercultural, since it has to be popular
culture to a certain extent in order to be able to make changes to society (and popular culture). In
other words, he argues both forms need each other for the greater good.
Every week, there was a filmscreening of a relevant (green media) film. In week six, there was
a symposium on Ecogames and in week seven, there was a play testing of the (new) Utrecht 2040
game.
History of green media and civic engagement
The movement emerged in the 1960’s and 1970’s with the publication of Silent Spring (1962). This
book deals with DDT, a pesticide, and its ability to kill or harm nature. The book can be seen as the
starting point for the development of a solid modern environmentalism. Another important event is
the taking of the first pictures of the earth from the moon. Other events that were of influence are the
establishment of Earth Day, International Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, the UN landmark
conference in Stockholm, the Club of Rome Limits to Growth report and several important
publications in the Green Media Studies and the Green Film Studies.
Approaches to green media and civic engagement
There are about three different approaches to green media and civic engagement, namely a critical
and pessimistic position, the position in which green media are seen as only a part of consumer
capitalism, and thirdly, the position where one is convinced green thinking has to engage with green
