Sustainability provokes us – as value it is asking for what is important and what the right things are to do. And somehow sustainability comes along with the pressure to act, over the years successfully implanted in our minds through a plethora of communication campaigns and political discourses. By the same time, the sustainability story that is told, predominantly in the corporate world, carries a business- and progress-friendly narrative of growth, it is a “smooth” discourse compatible with the existing logic of corporate capitalism and growth. 

What is missing is truly transformative communication and a belief in different, revolutionary endings of the sustainability story. For re-storying the sustainability story, organizations of all kinds, shape and scope (corporates, startups, political institutions, NGOs, universities, museums, theaters etc.) need to claim back authorship, critical thinking, and spaces for co-creation of new, alternative imaginations of the future. CSR and sustainability communication means to take narrative agency, which is essential to achieving social, cultural, and political transformation not only on an organizational, but also on an individual and social scale.

In a nutshell: CSR and Sustainability communication are complex tasks requiring a deep understanding of ethical concepts, responsibility, agency, morality and values, as well as communication skills and proficiency across a diverse mix of media and strategies to effectively achieve action for sustainable development. Overall, the course focuses on how organizations account for their behavior through communication and thus how (much) CSR and sustainable behavior is facilitated through and manifested in communication.

The course has the following learning goals:

Knowledge: Students should be able to identify and apply current knowledge of what communication of, about and for sustainability is.

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving: Students should be able to identify, research and analyze complex issues and dominating narratives related to sustainability and sustainable deevelopment.

Creativity & Communication: Students should be able to reflect on their own responsibility as communicators, the implications and impact of their own action, and their leadership knowledge and styles, and to assess ethical, environmental and sustainability considerations in social impact decision-making and related communication processes and practices.

 Thus, after successfully completing this course, you should be able to:

• Identify, analyse and evaluate sustainability communication on an individual, organizational and societal level
• Plan, evaluate and implement an ecoculture jam
• Identify and evaluate the vareity of sustainability stories in different communication and media environments 
• Strengthen the ability to create new and innvoative sustainability stories

Please take into account WU's regulations for PI classes (maximum of 20% of class time can be missed). Active participation is required as part of your grading.

The course is structured along the following three steps:

Step 1: Growing the ability to interpret existing sustainability narratives and stories in communication of sustainability

• Lecture elements to convey knowledge, analytical lenses (CSR and sustainability communication, media literacy, sustainability narratives, framing); complemented by easy to access, interactive online learning material (short videos, podcast, webinars, academic literature, stakeholder mapping tools and practical examples)

Step 2: Activities to challenge dominant narratives

• Collaborative online (Miro-board) and offline learning (classroom, walk-and-talk concepts) spaces to analyse existing communication of, about and for sustainability
• Case studies, individual assignment; identification and reflection of challenges, problems, crusty communication patterns, limitations etc.

Step 3: Growing the ability to create alternative narratives and communication for sustainability

• In-the-classroom conversations and coaching with guest speakers to develop your own voice, agency and authorship
• Training, storytelling skills, including context, perspective, plotting 
• Campaign planning and pitch of sustainability communication strategy (group assignment)

Participation mark (10 %)

Eco-culture jam (group assignment): 45 %

Sustainability story (individual assignment): 45 %

Please have a look at this open source / book before the lecture starts: CSR Communication and Cultures of Sustainability – CSR Communication and Cultures of Sustainability 

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