FYS: Means of Persuasion - The Communication of Climate Change

3 Credits.

How do we use language to persuade each other of our views? How do people bring others to their side so that they can see matters from a different angle? At times, it seems like language is not (or is no longer?) doing its job—that somehow it is failing in its main function. One of the biggest disagreements these days seems to be about the reality and causes of climate change. This seminar focuses on learning about the basics of climate change and how these are communicated. We will analyze the ways in which law, science, politics, and the media use stories, metaphors, and analogies to convey ideas about climate change.