This course will discuss how public policy is developed and explain the role and importance of different forms of communication for public policy processes, with a particular focus on contentious environmental issues. Most of the examples used will have a significant environmental component but the themes of the course are also broadly relevant to the development of other types of policy in politically pluralist societies such as Australia and the United States. The course will use public policy and communications activities in those countries as the starting point but students from elsewhere will be encouraged to make comparisons with their home countries. Media such as newspapers, televisions, radio and the web in its various forms will be examined along with other forms of communications such as street demonstrations, political campaigning, advertising and political art such as cartoons. Related activities such as independent auditing, freedom of information legislation and various forms of consultation designed to increase public participation in the policy process will also be considered.

By the end of the course students will have considered the impact of a wide range of communications activities on the process of developing environmental policy. More specifically they will understand the characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of communications media and products such as:

• newspapers, television, radio, and the increasing range of web-based forms of communication,
• major audits and reports required by statute - state of the environment reports, policy audits such as those conducted by the national audit office, environmental impact assessments etc,
• corporate communications - annual reports, commissioned studies of key issues, data and monitoring reports, and the wide range of official publications produced by organizations involved in environmental management,
• material produced by non government organizations and interest groups such as the World Wildlife Fund, Australian Conservation Foundation, National and Victorian Farmers Federation etc, and
• oral communications ranging from public oratory to lectures, and, in particular, the face-to-face negotiations that frequently determine the contents of policy and how it is implemented.

25% for a series of 300 word pre-class commentaries on material to be discussed in class (to be handed in at the beginning of the relevant class session)

20% for participation in the web based discussion forum

25% for a presentation to class.

30% - Exam.

Lectures, web based projects and weekly tutorials

Colebatch, H.K. (Ed)  2006, Beyond the Policy Cycle - The Policy Process in Australia, Allen & Unwin, Sydney

Cox R. 2010, Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere, Sage, Los Angeles. 

Basic Word skills only