Course Evaluation
The Psychology of Climate Change Communication — Autumn 2026
This information is also part of the syllabus on the course website.
This class is not graded, students either pass or fail. Students are expected to prepare for class by completing assigned readings, attend lectures, and meaningfully contribute to in-class exercises and discussion. To pass the class, students need to
- present an example of climate change communication in an oral group presentation, and
- submit a one-page individual reflection on the group presentation.
Oral group presentation
Groups present an example of climate change communication. Presentations start in week 5.
- Presentations last 10 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of Q&A.
- Slides (PowerPoint or similar) are required.
- All group members need to actively present, with an approximately equal time split.
- Any type of content or message that focuses on climate change can be presented as an example, such as an advertisement, political campaign, social media post (video or text), newspaper article, etc. You can present good or bad examples of climate change communication, including messages on climate change denial, and be as creative as you want.
- Presentations need to introduce the content/message, address the following questions, and explicitly draw on relevant concepts learned in the course:
- Introduce your example. How did you come across it and why did you pick it?
- Who is the communicator and what is their motivation?
- Who is the target audience?
- What makes this a good/bad example of climate change communication? Is the communicator reaching the right target audience with their message/content? Is the chosen medium appropriate to support the message, and why?
- How could the message/content be improved?
- You can use AI for the preparation of the presentation, but examples should be selected by group members.
Reflection task
Each group member writes their own, separate reflection and hands it in individually. Take some time to reflect on the group presentation following the structure below. Then write down your thoughts in 400–600 words and submit the reflection on Moodle by December 18, 2026 (23:59).
In the reflection task, please do the following:
- Describe how your group selected the communication example.
- Clearly state your role in the project and your overall contribution to the group project.
- Describe the group dynamics (e.g., Were there any conflicts? How did you manage the organization, prepare for the presentation, and decide on whether to use AI?). Is there anything you would do differently in hindsight?
- Reflect on your own contribution. Are you happy with your contribution/performance? Would you have liked to do more/less?
- Declare the use of AI in your group. If yes: How did you use it? Which model did you use? In which ways do you think using AI helped you? Do you think there are any downsides to the use of AI for your project?