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GEOL 104

I. Course Title: Geosciences and the Media (GE)

II. Course Number: GEOL 104

III. Credit Hours: 3 credits

IV. Prerequisites: None

V. Course Description: 

This course explores the ways in which natural processes are portrayed in the media, particularly major motion pictures, and the influence of media coverage on human perceptions of science. Students will become grounded in fundamental geoscience processes that impact society, particularly those portrayed in mainstream media, such as climate change and natural disasters. They will then explore motion picture, newspaper, television, social media, and other accounts of geoscience events and critique the accuracy of media portrayals of the natural world. Students will also explore public perceptions of geoscience through published articles, surveys, and other metrics.

Note(s): General Education and Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning designated course.

VI. Detailed Description of Content of the Course:

This lecture-based course will provide students with an overview of geological processes that impact society and the portrayals of these processes in the media. The first unit of the course will explore the following questions:

  1. How is science perceived by society, and what metrics are available to assess this perception?
  2. What media sources are most commonly accessed by the public for information on science?
  3. How are scientists typically portrayed in film and on television?

Next, students will study a set of specific geologic process that affect society, including climate change, earthquakes, volcanoes, and environmental issues. Topics of study may vary by semester and instructor expertise, but may include any of the following:

  1. Earthquakes
  2. Volcanoes
  3. Climate change
  4. Air/water pollution
  5. Flooding
  6. Environmental advocacy

Each topic will conclude with a critique of a mainstream media representation (typically a major motion picture, but other media sources may be used) of the process under study. At the end of the semester, students will investigate perceptions of science in society based on published surveys, journal articles, and other sources to link how mainstream media portrayals of science influence public opinion. Throughout the semester, students will view and discuss a variety of media forms related to natural processes. Media sources will vary by semester and instructor expertise, but may include any of the following:

  1. Motion pictures (Dante’s Peak, The Day After Tomorrow, Erin Brokovich, Armageddon, etc.)
  2. Newspaper articles (New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, etc.) 
  3. Magazine articles (National Geographic, Newsweek, The Economist, etc.)
  4. Social media feeds (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube channels, etc)

VI. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course:

The course will be primarily lecture and discussion based during normal 50-minute course periods (or Zoom course meetings for online offerings of the course). Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of geologic processes under study for the semester, through 2-3 weeks of readings, lectures, course discussions, and homework and in-class exercises. After establishing a firm scientific grounding in a particular process, the students will be instructed to view a mass media portrayal of the geologic process and critique it for scientific accuracy through a series of questions or a short summary write up. At the end of the semester, students will evaluate published surveys, journal articles, and other sources of information related to societal perceptions of science, and link what they have learned about media portrayals of geologic processes to public opinion through a summary term paper or class presentation. Student grades will be evaluated based on a mixture of individual and group homework assignments, writing projects, and in class presentations.  

VII. Goals and Objectives of the Course:

By the end of this course, students will be able to demonstrate:

  1. A firm understanding of basic geologic processes that regularly impact society.
  2. Critical thinking skills to evaluate the accuracy of portrayals of scientific phenomena in mass media sources.
  3. Scientific reasoning skills to link public perceptions of science with the myriad ways in which it is portrayed in social and mass media sources.

VIII. Assessment Measures:

Assessments may include exams, quizzes, homework assignments, laboratory reports and exercises, individual or group projects and/or presentations, and class participation.

Review and Approval

August 2020

March 01, 2021

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