For this assignment, your objective is to engage in a conversation with someone about climate change and subsequently compose a detailed reflection paper on your experience. This task is designed to support the overarching learning goal of enhancing your communication skills related to climate change and fostering an understanding of effective approaches to address this pressing issue. Your role as a communicator is pivotal, as individuals often consider those they know to be the most reliable sources of information. By discussing climate change, you have the potential to initiate a ripple effect that can contribute to systemic change. Despite the potential challenges associated with the topic’s perceived negativity, it is essential to recognize that most people share a concern for climate change. Through open dialogue and shared perspectives, we aim to overcome hesitations and collectively generate the momentum necessary for societal action in addressing climate change.
Prepare:
Read Climate Conversations: A survival guide.Download Climate Conversations: A survival guide.
Read about the difference between a reflection paper and an essay Download the difference between a reflection paper and an essay.
Interview:
Identify someone you would like to talk to (family member, friend, community leader, etc.): You can pick anyone you want to talk to about climate change; the conversation does not have to be in person.
Set a time for a conversation/interview (about an hour long): Make sure that you PLAN AHEAD and book a time to speak with someone in advance. You will need about an hour in order to have enough material to write about in your paper and pick someone for a reason (e.g. a family member who you suspect disagrees with you, a friend or colleague who you’ve never talked about climate change with, your niece who is a youth climate activist etc.) will make for a better paper.
Reflection Paper:
Write a reflection paper (maximum 1200 words) summarizing what you talked about and reflecting on the prompts provided below. These prompts are intended to have you revisit your conversation and think critically about the outcome.
Briefly explain who you talked to and why you chose them.
Use specific examples from the conversation to support your ideas and interpretations. As you answer the prompts, include details about what you talked about. Sometimes students find it helpful to organize their reports using subheadings that relate to key themes from the conversation (e.g. Climate Impacts on the Weather; Climate Denial in the News; Forest Fire Smoke and Health; Renewable Energy; Reflections on Future Conversations; Fear and Eco-Anxiety etc. These are just examples; you can use any subheadings that make sense for your report).
Prompts:
Emotional and Personal Response:
How did the conversation make you feel?
Did the discussion evoke any specific emotions or challenges for you or the interviewee?
Insights and Perspective Shifts:
How do you think this conversation changed the perspective of the interviewee? How did it change your perspective?
Did the dialogue alter your perspective on the power of conversations on climate change?
Communication Dynamics:
Were there any barriers or challenges in conveying or understanding information about climate change and the climate crisis?
Action and Impact:
How do you think it would go if you had another conversation with this person about future climate change?
How will this conversation shape how you have conversations about climate change in the future with other people?
Consider strategies for improving communication about the climate crisis in future discussions.
Submission Requirements:
The assignment must be single spaced, in 12-point font, maximum 1200 words, and use headers and subheadings to define the sections
