Environmental Journalism

Too often, journalists with no specialized subject background are assigned to cover environmental issues. The result of this has most at time been poor reporting, inadvertent lack of accuracy and sensationalism.

Academic objectives

• To build capacity in environmental reporting in Cameroon by imbibing students with skills that will facilitate their professional integration into the field of environmental communication.
• To help mainstream journalists gain a deeper understanding of the environment and improve their reporting in the field.
• To train a breed of journalists and communication experts that can handle environmental issues with interest and responsibility exercising a degree of accuracy in the use of environmental jargons.
• To build human resource capacity of media houses, training institutions and environmental organisations in environmental reporting.

Pedagogy

The unique instruction methods offer tutorial-style of teaching and discussion environment within smaller groups based on a suite of contemporary research themes. The teaching aim is to foster discussion and debate between instructors and trainees to identify and explore theory, methods and practice in an academic space that encourages a critical dialogue.

An independent and original dissertation is an integral component of the program. In order to equip trainees with the necessary skills to undertake high quality research, course modules in research design and research methods teach skills and competences in a suite of common and emerging research practices and methods employed in Environmental Journalism policy and management research.

Scientific objectives

Link theory, hypothesis, methods, data and field work so as to identify and develop advanced research questions and design.

Entrepreneurial objectives

Graduates find careers in local government, reputable national and international media institutions and conservation/environmental non-profit organizations. They also find employment in the private sector with productive careers in industry and consulting firms.