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ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú Online Course

ENST 191 ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú Climate Resilience Stories (1-Credit)

Professor: Paul Lachapelle, Department of Political Science     
Telephone: (406) 994-3620 
Email: paul.lachapelle@montana.edu
Class size: 20 (max.)
Meeting Times: 10/15, 10/22, 10/29, 11/19, 12/10 from 3:30-6:30pm via Zoom 

Course Description

This course explores the social dimensions of climate change from the local level to the national and global scale, and the critical role of storytelling in creating community resilience and effecting climate action.  Using current climate change policy and planning examples, students will have an opportunity to learn about the significance of storytelling in addressing climate change. A central guiding question throughout the course will be: In what ways can storytelling encourage our understanding of and actions toward community resilience to promote climate change adaptation and mitigation within our community? 

Supplemental questions include the following:

1. What role can storytelling play within a community to promote climate resilience and promote mitigation and adaptation actions?
2. How does storytelling relate to climate change resilience and action and how has storytelling evolved over time within various communities?
3. What role can students play with regard to storytelling to enact climate adaptation and mitigation policies?
4. How can storytelling influence relationships and lead to or address conflict within a community?

The course will include a number of guests who will share their stories and how their experiences tie in with their own work to address climate change. The course also provides a learning environment for students to improve skills in climate change adaptation and mitigation planning, project management, conflict resolution, and technical writing.  The course will be a collaboration with Families for a Livable Climate and final student projects will be posted to their site.  The course will be offered on-line only with both synchronous and options for asynchronous interactions. 

Course Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Upon satisfactory completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Identify concepts and processes associated with climate change adaptation and mitigation in various communities through the use of stories.
2. Explain the basic elements of climate change science and policy as it relates to social dynamics within a community through storytelling.
3. Recognize various sources of evidence used to chart climate change resilience and apply the evidence across a community.
4. Support broader comprehension and acceptance for policy changes across a community as a result of understanding climate storytelling.
5. Apply storytelling skills to address climate issues from the local to global level.

Course Requirements

1. Policy/Article/Guest Speaker Reflections and Class Participation (50%): Students will read excerpts from local/national/international climate policy documents, journal articles, and various current multi-media sources, and hear from guest speakers with expertise in climate policy/planning and climate storytelling. Based upon course attendance and the quantity and quality of participation in class discussion, this is worth 30% of the total course grade. Class participation will be judged on the ability of the student to synthesize readings and discussion points and comment critically and with informed content.

During class sessions, we will use seminar discussion to integrate and analyze assigned readings / posts with problem-solving sessions to highlight components of the various climate planning and policy documents and storytelling attributes for effective climate change work. Short journal assignments are required for Classes 2 and 3.  

2. Climate Story Video (40%): The primary assignment for this course is a 4 to 6-minute video about climate resilience encompassing the stories of an individual’s personal and/or professional story as it relates to climate change. Students will select an individual in a field relevant to their professional and career aspirations to interview and ‘tell their story.’ The interview will capture a story about their subject journey, what led to their subject’s concern about climate change, their work in climate action, and vision for the future.  The final video will be posted on the Families for a Livable Climate site so permission from the interviewees will be required.  Students will be provided with hands-on technical assistance for video production as well as specific prompts and guidance to capture stories and produce the final video presented in Class

3. Personal Reflection (10%):Students will apply learnings from course instructors, guest speakers and from their Climate Story Video to provide a personal reflection on the class materials and course assignments as well as their past experiences and future hopes and aspirations   The student reflections will be presented as their own climate change story in Class 4.  This assignment will be in the form of a class discussion but can also be submitted via a written assignment (300-500 words) if students are not able to attend the final class.

Class Outline

Class 1 (Tues. Oct. 15, 3:30 to 6:30pm): Course Summary and Personal Storytelling Discussion Overview

• Introduce syllabus and instructors, course objectives, assignments
• Student introductions
• Storytelling and Climate Change: specific instruction and discussion on assignments
• Climate Resilience and Storytelling: Guest Speakers and Q&A/discussion:
  • Sarah Lundquist, Executive Director,
  • Termaine Edmo, Climate Change Coordinator for the

Class 2 (Tues. Oct. 22, 3:30 to 6:30pm): Personal Storytelling Discussion

• ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú Climate Resilience Storytelling: Guest Speakers and Q&A/discussion
  • ., Fort Belknap Indian Community's (FBIC) Climate Change Coordinator, "Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the Aaniiih and Nakoda People."
  • , Tribal Preservation Department Head of the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, "Indigenized models of climate adaptation: Biocultural restoration of whitebark pine forests by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes"
• We will also discuss the process of creating a “Story Board” as a way to outline student’s video story
• Assignment (due at noon): Students share on the UM on-line platform a brief (300-500 words) journal reflection on pre-course readings / viewing assignments.

Class 3 (Tues. Oct. 29, 3:30 to 6:30pm): ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú Climate Resilience Story Board

• In this class, we review each student’s “Story Board” and focus on technical and pre and post production skill-building to create the video.
  • Sarah Lundquist, Executive Director,
• Assignment (due at noon): Students share on the UM on-line platform who they have identified to interview for final video project as well as a “Story Board” outline with details on how the interview will be conducted and processed into their story videos (250-500 words).

Class 4 (Tues. Nov. 19, 3:30 to 6:30pm): Climate Story Video

• Students post their Climate Story Video on the UM on-line platform.
• Assignment (due at noon): Complete and post video (4-6 min.)

Class 5 (Tues. Dec. 10, 3:30 to 6:30pm): Final Student Presentations

• Students share excerpts of their videos and comment on their peer’s videos in class
• Course wrap up and on-line course evaluations.
• Assignment (due in class): In-class reflection by students.