HSUHK | CCCO

TRA1223 Language Issues in Environmental Sustainability

Department
School of Translation and Foreign Languages
Semester
AY2021/22 Sem 2, AY2022/23 Sem 1, AY2022/23 Sem 2, AY2023/24 Sem 1, AY2023/24 Sem 2, AY2024/25 Sem 1
Method
Lecture 3 hours
Cluster
1 (Humanities)

Prerequisite

GEN1000 Perspectives on General Education

Exclusion

Nil

Module Description

This module provides a broad introductory survey of the history, significance, key concepts and related language issues in environmental sustainability. It is aimed at equipping students with both knowledge and awareness of related issues viewed from the perspective of language. It also familiarizes students with various types of discourses and texts common in the actual practice of environmental sustainability, thus enhancing their workplace linguistic sensitivity and employability in related private companies, government bodies, non-governmental organizations and social enterprises.

Module Intended Learning Outcomes (MILO)

Upon completion of this module, students should be able to: 
a. develop an understanding of environmental sustainability as a crucial factor in global sustainability;
b. acquire a sound grasp of the history and key concepts in environmental sustainability;
c. demonstrate an ability to appreciate different language issues related to environmental sustainability;
d. apply the acquired understanding of language issues to real-world tasks.

Module Content

1. Introduction to environmental sustainability

  • 1.1 The concept of global sustainability
  • 1.2 The history of environmental sustainability
  • 1.3 Significance of environmental sustainability
  • 1.4 Relationship between human development and environmental protection

2. Key concepts in environmental sustainability

  • 2.1 Climate change and global warming
  • 2.2 Renewable energy
  • 2.3 Waste reduction and recycling
  • 2.4 Pollution
  • 2.5 Deforestation
  • 2.6 Other issues

3. Environmental justice and its advocates

  • 3.1 International non-governmental organizations
  • 3.2 Local non-governmental organizations
  • 3.3 Government bodies
  • 3.4 Private enterprises

4. Topics in language use

  • 4.1 Differentiation in word use
  • 4.2 Persuasive expressions
  • 4.3 Sentence styling
  • 4.4 Rhetorical devices
  • 4.5 Textual features and target readership
  • 4.6 Discourse analysis in ecolinguistics
  • 4.7 Language transfer

5. Common text types

  • 5.1 ESG reports
  • 5.2 Project proposals
  • 5.3 Appeal letters
  • 5.4 Campaign materials
  • 5.5 Fundraising letters
  • 5.6 Newsletters and magazines
  • 5.7 Consultation papers

Assessment Methods

1. Assignments (40%)
2. Tests (30%)
3. Individual project (20%)
4. Participation in class discussion (10%)

Texts & References

1. Alexander, R. (2010). Framing discourse on the environment: A critical discourse approach. Routledge.

2. Baker, L. M. (2017). Writing in the environmental sciences: A seven-step guide. Cambridge University Press.

3. Chen, S. (2016). Language and ecology: A content analysis of ecolinguistics as an emerging research field. Ampersand, 3, 108–116.

4. Fill, A., & Muhlhausler, P. (Eds.). (2006). Ecolinguistics reader: Language, ecology and environment. A&C Black.

5. Fill, A., & Penz, H. (Eds.). (2017). The Routledge handbook of ecolinguistics. Routledge.

6. Halliday, M. A. K. (1992). New ways of meaning: The challenge to applied linguistics. Thirty Years of Linguistic Evolution, 59–95.

7. Galleymore, I. (2020). Teaching environmental writing: ecocritical pedagogy and poetics. Bloomsbury Academic.

8. Hamilton, T. B. (2020). Nongovernmental organization (NGO) professionals: A practical career guide. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

9. Mavisakalyan, A., Tarverdi, Y., & Weber, C. (2018). Talking in the present, caring for the future: Language and environment. Journal of Comparative Economics, 46(4), 1370–1387.

10. Myerson, G., & Rydin, Y. (2014). The language of environment: A new rhetoric. Routledge.

11. Nelson, S., Nelson, M. K., & Shilling, D. (2018). Traditional ecological knowledge: learning from indigenous practices for environmental sustainability. Cambridge University Press.

12. Stibbe, A. (2018). Critical discourse analysis and ecology. In J. Flowerdew & J. E. Richardson (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of critical discourse studies (pp. 497–509). Routledge.

13. Stibbe, A. (2020). Ecolinguistics: Language, ecology and the stories we live by. Routledge.

14. Sze, J. (Ed.). (2018). Sustainability: Approaches to environmental justice and social power. New York University Press.

15. Tomkin, J., & Theis, T. (Eds.). (2018). Sustainability: A comprehensive foundation. Open Textbook Library.