Communication and competition in environmental studies

摘要

College-bound students and graduate students interested in environmental studies and environmental science have hundreds of programs to choose from, and potential suitors in the academy are eager to be noticed. This article considers how purveyors of environment-related degree programs and majors use branding and other communication strategies as they compete for students and other coveted resources. Departmental and degree nomenclature is examined so as to discern how academic institutions respond to changing intellectual fashions and popular interest in environmental affairs. This analysis is aided by Harold D. Lasswell's insights into the politics of communication.