ECO-COMICS AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL FOR TEACHING ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM AND ESP

Abstract

For the last forty years, environmental issues have gained importance across national borders. Journalists are expected to be national advocates for change in order to improve the quality of environmental health, conservation and social justice. Environmental studies emphasize a multi-disciplinary approach. The paper discusses the use of eco-comics in environmental journalism studies and promoting environmental awareness through journalism. The medium of comics has been around for many decades and comes in a variety of forms, from different cultural backgrounds; it is rich in material for academic study. Eco-comics for academic and professional purposes provide an inquiry-based content course designed to familiarize students with the fundamental concepts of the natural and social sciences as well as humanities. English for specific purposes(ESP) focuses on combining theoretical and practice-based approaches. The theoretical part of the research contains a brief historical summary of comics and their uses in an educational setting. Special attention is devoted to eco-comics as influential medium of mass media to form public awareness. The authors highlight the role of eco-comics in encouraging students to be co-creators of interdisciplinary environmental journalism studies in English and environmental awareness campaigns. The paper contains practical results of an experimental case study of using eco-comics in the ESP classroom.