Sustainability in the communications classroom: experiences, interests and future directions from an undergraduate perspective

Purpose The United Nation’s 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) aim to address climate change, gender and health inequities and other issues. The communications field remains a pivotal arena for fostering awareness and education about sustainability. This study aims to explore the extent to which undergraduates at a large, research-focused institution in the USA view sustainability topics as integrated into the journalism and mass communications program’s coursework. Design/methodology/approach This study involved a survey at a large, public university in which undergraduate students self-reported quantitative information regarding their familiarity with the SDGs and their desire to learn more about the SDGs, as well as qualitative open-ended feedback about sustainability in coursework. Findings Survey results showed that although current program coursework does not comprehensively cover the SDGs, students have strong interest in learning more about the SDGs. Open-ended feedback suggested incorporating sustainability topics into existing and new courses and also showed that not all students immediately recognize connections between communications and sustainability. Practical implications This study recommends adding sustainability-focused courses where possible. Within existing courses, instructors should explicitly connect communications concepts to sustainability topics through a range of in-class activities and course assignments. Originality/value Results offer insights into how undergraduate communications students are experiencing sustainability-related topics in their existing coursework, along with their desire to learn more about sustainability.