SDGs in the Communication Courses

In 2015, the Member States of the United Nations collectively embraced the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At the heart of this agenda lie the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDG goals acknowledge that eradicating poverty and addressing various forms of deprivation must be pursued in conjunction with efforts to enhance healthcare and education, mitigate inequality and promote economic advancement, all while confronting the challenges of climate change and preserving our precious oceans and forests.

LAU’s Communication Program has integrated the SDGs into the course learning outcomes and curricula of both core courses and electives to raise awareness and literacy about the SDGs as well as to provide knowledge and resources on their implementation.

All communication courses target various SDGs. In particular:

1. All courses address SDG5 related to gender equality.
2. 7 courses, including all 300-level and 400-level courses, stress SDG10 related to reduced inequalities.
3. 7 courses, including all 300-level and 400-level courses, stress SDG16 related to peace, justice and strong institutions.
4. The core course COM203 (The Art of Public Communication) can tackle SDGs 1 through 16. The course, which is focused on public speaking and communication strategies, lists social justice in its description, which is also central to several assignments. Instructors and students can pick different topics for class activities and assignments, which can be related to any of the SDGs. The list and description of the SDGs provided by the UN are shared with instructors as a resource for helping students select topics.
5. The course COM260 emphasizes social justice, while students pick topics. These topics can address SDGs 1 through 16. The list and description of the SDG provided by the UN are shared with instructors as a resource.
6. While topics courses (COM488) may vary in their specific content depending on the topic and focus, the topics courses that are currently offered address at least SDGs 5, 10 and 16. The courses include materials on gender inequality and oppressed groups (including race, ability and class) in communication, and teach how to use media for advocacy and building stronger communication.
7. Three of the Communication courses tackle SDG1 related to the elimination of poverty.
8. The course COM354 specifically focuses on health communication and addresses SDG3, tackling good health and wellbeing. In particular, the course focuses on health inequalities in communication, includes materials on inequality and oppressed groups in communication and teaches how to use media for health advocacy and building stronger health communication practices and institutions.