This repository contains resources from the graduate-level course Climate Communication and Community: Youth-Centered Participatory Action Research. This course was taught in Spring 2025 at the University of Pennsylvania by Drs. Andy Tan, Emily Falk, and Dani Cosme.

Course Materials

Syllabus

Below is the syllabus for Climate Communication and Community: Youth-Centered Participatory Action Research. The document serves as a course guide and includes information such as course objectives, structure, assignments, schedule, and policies.

Syllabus

Instructor Slides

During the graduate-student seminar, the first part of the class was dedicated to a class discussion of weekly readings and topic-related activities. Below are the slide decks created by the instructors which were used to guide discussion.

Week 1 (Course introduction)

Week 3 (Climate and high school partner topics)

Week 4 (Behavior change theory and interventions)

Week 5 (Communication theory and interventions)

Week 6 (Ethical considerations)

Seminar Facilitation Slides

To gain facilitation experience, each graduate student facilitated one class discussion. The goal was to help students become more comfortable with facilitation and navigating conversations in which people have different views. Below are the slide decks created by the graduate students which were used to guide discussion.

Week 7 (Role of theory in developing communication interventions)

Week 8 (Formative research)

Week 9 (Spring break)

Week 10 (Message co-design)

Week 12 (Climate communication and action)

Week 13 (Youth climate communication and action)

Week 14 (Climate communication, policy, and equity; Climate communication, policy and equity; integration with students’ research programs)

Readings

Students completed both academic and practical weekly readings. Academic readings typically were peer-reviewed articles related to the week’s topic. Practical readings typically were applied guides and tools for conducting YPAR. Prior to the graduate-student seminar, students wrote a brief reflection on the readings and included questions. These reflections were posted on Canvas and were to intended to help facilitators create discussion topics.

Academic

Week 1

No readings (Course introduction)

Week 9

No readings (Spring break)

Practical

Week 1

No readings (Course introduction)

Week 9

No readings (Spring break)

YPAR Materials

Templates

Below are reusable templates for creating an agenda and a final presentation.

Engagement Session Agenda

Final Presentation

Entire Class

This tab contains materials in that were used for all students in the YPAR class.

Session 4

Agenda

Slides

Check-in

Check-out

Identifying Specific Problems Activity

Facilitator Guide

Systems Theory Handout

Solution Brainstorming Activity

Facilitator Guide

Issue Chart

Session 5

Slides

Session 6

Slides

Session 7

Slides

Session 8

Session 9

Group-specific

This tab contains materials that were used for specific groups. Materials are divided by both group and session.

Gun Violence

Session 6

Agenda

Session 7

Agenda