By Emily Delgado
School of Journalism and Mass Communication students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences took their writing and photography skills outside the classroom to report on the city of Dubuque’s sustainability efforts.
Faculty in the journalism school partnered with the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities, which brings University of Iowa students to communities across the state, to collaborate with local leaders on real-world projects.
The collaboration led to three capstone classes where students produced news articles, photographs, and strategic communications highlighting Dubuque’s sustainability efforts.
Students in the news and photography courses worked together on an insert published over the summer in the Telegraph Herald newspaper. Students in strategic communications created communications plans to help Dubuque meet the city’s “50 percent by 2030” carbon footprint goal.
“We think that experiential learning helps students gain real-world experience that will ease the transition from school to the professional world,” assistant professor Alex Scott said. "There are many benefits to prioritizing the concept of sustainability in news, but I think the most important reasons are that sustainability can help students develop uncommon and impactful story ideas and prioritize solutions-oriented journalism.”
Scott taught the photojournalism for sustainability course where students showed the city’s sustainable efforts in action.
Students spent time in Dubuque photographing homes, businesses, and other activities to capture everyday efforts to implement sustainable measures and reduce emissions. Students in the news course produced articles that explained the city’s sustainable measures and services to residents.
Sophia Restiffe Favoretto, now a journalism graduate student, took Scott’s capstone class when she was an undergraduate. Restiffe Favoretto said she is very passionate about sustainability and learned the importance of illustrating sustainability measures.
“I think as journalists it is our duty to spread the word about sustainability practices, share the news about current efforts, and how everyone can collaborate to create a more sustainable community,” Restiffe Favoretto said.
Assistant professor Kylah Hedding taught the strategic communication capstone Dubuque Climate Action Strategic Communication Plans. Hedding found that many of her students came into the class already passionate about sustainability, making the collaboration between SJMC and IISC a strong one.
“It’s really a win-win where the communities receive support they might not otherwise be able to get on their own while the students get real-world experience working with clients,” Hedding said.
Hedding said incorporating these hands-on experiences in the journalism school will help students once they graduate.
“It’s our job to help prepare students for their chosen fields, and hands-on experience is part of that,” Hedding said. “It's what helps make our graduates very desirable for employers once they graduate.”
You can view strategic communications materials, news, and photos students produced for the city and Telegraph Herald online.
