Mark Meisner
Assistant Professor
Coordinator, Undergraduate Option in Environmental Communication and Culture
Office: 108-B Marshall Hall
Phone: (315) 470-6908
Fax: (315) 470-6915
email: mmeisner@esf.edu
Note: Email systems are not always reliable. Servers can be down, spam filters can be overzealous, and messages can just simply get lost in the ether. If you experience problems or do not get a reply as expected, then please try msmeisne@syr.edu or call me on the phone.
Office hours for Winter 2008:
Mondays and Wednesdays 10:30AM - Noon, or by appointment. If you want an appointment with me, the easiest thing is to email me a list of times you are available. I'll let you know what fits with my schedule.
Education:
- Ph.D., Environmental Studies (Environmental Communication), York University, Toronto, 2003
- M.S., Environmental Studies (Environmental Thought and Rhetoric), York University, 1992
- Bachelor of Commerce, with Honours, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, 1984
Current Professional Affiliations:
- Founder and Coordinator of the Environmental Communication Network (ECN)
- Editorial Board Member of Environmental Communication: A Journal of Nature and Culture
- Contributing Editor to Alternatives Journal
- National Communication Association
- Environmental Communication Division
- Mass Communication Division
- Critical and Cultural Studies Division
- Environmental Studies Association of Canada
- International Society for Environmental Ethics
- Society of Environmental Journalists
- Great Lakes Research Consortium
- Randolph Pack Environmental Institute
Research interests:
- Environmental communication
- Environmental thought and philosophy
- Mass media
- Global warming discourse
- Critical language theory and rhetoric
- Nature and popular culture
- Representations of Nature
Selected Publications:
- "Knowing Nature Through the Media: An Examination of Mainstream Print and Television Representations of the Non-human World" in Finding our Way(s) in Environmental Communication: Proceedings of the Seventh Biennial Conference on Communication and the Environment, eds. G. B. Walker & W. J. Kinsella, pp. 425-437, Corvallis: Department of Speech Communication, Oregon State University, 2005.
- "Climate Change in the Press 1999-2001: From Scientific to Narrative Ambiguity" in Proceedings of the 6th Biennial Conference on Communication and Environment, eds. Marie-France Aepli, John W. Delicath and Stephen P. Depoe, pp.78-86, Cincinnati: Center for Environmental Studies and Department of Communication, University of Cincinnati, 2001.
- "e-Activism" Alternatives Journal, Vol.26, No.4, pp.34-38, 2000.
- "Media Narratives of Global Warming" in Climate Change Communication: Proceedings of an International Conference, eds. Scott, D., B. Jones, et al., Waterloo: University of Waterloo, 2000.
- "Pitching The Beast: Representations of Non-human Animals in Contemporary Print Advertising" in Proceedings of the Conference on Communication and Environment, ed. Susan Senecah, pp.302-314, Syracuse: State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1998.
- "Resourcist Language: The Symbolic Enslavement of Nature" in Proceedings of the Conference on Communication and Our Environment, eds. David Sachsman, Kandice Salomone and Susan Senecah, pp.236-243, Chattanooga: University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 1997.
- "Metaphors of Nature: Old Vinegar in New Bottles?" The Trumpeter, Vol.12, No.1, pp.11-18, 1995.
- "Wild Words: Nature, Language, and Outdoor Education" Pathways: The Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education, Vol.5, No.5, pp.5-11, 1993. Reprinted in Talking Leaves: A Seasonal Journal of the Institute for Earth Education, pp.14-21, Summer 1994.
- Editor of "Framing Nature", a special Environmental Communication issue of Alternatives Journal, Vol.23, No.1, Winter 1997.
- Review of Conservation and Environmentalism: An Encyclopedia by Robert Paehlke, Alternatives Journal Vol.23, No.1, p.37, Winter 1997.
Current courses:
- EST 245 - Nature and Popular Culture (Fall)
- CMN 393 - Environmental Discourse (Spring)
- EST 645 - Mass Media and Environmental Affairs (Fall)
- EST 640 - Environmental Thought and Ethics (Spring)
- EST 696 - Climate Change: Science Perception and Policy (Spring)
Current Graduate Students:
- Kimiharu To, Ph.D. program in Environmental Communication and Participatory Processes.
- Bruno Takahashi, Ph.D. program in Environmental Communication and Participatory Processes.
Selected Former Graduate Students:
- Anne Hoyt, M.P.S., 2007, program in Environmental Communication and Participatory Processes. "The Fuel with a Thousand Faces: Myth-Making in Discourses of Ethanol."
- Khristopher Dodson, M.P.S. program in Environmental Communication and Participatory Processes. As part of his graduate work, Khris is the founder, editor and publisher of Envi Magazine.
- Bruno Takahashi, M.S., 2007, program in Environmental Communication and Participatory Processes, Thesis: "Social Marketing for the Environment: A Comparative Analysis of Theory and Practice."
- Landon Vine, M.S., 2007, program in Environmental Communication and Participatory Processes. Thesis: "Cultivating a Spotless Ethical Identity: Adbusters Media Foundation's 'Blackspot' Marketing Campaign and Its Impact on Consumer Discourse."
- Amy Happ, M.S., 2005, Thesis: "Media Coverage of Radical Environmental Organizations: A Case Study of the Earth Liberation Front."
- Kate Lillis, M.S., 2005, program in Environmental Communication and Participatory Processes. Thesis: "Understanding the Effects of an Environment-Based Education Program on Environmental Attitudes and Awareness, Social and Academic Lives of Students Five Years Post-Program."
- Dylan Wolfe, M.S., 2003, program in Environmental Communication and Participatory Processes. Thesis: "Critical Ecorhetoric: Theoretical Explorations of Critical Rhetoric and Ecocentric Thought." Currently Assistant Professor of Communication at Clemson University. Web page.
- Susan Rachel May, M.P.S., 2003, program in Environmental Communication and Participatory Processes. "Selling Syracuse: Observations on the Role of Communications in Urban Planning." Currently Director of the Office of Environment and Society, Syracuse University. Web page.
- Allison Rook, M.P.S., 2002, program in Environmental Communication and Participatory Processes. "Press Coverage of Onondaga Lake." Currently a High School teacher.