Integrating Green Citizenship in Higher Education Curricula:The Case of a Transversal and Interdisciplinary Course onEnvironmental Communication and Sustainability
Abstract
The increasing urgency of addressing environmental challenges and the vital role of higher education in cultivating active green citizenship represent two key arguments supporting the necessity of innovative curriculum approaches with broad student accessibility. Across the globe, leading international organizations have emphasized the critical importance of environmental education as a fundamental driver for achieving sustainable development, going beyond specialized courses to become a transversal component of university curricula. However, many higher education institutions still lack accessible and interdisciplinary course offerings that address green citizenship in a competence-based and practice-oriented approach, especially for students from varied educational backgrounds. Our paper presents a case study of the design, implementation, and evaluation of a transversal university course that responds directly to this gap, aimed at cultivating green citizenship among students across all faculties from the West University of Timișoara, Romania. The course is aligned with international commitments such as the UN’s 2030 Agenda, aiming to develop environmentally conscious graduates prepared to engage critically in ecological and civic challenges. Drawing on an interdisciplinary pedagogical framework that combines communication science — particularly media literacy and media content production — with environmental science, the course integrates theoretical knowledge with practical applications. Social media platforms are employed as a key pedagogical tool, enabling experiential learning through content creation, public engagement, and critical reflection on digital environmental communication. The course aims to empower students to better understand the urgent challenges currently facing the environment, as well as to equip them with the necessary skills to become proactive in addressing them.