I teach writing and design courses at the confluence of technology and environment. What ties my courses together is an interest in how we got here: how the world as we find it emerges from the world as it has been—and how we make ourselves into a resilient collective capable of weathering the storms to come.
Journalism
It has been said that one can judge the health of a democracy by the independence it affords journalists. At its best, journalism is the Fourth Estate: a check on the powerful and a spotlight on the everyday people. Of course, not all journalism lives up to these aspirations—there have always been charlatans and deceivers. We can learn from both. In this course, we investigate the work of journalism—its triumphs, its challenges, and its essential ethics. // Syllabus
Digital Rhetoric
What do we imagine when we hear the word digital? Software? Social media? Apps? At its most basic, digital means, well, digits. Not numbers—fingers. The word refers to something older, stranger, and fundamentally human: the practices of a culture that uses its hands to encode that which its mind imagines. This is a class about the electronic cultures of the computer age, and the artistic traditions from which electronic culture emerges. // Syllabus
Digital Storytelling for Education & Advocacy
Who speaks for the earth? For our communities? For us? In this class, we use digital tools to tell nonfiction stories the public needs to hear. Specifically, we develop photography and podcasting skills—two critical forms of media production—to educate and advocate in ways suitable to public and civic life. Together, we will produce journalistic media that meets the needs of community partners. // Syllabus
Living Well in the Time of Climate Change
What does it mean to be a good ancestor? How do we find joy while doing climate work? This course invites students to answer these questions while getting to know St. Olaf’s local nature. As we discuss historical and recent environmental writing, we challenge ourselves to write what needs to be written in order to be responsible stewards of the land in a time of sweeping ecological uncertainty. // Syllabus
Science in Word and World
Often, we assume the universe is what we see, hear, and touch. Yet other species see colors we can’t see and read scents we can’t detect. How do we know that world? We observe. We ask questions. Sometimes we call this process science, sometimes other names. But in all cultures and eras, humans share a curiosity to know and tell others about the world. This is a course about our immense, strange universe and how to tell others about it. // Syllabus
Technical Communication
Technical communication is any form of media that gives people information to make a decision or accomplish a task. It might seem simple, but it’s often quite tricky to write. Technical communication is marvelously human. When you get down to the bone, past typography and color, technical writing reveals the world to us. From cookbooks to alien record players, technical communication is everywhere, and our goal is to investigate it. // Syllabus
Ryan Eichberger 