Forum: Environmental Law and Policy

Environmental Law and Policy

HNRS 300H1

Terrell Jake Dionne

Fall 2025

Mondays  12:30-1:45 p.m.

GEAR 129

Environmental law and policy is an expansive and evolving field that reflects society's growing awareness of the interdependence between human activity and the natural world. Notably, communication is at the heart of transformations in environmental law and policy, as litigation and legislation frequently stem from and spark public discourse. With this in mind, this course offers a comprehensive survey of landmark legislation and pivotal court rulings addressing environmental issues in the US. From a communication perspective, you will explore the roles of key stakeholders—government agencies, corporations, non-governmental organizations, and activists—in shaping environmental law and policy. Through case studies, you will learn how communicators within and beyond courtrooms and legislative chambers use diverse media to advocate for and resist changes in environmental law and policy. Particular emphasis will be placed on conservation law and policy, with a special focus on the ecological restoration of the North American bison. By the end of this course, you will have a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between environmental law, policy, and communication. Additionally, you will gain practical skills in delivering original speeches about pressing environmental crises while developing professional vision statements for how you can promote environmental care ethics in your future careers.

About Terrell Jake Dionne:

Dr. Terrell Jake Dionne is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Arkansas. He is a rhetorician who specializes in environmental and legal communication. His current research is on litigation and public policy campaigns concerning land and wildlife management. He is working on a book about the Bison Restoration Movement, a twenty-first-century effort to ecologically restore bison on public, private, and Indigenous land in the US, Canada, and Mexico over the next hundred years. His research on this subject appears in the journal Communication and Democracy and the edited collection Ecological Feelings: A Rhetorical Compendium. He is also the Faculty Advisor for the "Alpha" chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the National Communication Association's official honor society.