Emerson College
AC-10: Support for Research

The Engagement Lab is an applied research lab for reimagining civic engagement in a digital culture. Their recent experiment was "Community PlanIt - Climate Smart Boston". The Lab developed a web-based game to advance climate preparedness planning to produce resiliency initiatives that work together to address physical, social and environmental vulnerabilities in our communities. The game was promoted on the Emerson campus and in the Boston community. Research went into creating and disseminating the game, and research continues to occur with the game's results. https://elab.emerson.edu Additionally, the Environmental Studies Minor program housed in the Department of Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies encourages students to conduct sustainability research related to their respective principle course of studies (Visual Media Arts; Communication Studies; Journalism; Marketing Communication; Writing, Literature and Publishing; Performing Arts).

The Department of Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies supports a strong liberal arts foundation to enable our students to examine the world across diverse disciplines and perspectives that add depth and intellectual perspective to their studies. This department houses courses and provides resources for faculty, staff and students that choose to study and research across disciplines. At Emerson College, students are encouraged to follow their interests and goals—wherever they may lead. Even with the multitude of arts and communications majors and minors from which to choose, students occasionally have a vision that cannot be adequately realized within these offerings. The Individually Designed Interdisciplinary Studies Program (IDIP) allows students to design their own major by combining courses from two or more departments, or a department and the Institute, around an anchoring concept or theme. Students designing their own majors have the opportunity to create an advising team of two faculty members from different academic departments or the Institute that will help shape their program of study and provide support and guidance through to graduation. Examples of past IDIP foci include: Global Activism and Advocacy; Media Production and Management; Effective Marketing through Digital Media Design; Politics, Performance and Social Advocacy; Investigative Theater for Social Change. This exciting program offered through the Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies provides a home for students who desire to create a unique and dynamic space for their academic and career goals.

The Emerson Library has two research guides that support research on sustainability, the environment, and science. These guides provide access to journals, databases, books, statistics, and more. Environmental Studies http://guides.library.emerson.edu/environmentalstudies Science http://guides.library.emerson.edu/science Here’s a list of science databases, including GreenFILE: http://www.emerson.edu/library/databases?tid=456 We have many books and ebooks on topics related to sustainability and the environment. For example, a catalog search for “sustainability” and limited to Emerson results in 1658 titles. Finally, we have partnered with Eco Reps and the sustainability office on an Earth Day book display and a recycled art contest.