The pertinence of a communication for sustainable development course in university: A case of Universiti Sains Malaysia

In line with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)'s designation as Malaysia's "university in a garden", the Communication for Sustainable Development course is offered by the School of Communication on a compulsory basis for all undergraduate communication students, and on an optional basis for other students. This study aims to examine students' perception on the relevance of the Communication for Sustainable Development course at USM. Sixteen undergraduate students from three different batches - who had completed the course in 2019, 2020, and 2021 - were interviewed online. The analysis highlights the uniqueness of the course and reveals that all students perceived this course as highly relevant to them, for exposing them to the concept of sustainable development and teaching them ways to effectively communicate sustainability messages. The students also described the uniqueness of the course, highlighted by its focus on sustainable development, in addition to its issue-based approach. Moreover, the students also described the crucial role of social media as an effective tool for communicating about sustainability. Overall, the students opined that this course is highly pertinent to USM and the university's prized reputation and branding of sustainability. The insightful findings offer a valuable guideline for universities and course coordinators in designing and developing sustainable communication courses.