Course Information

See the Climate Crisis through a cultural lens.

This self-paced online course from UAL Short Courses helps you understand how climate change affects communities, cultures, and identities – and how creative practice can help drive change. You’ll examine cultural loss, social inequality, greenwashing, activism, and representation, using art and storytelling to explore what justice means in a climate-impacted world.

Start today and discover how creative thinking can shape a fairer, more sustainable future.

Is This Course Right for You?

This course is ideal for:

  • Creative practitioners, artists, and cultural practitioners seeking to engage with climate issues
  • Students, educators, or campaigners interested in justice-informed perspectives on the climate crisis
  • Anyone concerned about the cultural and social impacts of environmental change
  • Those curious about how art and storytelling can challenge greenwashing and inspire climate action

You don’t need to be an expert – just come with curiosity, compassion, and a willingness to think critically and creatively.

By the End of This Course, You’ll Be Able To:

  • Describe how climate change impacts cultural practices, identity, and heritage
  • Apply intersectional thinking to climate justice issues
  • Identify and analyse cultural representations of the climate crisis in media and art
  • Recognise and critique greenwashing and ‘artwashing’ in the creative industries
  • Reflect on the voices and experiences of communities most affected by climate change
  • Explore the role of creative practice in advocacy and cultural campaigning
  • Identify effective campaign strategies and develop ideas for your own creative responses

Why Choose This Course?

  • 100% online and self-paced
  • Combines critical thinking with creative reflection
  • Explore real-world case studies and cultural campaigns
  • Optional discussion forums with tutor presence during working hours
  • Grounded in UAL’s Principles for Climate, Social, and Racial Justice

How the Course Works

Once enrolled, you’ll access the course through our user-friendly Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It’s broken down into five themed lessons, each combining short videos, discussion prompts, and reflective activities.

You can start anytime and go at your own pace – we recommend one lesson per week to complete the course in about 5 weeks.

You can preview parts of the course using Guest Access, giving you a feel for the content before you enrol.

Sarah Ayech

Sarah Ayech is a tutor and creative educator exploring how art, culture, and activism intersect with climate and social justice. This course reflects Sarah’s commitment to inclusive, justice-informed teaching and draws on real examples of cultural resilience, resistance, and creative campaigning from around the world.

What You’ll Need to Get Started

  • A laptop, tablet or smartphone with internet access
  • A browser that supports video and audio playback
  • Access to research resources (online archives, articles, or case studies)
  • A notebook or journal (optional) for reflection, notes, or creative planning

Justice-Informed Learning

This course is shaped by UAL’s Principles for Climate, Social, and Racial Justice. It centres the experiences of marginalised communities, encourages ethical and inclusive reflection, and explores how culture and creativity can play a transformative role in a more just environmental future.

What You’ll Walk Away With

Complete all five lessons and mark the course as complete, and you’ll receive a UAL Certificate of Completion. This certificate can be used to:

  • Support applications for study, jobs, or funding
  • Demonstrate your commitment to justice-informed creative practice
  • Add value to your portfolio or CV

Not Sure Yet? Preview the Course

Use Guest Access to explore the course handbook and selected content before enrolling. See how the course is structured and decide if it’s right for you – no login required.

Selected Feedback

Conversational, and feels very engaging

Interesting interlink between loss of what is quantifiable and not – in terms of linguistically what is lost, culturally, ancestrally, and artistically  

Interesting learning about the scanning process of replicating artefacts and preservation processes 

Very engaging and reflective