Course Description
Provides graduate students with an introduction to the communication of research and scholarship to non-specialist audiences.
Athena Title
RESEARCH COMM
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This course is based on pedagogy developed by Stony Brook University's Center for Communicating Science. This course material has been adapted to capitalize on the expertise of UGA faculty and to broaden the scope to make it relevant to disciplines outside of the sciences. Graduate students will have the opportunity to practice communicating across disciplinary boundaries, to decision-makers and the media, and to the general public. Through assigned readings, guest speakers, class exercises and discussions, and student projects, students will: 1. learn different styles of communicating their research 2. become comfortable speaking with many different types of audiences 3. become comfortable giving interviews 4. create a series of products: a. An "elevator speech" b. A video or podcast explaining their research c. A policy brief d. A press release e. A teaching module for K-12 students
Topical Outline
I. Distilling your message a. Identifying and understanding your audience i. General public ii. Policy makers and decision makers iii. K-12 iv. Scholars from other disciplines b. Tailoring your message for different audiences c. Written and oral communication II. Improvisation for scholars a. Improvisational theatre exercises III. Communicating to and through the media a. Traditional media i. Working with journalists effectively ii. Mock interviews for print and broadcast iii. Writing press releases b. Social media i. YouTube and podcasts ii. Blogging iii. Emerging media
Syllabus
Public CV