Course Description
The practice of communicating scientific learning within disciplines, across disciplines, and to lay audiences. The course is designed to equip students in the natural and social sciences with the skills necessary to bring scientific information to professional audiences and to the general public through the spoken word. In addition to basics of organizing and clarifying a scientific presentation, research findings in areas such as risk perception, numeracy, uncertainty management, and visual argument will be presented.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will do the same reading and assignments as
undergraduate students PLUS the following
1) An Audience Research Project: Each graduate student will
design an audience research project to identify audience
knowledge and attitude change based on a science-based message
(students will be able to choose either a public- or expert-
focused message).
2) A Literature Update on a Related Subspecialty Area: A 5-page
literature summary with an annotated bibliography. Sample
topics might include literatures on “how lay people cognitively
or emotively process graphs vs. tables,” “impacts of tertiary
orality on attention to health communication,” “how scientists
read scientific literatures,” “changing norms in technical
presentations in X field,” “adult science education in X
field,” etc.
3) Additional Assigned Readings
Athena Title
SCI COMM
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
The main objective of this course is to prepare science majors for the roles they will play in their professional lives as public communicators of science. They will develop these skills mainly by engaging in communication exercises--the presentation of scientific research to their in-class audience. To prepare them for this, the students will be required to learn some basic principles of rhetorical (public) communication. They will also examine through theory and criticism some of the special difficulties that are posed by scientific communication. In particular, students will: 1. Improve abilities at developing and presenting oral research presentations for expert audiences. 2. Improve abilities at communicating research orally to the lay public. 3. Improve understanding of the character, forces and dynamics involved in popular representations of science so as to make better practical and ethical judgments of social issues related to science.
Topical Outline
I. Giving a research talk to other researchers Organizing for a scientific audience Making expert arguments Focus in science Language use in science Delivery and communication apprehension Visual aids and presentational software II. Giving a Speech on a Scientific Topic to a General (Public) Audience Focusing a scientific argument for the general public Organization for publics Broadening the purpose for public presentations; Social and ethical issues Delivery Language: Inclusion, clarity, and translational issues What do lay people know/believe: Using web-based resources to ascertain public knowledge on a scientific subject Risk perception Numeracy Issues III. Public Representations of Science Overview of Perspectives on new coverage of health Disaster and risk; Ethical and socio-cultural issues Science on the web: Issues of Authority and Trust Infotainment: Stereotypes and information The Government's role in public science Applied Science: Science in Commercial Advertisements, Weather coverage, and science fiction Course activities: Students will deliver one speech designed for other scientists, using presentational software. Students will do a web-based project including reflective judgments of representations of sciences and the issues which the representations address.
Syllabus