Science Communication and Public Engagement

Catalog description

This course is an introduction to the principles and practices of communicating scientific and technological issues to public audiences, through interpersonal discussion, mass media, social media, and other means. It is open to students in all majors who want to deepen and broaden their understanding of how citizens make sense of science and technology in their everyday lives. The course features a mixture of theory-based readings and discussion with practical skill-building for communication in real-world contexts. Equal emphasis is given to humanities and social science perspectives. The application of communication concepts to controversial science contexts is emphasized, including case studies of issues such as GMOs, climate change, vaccines, and gene editing. Theoretical perspectives covered include argumentation and debate; audience analysis (through quantitative survey data and metrics); philosophy and ethics of communicating science; using narratives, framing, and metaphors to communicate science; and the cultural image of science in popular media.