HFMA00131U FM, Module 2: An Introduction to Science Communication CANCELLED

Scientific knowledge and research is everywhere in public life. We encounter science when we go to the doctor, decide whether or not to buy products with genetically modified foods in at the supermarket, or visit a university on Kulturnatten. These encounters between scientific knowledge and laypeople are becoming increasingly important as our society becomes ever more technologically advanced.

This course offers an introduction to the core theoretical concepts and key practices involved in communicating scientific knowledge and research to lay publics. The topics we will cover include:

• Science in the news: How is research reported? What defines what science gets into the mass media? What are the basic principles of science journalism?
• Science in museums: How is science presented in museums and science centres? What do visitors learn – or not – from experiences in museums?
• Science and democracy: Who should decide what kind of scientific research is prioritised? What does it mean to involve the public in scientific research and policy?
• Science communication research: How can science communication be studied? What methods can we use to better understand encounters between science and its publics?
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The course will mix theoretical and more applied components, including museum and gallery visits, exercises in science writing and blogging, and discussion of methodologies for analysing public encounters with science. We will draw on work in Science and Technology Studies, such as Critical Public Understanding of Science, in order to discuss how science communication is currently being theorised and analysed, as well as assessing how thinking from other fields – such as political theory, affect theory and organisation studies – can help develop new models and understandings of science communication.