Vorlesungsverzeichnis

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Veranstaltungen von Prof. Dr. Astrid Kause

Lehrveranstaltungen

Perception and communication of environmental risks: Psychological foundations (Seminar)

Termin:
wöchentlich | Donnerstag | 12:15 - 13:45 | 13.10.2025 - 30.01.2026 | C 6.026 Seminarraum

Inhalt: “Nothing can be said to be certain but death and taxes” wrote Benjamin Franklin just before the French Revolution. This ironic comment expresses that in our everyday lives, we permanently face risks, and associated uncertainties. Sometimes, however, people may not even notice. But, instead of facing risks or trying to understand their real nature, many people, including experts or politicians may fear what is not really dangerous, but ignore what may actually be harmful. Consequently, they avoid risks or even behave in ways that harm themselves or others. But, democratic systems require that individuals can understand risks, and make informed decisions about risks that harm themselves or the environments they rely on. Through the lens of sustainability psychology and related disciplines, we will first define what risk and uncertainty are for individuals, and look at theories for conceptualising risks. This extends to individual differences shaping risk perceptions, such as political affiliation, cultural worldviews, gender, or whether people have directly experienced floods, extreme heat or other hazards. Second, we will study how risks are communicated, namely how numbers, pictures and words shape perceptions and understanding. With this background, we’ll finally discuss why and how psychological research on risk perception and communication can help building a society which is capable to deal with environmental risks. The seminar will include topical sessions with student-led discussions, break-out groups and short presentations.

Applications from Communication Psychology: The Dissemination of Scientific Insights (Vorlesung)

Dozent/in: Astrid Kause

Inhalt: This course addresses why we should care about careful science communication. It first addresses different general aims of science communication. This includes whether and how others, such as the general German public – cares about science, how much people trust science and when and why it is warranted to trust science. We will then delve into the history of science communication, who started it, why, and in what parts of (historic) societies. We will discuss early formalised models from during and post Second World War times and reflect on what we can still learn from those for science communication today. We will then examine how to find out whether science communication is effective for connecting science and society, drawing on the ‚science of science communication’: The science of science communication offers guidance on how we can use empirical research methods, such as interviews, surveys and experiments for finding out about communication needs. Its’ aim is to find out what potential target audiences of science communication want and need to know, and peoples‘ so-called ‚mental models’ of how the world works; with the aim of making science communication more effective. This will be followed by an overview of ‚how to‘-communicate science. Starting with a granular focus, we will examine empirical research about the (effective) use of numbers, verbal language and graphs. We will then discuss the different channels that can be used for communicating science, such as personal conversations, press releases, online resources, talks, exhibitions, games, … The course ends with a view onto mis-and disinformation spread about science and on what we know about how to effectively counteract misinformation. Examples throughout the course will mostly relate to sustainability and health. Where possible, the course includes interactive elements, such as a workshop on how to talk about polarised scientific topics with skeptical peers, gamified approaches, and practical exercises for finding out whether communications are suitable for intended target audiences. Besides an exam, students will implement a small project on science communication. They are invited to start early on in the semester, so as to be able to seek feedback from others before the course ends.