Vorlesungsverzeichnis

Communication of Scientific Results (Seminar)

Dozent/in: Senan Gardiner

Termin:
wöchentlich | Donnerstag | 16:15 - 17:45 | 18.10.2021 - 04.02.2022 | C 40.254 Seminarraum

Inhalt: We live in a world inundated with scientific “facts” being presented in every news-story. Facts are facts, …right? Actually facts are often the stepping-off point to tell a narrative to shape people to one of many opinions. How then do we separate fact from opinion? How do we critically understand our research results and convey it to others? In this course we will look at the good, the bad and the downright ugly of science communication. Scientific study typically unveils complex processes and nuance, yet media runs on a cycle of short “soundbytes”. How then can we find a space to explain interesting findings without oversimplifying? We will explore examples from the research on the climate effects of planting 1 trillion trees to the infamous Lancet study supposedly linking autism and MMR vaccines (now retracted). Science communication is a booming field, and people want to understand more of the world around them. However it can be easy to mislead people with clickbait titles or scare them away with dense academic jargon. In this course we will try to find the line between the two and also investigate the relationship between science, media and society and its future. The module is also dedicated to practical issues such as the writing of press releases.

• Masterprogramm Sustainability: Nachhaltigkeitswissenschaft - Sustainability Science - Masterforum & Forschungsperspektiven - Communication of Scientific Results