Science Communication: Culture

This subject is not offered in 2014.

125 hours.

Attendance at all classes (tutorial/seminars/practical classes/lectures/labs) is obligatory. Failure to attend 80% of classes will normally result in failure in the subject.

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For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Objectives, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and the Disability Liaison Unit: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject examines the intersection between science and culture as it experienced and communicated by individuals, groups and institutions. Science communication is critical in these present times, for educators, media specialists, scientists, businesses and industries and for every citizen. At a time when there is increased participation in communication through personal, social and mobile technologies, an understanding of both your place and potential as an interpreter and communicator of science is essential. This course will provide you with the benefits of skills that will assist you to interrogate our contemporary culture and the place of science within it. These skills would include the means by which to question and respond to the communication challenges inherent in such agendas as the promotion of science, the constructing of public awareness and knowledge of science and the developments of critical, scientifically literate citizens. While this subject has its starting point in the world out there, it culminates in a personal understanding of your own capacities and opportunities in the field of science communication.

At the conclusion of this subject students will be able to :

• Identify and communicate an understanding of the cultural factors that impact on everyone’s daily perspectives and experiences of science;
• Demonstrate an understanding of the interactions between science cultures and everyday science;
• Utilise a theoretical framework that critical interrogates the issues arising from the place of science in our culture.

There are four (4) assessment tasks:

• 3 minor essays (each 500 words and worth 10%) due in weeks 2, 5 and 8
• 1 major essay (3,500 words, 70%) due at end of semester

Stocklmayer, S.M., Gore, M.M., & Bryant, C. (Eds.). (2001) Science communication in theory and practice. Dordrecht: Kluwer.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of this subject students will have the knowledge, skills and understandings to enable them to:

• Use reflection to inform and refine their everyday practices;
• Be skilled communicators who can effectively articulate and justify their practices as knowledgeable agents of change;
• Value the use of research evidence as a basis for enhancing their practices;
• Cooperatively work in teams to achieve realistic, negotiated outcomes and goals;
• Communicate their personal and social values appropriately and effectively in a range of contexts.