Several assigned readings are from the course textbook:
[Gregory] = Gregory, J., and S. Miller. Science in Public: Communication Culture and Credibility. New York, NY: Plenum Press, 1998. ISBN: 9780306458606.
| LEC # | TOPICS | READINGS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1: Principles (Weeks 1-4) | |||
| 1 | Why Bother with Science Communication? |
Gregory. Chapter 1. Thomas, G., and J. R. Durant. “Why should we promote the public understanding of science?” Scientific Literary Papers 1 (1987): 1-14. (PDF) (Courtesy of Dr. G. P. Thomas. Used with permission.) |
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| 2 | How Do Scientists Communicate with Each Other? |
Medawar, Sir Peter. “Is the scientific paper a fraud?” The Listener 70 (September 12, 1963): 377-378. (PDF) Watson, J. D., and F. H. C. Crick. “A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid.” Nature 171 (April 25, 1953): 737-738. (PDF) Watson, J. D. The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA. Riverside, NJ: Simon & Schuster, 2001. ISBN: 9780743216302. Ziman, J. M. “Community and Communications.” Chapter 6 in Public Knowledge: An Essay Concerning the Social Dimension of Science. London, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1968. ISBN: 9780521095198. |
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| 3 | How is Science Communicated to the Public? |
Gregory. Chapter 4. Hilgartner, S. “The Dominant View of Popularization: Conceptual Problems, Political Uses.” Social Studies of Science 20, no. 3 (1990): 519-539. |
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| 4 | Class Visit to the MIT Museum | ||
| 5 | Who’s on the Receiving End of Popular Science? |
Durant, J. R. “A New Agenda for the Public Understanding of Science.” (PDF) Durant, J. R., et al. “The Public Understanding of Science.” Nature 340 (July 6, 1989): 11-14. National Science Board. “Science and Technology: Public Attitudes and Understanding.” Chapter 7 in Science and Engineering Indicators 2004. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation, 2004. Wynne, B. “Public Understanding of Science.” In Handbook of Science and Technology Studies. Edited by S. Jasanoff, G. E. Markle, J. C. Petersen, and T. Pinch. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1994. ISBN: 9780803940215. |
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| Part 2: Practice (Weeks 5-10) | |||
| 6 |
Writing Science (Introduction) Science Journalism |
Gregory. pp. 104-120. Stocking, H. “How Journalists Deal With Scientific Uncertainty.” Chapter 2 in Communicating Uncertainty: Media Coverage of New and Controversial Science. Edited by S. M. Friedman, S. Dunwoody, and C. L. Rogers. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 1999. ISBN: 9780805827286. Einsiedel and Thorne. “Public Responses to Uncertainty.” Chapter 3 in Communicating Uncertainty. Rogers, C. “The Importance of Understanding Audiences.” Chapter 11 in Communicating Uncertainty. |
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| 7 | Science Essay Writing | Lightman, A. “Smile,” and “If birds can fly, why oh why can’t I?” In Dance for Two: Essays. New York, NY: Knopf, 1996. ISBN: 9780679758778. | |
| 8 |
Broadcasting Science (Introduction) Do Science Documentaries have a Future? |
Gregory. pp. 41-25 and 121-123. Silverstone, R. Framing Science: The Making of a BBC Documentary. London, UK: BFI Publishing, 1985, chapters 1, 4, and 5. ISBN: 9780851701653. |
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| 9 | Making Science Shows for Radio | Talk of the Nation: Science Friday, March 31, 2006 segments. Hour One: Avian Flu Vaccine / Sleep and Teens and Hour Two: SpaceX Setback / Prescription Drug Ads. | |
| 10 |
Exhibiting Science (Introduction) Creating Science Exhibits in the MIT Museum |
Durant, J. “The Challenge and the Opportunity of Presenting ‘Unfinished Science’.” Chapter 2 in Creating Connections: Museums and the Public Understanding of Current Research. Edited by D. Chittenden, G. Farmelo, and B. V. Lewenstein. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press, 2004. ISBN: 9780759104761. | |
| 11 | No Lecture | One-on-one mentoring sessions with students on their practical projects. | |
| Part 3: Case Studies (Weeks 11-14) | |||
| 12 | Case Study 1: The Cambridge Recombinant DNA Controversy |
Weiner, C. “The Recombinant DNA Controversy: Archival and Oral History Resources.” Science, Technology & Human Values 4, no. 26 (Winter 1979): 17-19. ———. “Historical perspectives on the recombinant DNA controversy.” In Recombinant DNA and Genetic Experimentation: Proceedings. Edited by J. Morgan and W. Whelan. Kidlington, UK: Pergamon Press, 1979. ISBN: 9780080244273. Wright, S. “Recombinant DNA Technology and Its Social Transformation, 1972-1982.” Osiris 2 (1986): 303-360. (2nd series.) Goodell, R. S. “Public Involvement in the DNA Controversy: The Case of Cambridge, Massachusetts.” Science, Technology & Human Values 4, no. 27 (Spring 1979): 36-43. |
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| 13 | Second MIT Museum Visit | ||
| 14 | Case Study 2: The GM Food Debate in the UK, 1994-2004 |
“Report of UK National Consensus Conference on Plant Biotechnology.” 1994. UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. “The Great GM Food Debate: A Survey of Media Coverage in the First Half of 1999.” Report 138, House of Commons, London, UK, May 2000. (PDF) GM Nation: This Web site documents the UK national public debate about GM food and GM crops organized in 2003. |
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| 15 | Case Study 3: Science, Communication and Celebrity: The Implosion of Korean Human Stem Cell Research |
Kolata, G. “Scandal for Cloning Embryos: ‘A Tragic Turn’ for Science.” New York Times, December 16, 2005. Wade, N., and Choe Sang-Hun. “Korean Research Was All Faked, Koreans Report.” New York Times, January 10, 2006. Wade, N. “Lowering Expectations at Science’s Frontier.” New York Times, January 15, 2006. |
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| 16 | Case Study 4: The Debate over ‘Intelligent Design’ |
Intelligent Design (Wikipedia entry) The Evolution Debate (New York Times coverage of Intelligent Design) |
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