Program Overview

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Science and Technology Communication

Course Content

The global problems we face, such as climate change, the biodiversity crisis, or habitat loss, call for a new agenda for science and technology communication. This course addresses that agenda in two ways:

1. It prepares students to communicate advanced science and technology content in ways that can engage diverse audiences in addressing these challenges.
2. It qualifies students to work with the communication and dissemination of complex and interdisciplinary scientific and technological content in a research-based way.

The course has both theoretical and practical components, and prepares students both for their future career pathway and for project-based work in their study programme. The course gives students a solid foundation to be able to convey scientific and technological knowledge to various target groups in a number of different formats, but also to critically reflect on and evaluate scientific communication and dissemination at the crossroads between researchers, decision-makers, and the public.

The course is structured in a series of themes that reflect different dissemination media (e.g., executive summaries, exhibitions, popular science articles) and target audiences (decision-makers, conspiracy theorists, etc.). Students and their interdisciplinary group work in-depth with the themes through short weekly assignments, where they independently use and reflect on concrete communication tools. Each assignment typically has both a design and an evaluation perspective, so that both theory and practice come into play.

The course addresses Sustainable Development Goal #4 (Quality Education) and #13 (Climate Action), and addresses aspects of goals #10 (Reduced Inequalities), #16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), and #17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Education

• MSc Programme in Biology with a minor subject
• MSc Programme in Climate Change

Learning Outcome

Knowledge

By participating in the course, students acquire knowledge about:

• How to make science and technology communication engaging and relevant in the current context of global sustainability problems
• The characteristics and challenges of communicating scientific and technological processes and products in the current context of global sustainability problems
• The characteristics of different target audiences' requirements for and expectations of science and technology communication in the current context of global sustainability problems
• Relevant communication formats and their characteristics in the current context of global sustainability problems

Skills

By participating in the course, students acquire the skills to:

• Communicate science and technology in writing, orally, and visually at the intersection between science and society
• Reflect on how communication can be used strategically
• Identify and relate to epistemological orientations and other characteristics of specific target audiences

Competencies

By participating in the course, students acquire the competencies to:

• Reflect on challenges and opportunities for the communication of advanced content matter at the intersection between science and society
• Identify the essential science and technology content (knowledge, methods, practices) for various target audiences
• Select and transform science and technology content for specific target audiences based on insight into the audience's prior knowledge, preferences, and requirements
• Design accurate, credible, and engaging communication products
• Critically evaluate science and technology communication and formulate constructive feedback

Teaching and Learning Methods

The teaching is structured as an interaction between workshops, professional presentations, group work, and individual work with examples and problems drawn from the course's themes. A crucial part of the course objectives are achieved by participating actively in the teaching and in the exercises.

Literature

The teaching materials consist of selected texts and audio/visual material, which will be made available online.

Recommended Prerequisites

Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree are recommended.

Remarks

This course replaces the discontinued course NNDK17001U Naturvidenskabelig formidling.

Exam

• ECTS: 7.5 ECTS
• Type of assessment: Oral exam on basis of previous submission, 30 minutes (30-minute preparation time)
• Type of assessment details: At the exam, one of the five submitted assignments is drawn, as well as a supplementary question. The assignment and the question are the basis of the exam, and are presented and discussed by the student.
• Participants must have handed in five of seven written assignments in order to take part in the oral exam. The assignments must be completed in groups.
• Aid: All aids allowed except Generative AI
• Marking scale: 7-point grading scale
• Censorship form: No external censorship, several internal examiners
• Re-exam: Same as the ordinary exam, i.e., participants must have handed in five assignments no later than three weeks before the re-exam. The assignment can be handed in individually for the re-exam.

Criteria for Exam Assessment

In order to achieve the grade 12, the student must be able to convincingly and precisely demonstrate knowledge, skills, and competences as described under the learning outcomes.

Course Type

Single subject courses (day)

Workload

• Category: Lectures
• Hours: 14
• Preparation: 146
• Practical exercises: 45
• Exam: 1
• English: 206

Kursusinformation

• Language: English
• Course number: NNDK24000U
• ECTS: 7.5 ECTS
• Programme level: Full Degree Master
• Duration: 1 block
• Placement: Block 2
• Schedule group: B
• Capacity: 60

Study Board

• Study Board for the Biological Area

Contracting Department

• Department of Science Education
• The Natural History Museum of Denmark

Contracting Faculty

• Faculty of Science

Course Coordinator

• Marianne Achiam

Timetable

• 25E-B2-2; Hold 01; Science and Technology Communication

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