230194 SE The relations of sciences and their publics (2010S)

In our contemporary society, good relations between science and the public are regarded as central. Science needs - so it is claimed - public support because politics has to justify immense public spending for science, technology and innovation and the acceptability of future applications is regarded as pivotal for the functioning of our markets.
Beyond that particular political and strategic perspective, there is also a series of other motives why science turns to the public and why the public engages with science, e.g., as entertainment, as personal education or as part of our cultural activities.

In this seminar, we will engage with these multi-faceted relations between science and its publics.
-We will encounter different formats of how science interacts with its publics, from awareness campaigns to public engagement events.
-We will deal with the different places where science meets it publics - media reporting, museums, exhibitions etc.

While this often regarded as a quite straight-forward and mundane activity, e.g. a newspaper reports on ('popularize') the latest scientific findings, there are many often implicit assumptions behind science communication which we will undertake to open up in this seminar. Thus, we will understand the communication of science and the public uptake of science as a genuine political process, by posing a set of questions:

- What are the different roles attributed to members of the public in the process in science communication and what implications follow from these roles? In what ways are publics and citizens constructed in science communication?
- What images of science(s) and scientists are performed in science communication and how do publics assemble their understanding of science?
- What are the different lines of developments in the area of science communication and public understanding of science, for example the more recent emphasis of public engagement and participation in science?

In this seminar, we will discuss these questions by the means of key literature in the field, national and international case studies as well as a planned 'field trip' to a science museum. The goal of the seminar is to provide conceptual means to develop own research questions and to acquire the ability to reflect on the field discussed.