Science Communication in Psychology

Recommended Prerequisites

No specific prerequesites.

Teaching Methods

This Course Unit will take advantage of a very interactive teaching method, which stimulates student participation and reflection on the topics presented. There will be the development of group work as a response to challenges posed in the classroom environment, with constant monitoring of the teacher. The challenges in class will be complemented with individual and group work outside contact hours. One of the works will be presented to a jury composed of members of civil society (schools, non-profit associations, etc.).

Learning Outcomes

The student should get to know the importance of Science Communication for society and for his/her own career, being able to reflect on its definition, potential, why, who, where and when it should be developed and implemented. The student should get to know new forms and strategies of Science Communication that happen in the institution and in the region, drawing ideas for future activities to develop. You will understand the specificities of Science Communication in Psychology, its challenges, and approaches. You will learn how to adjust your language to different audiences, including how to use social media for Science Communication campaigns. Finally, you will be able to think and develop tasks and Science Communication in your projects and to summarize in three minutes what will be your master thesis. In parallel, the student will develop communication, synthesis, collaboration, and group work skills.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1) Science Communication: what, why, when, where, how and who?

2) Communication from theory to practice: examples of science communication for different audiences

3) Public understanding and social representations of psychological science and psychotherapy

4) Science communication in psychology: specific challenges and possible approaches

5) Practical and group challenges. a) adapting language to different audiences, b) planning and structuring a science communication project/task in their thesis projects through design thinking strategies, c) communicating with and for the media, d) creating social media campaigns, e) thesis pitch competition.

Head Lecturer(s)

Marco Daniel de Almeida Pereira

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Laboratory work or Field work: 25.0%
Project: 25.0%
Resolution Problems: 50.0%

Bibliography

Kappel K and Holmen SJ (2019) Why Science Communication, and Does It Work? A Taxonomy of Science Communication Aims and a Survey of the Empirical Evidence. Front. Commun. 4:55. doi: 10.3389/fcomm.2019.00055

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). Communicating Science Effectively: A Research Agenda. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/23674

Bauer P. J. (2020). A call for greater sensitivity in the wake of a publication controversy. Psychological Science, 31, 767–769. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620941482

Farr, R. (1993). Common sense, science and social representations. Public Understanding of Science 2 (3), 189. 10.1088/0963-6625/2/3/001

Lewis, Jr & Wai, J. (2021).Communicating what we know, and what isn’t so: Science Communication in Psychology. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16 (6) ,  https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620964062