A Preliminary Report on the Cases for Teaching Responsible Communication of Science Project
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The Department of English seeks to provide all university students with the skills of effective communication and critical thinking, as well as imparting knowledge of literature, creative writing, linguistics, speech and technical communication to students within and outside of the department.
History
The Department of English and Speech was formed in 1939 from the merger of the Department of English and the Department of Public Speaking. In 1971 its name changed to the Department of English.
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1939-present
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- Department of English and Speech (1939-1971)
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- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (parent college)
- Department of English (predecessor, 1898-1939)
- Department of Public Speaking (predecessor, 1898-1939)
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Abstract
As scientists heed the call to achieve broader impacts for their work, they will leave their labs and begin to communicate with more diverse, non-expert audiences. To accomplish this, scientists will undoubtedly need help in developing their skills of effective communication. But they also need opportunities to reflect on the roles they may appropriately play in public life, on the responsibilities they are undertaking when they address publics, and on the ideals of good communication to which they are committed. In short, they need help in developing their principles for science communication ethics. Our interdisciplinary team at Iowa State University is developing nine case studies of science communication ethics in order to promote better communication training for STEM graduate students as well as to advance scholarship in the area. In this report, we outline the first three cases, focused on a public statement regarding climate change, on the publication of preliminary but highly policy-relevant results, and on the drafting of a press release for a controversial study.
Comments
This is a chapter from Ethical issues in science communication: A theory-based approach (2013), 71. Posted with permission.