Gwybodaeth Modiwlau
Module Identifier
ED32920
Module Title
THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE
Academic Year
2011/2012
Co-ordinator
Semester
Intended for use in future years
Other Staff
Course Delivery
Assessment
Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
---|---|---|
Semester Assessment | 2,500 word assignment | 25% |
Semester Assessment | Oral presentation (10-15 minutes) | 25% |
Semester Exam | 2 Hours WRITTEN EXAMINATION | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Critically discuss and compare the promotion of science in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Critically examine the status of science in the public sphere.
Critically discuss the benefits that might accrue from the public understanding of science.
Draw on significant scientific developments in order to frame arguments for and against having a scientifically educated public.
Analyse the impact of science on technology.
Elucidate the ethical challenges of emerging science research.
Describe and critique PUOS policies and initiatives.
Brief description
Through a series of lectures and workshops, this module will provide learners with an insight into why the public understanding of science is important. It will address the current policies, activities and obstacles associated with producing a scientifically educated public. Using key scientific developments in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as examples, there will be an examination of the way science has been presented in the public arena, and how this has changed.
Content
This module will cover the following topics:
- Why promote the public understanding of science? Exemplified by current issues
- The historical perspective: popularizing science in the nineteenth century
- Key scientific developments in the twentieth century, for example Flemming and penicillin, Watson and Crick and
DNA, Hawking and the origin of the universe
- Perception of scientists by the public
- Arts vs Science - separation of the two cultures ( C P Snow)
- Informal science education, a historical perspective
- The impact of science on technology: the industrial revolution; the computer revolution; biotechnology
- Key issues in biotechnology: the status of the science in the public sphere and problems encountered
- The ethical challenges of emerging research in science
- How science is presented to the public today and its role in the political processes both at local and national levels
- Dilemmas and the way ahead
- UK policy and PUOS initiatives.
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6