SEMINAR SERIES: COMMUNICATING SCIENCE TO THE PUBLIC

COURSE SYLLABUS

DATES AND TIME OFFERED

Six three-hour sessions in10/17, 10/24, 10/31, 11/7, 11/14, 11/28.

COURSE CO-DIRECTORS

Evonne Kaplan-Liss MD, MPH, FAAP

Tel: (631) 444-2288
Office hours: By appointment, HSC-3 RM 079 / Elizabeth Bass, MPH

Tel: (631) 632-1162
Office hours: By appointment, Melville N4016

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The format of this course consists of six 3-hour lecture/workshop sessions, one session a week for six weeks (for a total of 18 hours in class) plus assignments outsideof class.This elective offers a series of seminars and workshops for health professionals who want to communicate more effectively about health science with the public, public officials, the media, potential funders and employers, as well as colleagues in other disciplines. Session topicsinclude:

Session 1: Improvisation for Scientists – 10/17

This part of the course uses improvisational theater techniques to help learners be more direct and dynamically responsive communicators. This is not about acting; it’s about helping current and future scientists and health professional connect with their audiences. Science graduate students who had several sessions of improvisation reported communicating better as teachers, students and family members.

Session 2: Distilling Your Message – 10/24

Learners will be introduced to basic principles of clear communication as part of learning to speak clearly and vividly about science in ways a lay audience can understand and appreciate. Learners will start by crafting a short, clear, engaging statement about their work and why it matters. The focus will be put on helping learners communicate at different levels of complexity to different kinds of audiences.

Session 3: Writing for the Public – 10/31

Learners will practice writing about scientific and health material clearly and vividly, in ways non-scientists can understand. They will learn to use analogies and examples to illuminate unfamiliar concepts, practice using numbers clearly, and learn to introduce complexity gradually, to avoid overwhelming the reader while not “dumbing down” their material.

Session 4: Connecting With the Community – 11/7

Learners will practice communication techniques that incorporate cultural competency and health literacy concepts to reach and mobilize the community and key stakeholders on health-related issues.

Session 5: Using Digital Media – 11/14

Learners will understand how to use blogs, podcasts, Twitter and other forms of social media for two-way communication with different segments of the public, including colleagues in other disciplines.

Session 6: Improvisation Revisited - 11/28

In this culminating session, learners revisit some of the exercises from the first session, bringing to bear the new techniques they have learned and becoming aware of the progress they have made. This session includes resources for learners to continue working on their communication skills.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate the ability to speak clearly and vividly about science in ways a lay audience can understand and appreciate.
  • Demonstrate the ability to write more effectively about their work for the public, public officials, the media, potential funders and employers, as well as colleagues in other health care disciplines.
  • Develop the ability to connect with an audience, colleagues, patients, friends or any partners in communication in a spontaneous, direct, personal and responsive way.
  • Use social media and new technology to communicate with patients and with the larger public.
  • Use communication techniques that incorporate cultural competency and health literacy concepts to reach and mobilize the community and key stakeholders on health-related issues.

READING AND ASSIGNMENTS

No textbook is used. Some recommended books and other resources are listed on Blackboard. Readings and assignments will be posted on Blackboard or distributed as handouts.

For current examples of good science communication, some likely sources are The New York Times science section on Tuesdays; the NPR radio show Science Friday, with a website at and the Scientific American site at Interesting science blogs can be found at the PLoS Blog Network ( ScienceBlogs ( and

GRADINGAND EVALUATION

Pass/Fail. Passing grade depends on mandatory attendance for all sessions and satisfactory participation in seminar sessions and workshops. Instructors will evaluate each work product from each session (improvisation participation, distilled message, oral message, written statement, multi-media participation) using a standard form that instructors will fill out.Final written feedback will be given in by course-directors with a pass/fail grade at the end of the course.