Even a cursory glance at daily headlines reveals a plethora of social and societal issues in which scientific evidence is a core component. Dig a little deeper and it becomes clear that scientific evidence is often misunderstood, misused, misappropriated or ignored, especially in public and political domains. The consequences of this can range from the merely quirky to the manifestly dangerous.
Scientific evidence is increasingly wielded in arguments in the public domain, and the calls for ‘evidenced based decisions’ have never been so frequent, so broad, or so loud. To operate effectively in such an environment, today’s science communicators must be able to tell the difference between good research and bad, even if that research falls beyond their personal scientific skillset and experience.
They must possess the skills and knowledge to critique the evidence at the base of science-related issues affecting society today. In parallel, they need to understand, and be able to apply, science communication research to their own communication practice.
This course emphasizes the analysis, critique and communication of science and scientific evidence in the context of identifying, understanding and critiquing examples of social influence and change.
The course focuses on cases of critical societal challenges that have significant science bases such as
• Climate change
• Alternative energy
• Public health (e.g., vitamin supplements, vaccination, homeopathic remedies)
• Natural disaster mitigation and survival (e.g., bushfires, tsunamis)
• Health and safety legislation (e.g., illicit drugs, road safety, GM foods)
• The role of scientific research in society (e.g., curiosity driven versus applied)
To be able to successfully appraise the relative merits of evidence, both for scientific and science communication research, students in this course will be exposed to the philosophy and reasoning behind common quantitative and qualitative methods and methodological argument.
Scientific research, analysis and communication will be considered from the multiple, sometimes conflicting, perspectives of formal researchers, politicians, the media, and society at large.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Identify and judge the relative merits of evidence from basic qualitative and quantitative research techniques as they are applied in science and social science (science communication) research.
- Compare and critically evaluate the application of basic science and social science research techniques to communication aimed at effecting social change.
- Abstract and characterise key elements of science-based evidence underlying current ‘big’ social issues.
- Construct and defend evidence-based arguments for social change based on the most appropriate available evidence.
- Work as part of a team in a collaborative environment.
Work Integrated Learning
Projects
Students may engage with WIL partners (internal/external) as an element of the major group work assignment. This is not required and will be dictated by the topic a student group chooses to work on and the approach they take
Indicative Assessment
- Major Group Project Part A — individual progress report (30) [LO 1,2,3,5]
- Major Group Project Part B — major group project report. (35) [LO 3,4,5]
- 2 x in-class quizzes assignments (one worth 15%, the other worth 20%) (35) [LO 1,2]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
The expected workload will consist of approximately 130 hours throughout the semester including:
- Face-to face component which may consist of 2 x 1 hour lectures and 1 x 1 hour tutorial each week.
- Approximately 94 hours of self-directed study which will include preparation for lectures, tutorials, and assessment tasks.
Inherent Requirements
No specific inherent requirements have been identified for this course.
Prescribed Texts
N/A
Preliminary Reading
Throughout the course students will be directed to current web-based source material from the scholarly and grey literature as pertinent to the specific case studies being considered each week. In addition, an array of qualitative and quantitative methods text chapters and journal papers covering science communication and social research theory and practice, and statistical reasoning will be used.
Assumed Knowledge
NoneFees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7725 | 27 Jul 2026 | 03 Aug 2026 | 31 Aug 2026 | 30 Oct 2026 | In Person | N/A |