scholarly journals Sensational Science A Rhetorical Analysis of Public Science Education in Entertainment Programming

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salman J. Qureshi
Keyword(s):  
Science Communication ◽  
Rhetorical Criticism ◽  
Rhetorical Analysis ◽  
Research Paper ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Television Programs ◽  
Scientific Content ◽  
Entertainment Media ◽  
Deficit Model ◽  
Scientific Authority

Film and television media’s adherence to the deficit model has been under scrutiny by science communication scholars for decades. This model suggests that building public trust in scientific authority is as simple as ‘dispensing’ scientific facts to a “scientifically illiterate general public” through mass media (Kirby, 2003). However, despite a virtual scholarly consensus that the deficit model is deepening the public’s misunderstanding of science/scientists, it remains relevant as a method for building trust in scientific authority (Kirby; Vidal, 2018). Using Sonja K. Foss’s generic rhetorical criticism methodology melded with rhetorical film criticism, this MRP assesses the narrative structures, tropes, and stylistic motivations that sustain the deficit model in modern entertainment media. Focusing on didactic scenes, this research paper identifies the rhetorical strategies deployed by the respective directors of the following films and television programs: Interstellar (2014), Stranger Things (2016), Event Horizon (1997), and Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980). The programming that this research paper explores were selected to represent a small sample of both accurate and inaccurate portrayals of theoretical science and to discover if their organizing principles adhere to the deficit model. For science communication scholars this research will highlight effective methodologies of communicating scientific content in narrative formats and serve as an important step in untangling the mystery of the deficit model’s longevity in popular media.

scholarly journals Sensational Science A Rhetorical Analysis of Public Science Education in Entertainment Programming

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salman J. Qureshi
Keyword(s):  
Science Communication ◽  
Rhetorical Criticism ◽  
Rhetorical Analysis ◽  
Research Paper ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Television Programs ◽  
Scientific Content ◽  
Entertainment Media ◽  
Deficit Model ◽  
Scientific Authority

Film and television media’s adherence to the deficit model has been under scrutiny by science communication scholars for decades. This model suggests that building public trust in scientific authority is as simple as ‘dispensing’ scientific facts to a “scientifically illiterate general public” through mass media (Kirby, 2003). However, despite a virtual scholarly consensus that the deficit model is deepening the public’s misunderstanding of science/scientists, it remains relevant as a method for building trust in scientific authority (Kirby; Vidal, 2018). Using Sonja K. Foss’s generic rhetorical criticism methodology melded with rhetorical film criticism, this MRP assesses the narrative structures, tropes, and stylistic motivations that sustain the deficit model in modern entertainment media. Focusing on didactic scenes, this research paper identifies the rhetorical strategies deployed by the respective directors of the following films and television programs: Interstellar (2014), Stranger Things (2016), Event Horizon (1997), and Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980). The programming that this research paper explores were selected to represent a small sample of both accurate and inaccurate portrayals of theoretical science and to discover if their organizing principles adhere to the deficit model. For science communication scholars this research will highlight effective methodologies of communicating scientific content in narrative formats and serve as an important step in untangling the mystery of the deficit model’s longevity in popular media.

The roles of rhetoric in the public understanding of science

1994 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan G. Gross
Keyword(s):  
Rhetorical Analysis ◽  
Public Understanding Of Science ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Contextual Model ◽  
Deficit Model ◽  
The Public ◽  
Science Rhetoric ◽  
Understanding Of Science ◽  
Social Scientific

In the public understanding of science, rhetoric has two distinct roles: it is both a theory capable of analysing public understanding and an activity capable of creating it. In its analytical role, rhetoric reveals two dominant models of public understanding: the deficit model and the contextual model. In the deficit model, rhetoric acts in the minor role of creating public understanding by accommodating the facts and methods of science to public needs and limitations. In the contextual model, rhetoric and rhetorical analysis play major roles. Rhetorical analysis provides an independent source of evidence to secure social scientific claims; in addition, it supplies the grounds for a rhetoric of reconstruction, one that reconstitutes the fact and facts of science in the public interest.

scholarly journals Science Slams as Edutainment: A Reception Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Niemann ◽  
Laura Bittner ◽  
Philipp Schrögel ◽  
Christiane Hauser
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Scientific Content ◽  
Explorative Study ◽  
Reception Study ◽  
Positive Sense ◽  
The Common ◽  
Scientific Value ◽  
Method Analysis

Science slams are a prominent form of science communication especially in Germany that seeks to entertain. While some view science slams as an excellent vehicle for disseminating knowledge, others argue that the imperative to entertain undermines the scientific value of this form of presentation. Drawing on empirical data from three science slam events, this explorative study examines how audiences and presenters perceive the science slam, particularly as it relates to entertainment and the communication of scientific knowledge. Our multi-method analysis includes audience surveys (n = 469), an eye-tracking study, and interviews with science slammers (n = 18). Our results show that the main reason audiences attend a science slam is for entertainment, yet they also have a strong interest in scientific content. Assessing the slammers’ aspirations concerning the audience, we find entertainment to be an important part, but the motivation to impart scientific knowledge is key for most. When asked to evaluate individual presentations (n = 20), spectators tended to rate both the entertainment and scientific value of the presentations as high. However, in terms of visual attention within individual presentations, spectators spent more time considering scientific content than entertainment content. Overall, we do not find evidence for the common claim that the focus on entertainment undermines the scientific value of science slam presentations—rather, entertainment and scientific content are combined to produce “edutainment” in a positive sense.

scholarly journals Science, Values, and Science Communication: Competencies for Pushing Beyond the Deficit Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 378-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherry Seethaler ◽  
John H. Evans ◽  
Cathy Gere ◽  
Ramya M. Rajagopalan
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Effective Communication ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Knowledge Transmission ◽  
Communication Research ◽  
Deficit Model ◽  
Communication Competencies

The deficit (knowledge transmission) model of science communication is widespread and resistant to change, highlighting the limited influence of science communication research on practice. We argue that scholar–practitioner partnerships are key to operationalizing science communication scholarship. To demonstrate, we present a transformative product of one such partnership: a set of ethics and values competencies to foster effective communication with diverse audiences about scientific research and its implications. The 10 competencies, focused on acknowledging values, understanding complexities of decision making, strategies to deal with uncertainty, and diversifying expertise and authority, provide a guiding framework for re-envisioning science communication professional development.

Muslim Perceptions of Biological Evolution: A Critical Review of Quantitative and Qualitative Research

2019 ◽  
pp. 147-170
Author(s):  
Jessica Carlisle ◽  
Salman Hameed ◽  
Fern Elsdon-Baker
Keyword(s):  
Science Communication ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Or Education ◽  
Deficit Model ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Research ◽  
Understanding Of Science ◽  
Science In Society

The topic of Muslims’ attitudes towards the theory of biological evolution has received increasing attention at the margins of the fields of public understanding of society, science communication or education and science in society. The methodology and methods employed in this work are primarily informed by research on attitudes towards evolution in the ‘West’, particularly in the US where the issue is highly politicized. Small, interview based qualitative and larger, survey based quantitative studies have explored degrees of acceptance or rejection of non-human and human evolution in a number of Muslim majority and Muslim minority contexts. The underlying rationale for these studies is often underpinned by a ‘deficit model’ in which Islam, or being Muslim, is usually posited as a particular obstacle to public understanding and acceptance of theory of evolution. This chapter summarizes these studies, analyzes the particularities of how deficit model approaches might be implicitly informing their findings, and reflects on the lack of reflexivity in much public understanding of science research on Muslim contexts.

Popular Culture and Religion in America

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn Schofield Clark ◽  
Seth M. Walker
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Cultural Representations ◽  
Television Programs ◽  
Religious Expression ◽  
Entertainment Media ◽  
Lifestyle Choices ◽  
Cultural Tensions ◽  
Justice Movements ◽  
Popular Television

“Popular culture” is a term that usually refers to those commercially produced items specifically associated with leisure, media, and lifestyle choices. To study religion in popular culture, then, is to explore religion’s appearance in the commercially produced artifacts and texts of a culture. The study of popular culture has been a catalyst of sorts in the context of studying religion. Some have speculated that with the increasing presence of religion in commercially produced products and specifically in the entertainment media, religion may be reduced to entertainment. Others, however, have argued that religion has always been expressed and experienced through contemporary forms of culture, and thus its manifestation in popular culture can be interpreted as a sign of the vitality rather than the demise or superficiality of contemporary religions. Popular culture is worthy of study given its role in cultural reproduction. The study of popular culture and religion encourages scholars to consider the extent to which popular cultural representations limit broader critical considerations of religion by depicting and reinforcing taken-for-granted assumptions of what religion is, who practices it and where, and how it endures as a powerful societal institution. Alternately, popular culture has been explored as a site for public imaginings of how religious practices and identities might be different and more inclusive than they have been in the past, pointing toward the artistic and playful ways in which popular religious expression can comment upon dominant religion, dominant culture, and the power relations between them. With the rise of an ubiquitous media culture in which people are increasingly creators and distributors as well as consumers and modifiers of popular culture, the term has come to encompass a wide variety of products and artifacts, including those both commercially produced and generated outside of traditional commercial and religious contexts. Studies might include explorations of religion in such popular television programs as Orange Is the New Black or in novels such as The Secret Life of Bees, but might also include considerations of how religion and popular culture intersect in practices of Buddhism in the virtual gaming site Second Life, in the critical expressions of Chicana art, in the commercial experiments of Islamic punk rock groups, and in hashtag justice movements. The study of religion and popular culture can be divided into two major strands, both of which are rooted in what is known as the “culture and civilization tradition.” The first strand focuses on popular culture, myth, and cultural cohesion or continuity, while the second explores popular culture in relation to religion, power, and cultural tensions.

Strategies for inclusive and safe education using virtual reality: from the digital library perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 216-226
Author(s):  
Lourdes Díaz-López ◽  
Javier Tarango Ortiz ◽  
Claudia-Patricia Contreras
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Digital Library ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Scientific Culture ◽  
Scientific Content ◽  
Educational Activities ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This paper aims to propose the development of formal (scientific content) and informal (content for science communication) educational activities in an inclusive and safe way, involving two essential elements, virtual reality (VR) and the digital library; as well as the implications for its enforcement such as educational strategies in the university setting and for the encouragement of scientific culture in society. Design/methodology/approach For the integration of content, a simplified conceptual model was designed first, in which universities and research centers are seen as complex systems where different subsystems, from which processes and information resources are derived, converge. To cover the model’s elements, a descriptive documentary review was developed, looking to synthesize each element’s contexts and implications. Findings The need to establish transdisciplinary relationships between the VR and the digital library is determined with the goal to integrate educational activities using technology, with the purpose of studying contents from the scientific point of view, as well as with the possibility of transforming them into contexts of general access for society, with the objective of social appropriation of knowledge, citizen science and social innovation. In the conclusion section, some implications in the implementation of this type of initiatives are presented. Originality/value The aspects that set this paper apart are: treating VR as emerging documents tending to measure their direct impact, not as isolated elements of a collection; identifying the digital library’s social influence actions through VR; and generating processes to encourage the creation of contents with a differentiated focus according to the population served.

The lure of rationality: Why does the deficit model persist in science communication?

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 400-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly J. Simis ◽  
Haley Madden ◽  
Michael A. Cacciatore ◽  
Sara K. Yeo
Keyword(s):  
Science Communication ◽  
Deficit Model

scholarly journals Environmental Science Communication for a Young Audience: A Case Study on the #EarthOvershootDay Campaign on YouTube 🎬🌎

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lena Kaul ◽  
Philipp Schrögel ◽  
Christian Humm
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Environmental Science ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Environmental Communication ◽  
Practical Implementation ◽  
Scientific Content ◽  
Sustainability Challenges

Addressing global sustainability challenges such as climate change in democratic societies requires thorough political and societal debates. Science and environmental communication is needed to inform these debates. However, not all parts of society are equally reached by traditional science communication. In particular young people, especially without academic background, are often left out. The cooperation of science communicators with influencers on the video platform YouTube can be a way to convey scientific information and raise awareness for environmental issues with new young audiences. This case study looks at three videos from the campaign #EarthOvershootDay on YouTube by the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) Germany and the educational initiative MESH Collective. The focus of the analysis lies on the established success factors of communication through influencers—specifically authenticity, comprehensibility and storytelling—and how they play out in detail in the three exemplary videos. Besides the analysis of the videos, the study is corroborated by interviews with the producers and a comment analysis in order to include the perspective of the viewers. Our analysis confirms previous findings on science communication with influencers and illustrates the practical implementation of these findings. It shows that authenticity is a central aspect which is not disturbed through the presentation of scientific content. The storytelling approaches are tailored to the respective influencer and their style. The language and structure of the videos are simple and comprehensible, scientific arguments focus on selected aspects and are tied to examples from everyday life. The comments by the users support these findings with the majority of comments addressing the three aspects of our analysis being positive. However, evidence for an in-depth engagement with the scientific contents could not be found in the comments. The stated goal of the campaign to reach educationally disadvantaged young people was only reached to a limited degree according to the assessment of the producers. Additionally, the views of two of the three videos remained below the average for the respective channel. Taken together this indicates that cooperation with influencers might not be an “all-purpose tool” guaranteeing success for science communication.

The Effects of Establishing Intimacy and Consubstantiality on Group Discussions About Climate Change Solutions

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 369-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Frances Bloomfield ◽  
Lyn M. Van Swol ◽  
Chen-Ting Chang ◽  
Stephanie Willes ◽  
Paul Hangsan Ahn
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Rhetorical Analysis ◽  
Word Count ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Change Communication ◽  
Climate Change Information ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Linguistic Inquiry ◽  
The Many

The many obstacles to productive climate change communication necessitate new approaches. Based on science communication strategies that promote engagement rather than knowledge transfer, we assigned participants ( N = 329) to randomized chat groups that discussed similarities between group members (intimacy condition) or information about climate change (information condition). This study combined Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) and rhetorical analysis and found that groups in the intimacy condition were more likely to exhibit commonality than groups in the information condition. This study offers practical strategies for having productive discussions on controversial scientific topics such as climate change.

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