Contents:
While sustainability is the most intractable and daunting challenge of our generation, it is less clear how to communicate, engage, empower and use science and innovation responsibly. Communicating for sustainability used to be considered a straight-forward affair: a matter of providing the public with scientific information. Yet, this 'information deficit' model proved elusive. Sustainability came to be recognised as a ‘wicked’ problem with no single solution and with equally legitimate definitions, each shaped by different values and producing different outcomes. In this course we provide students with concepts and methods to explore the challenge of communicating for sustainability and responsible innovation. Across the six lectures we explore the need for reframing environmental communication, for dialogue and co-design, and for transformative, system-wide and integrative approaches. To give the course a practical edge, we deliver six skills sessions that enable students in small groups to develop their own focus group project on a “wicked” sustainability challenge of their own choice recruiting fellow WUR students as participants (from outside the course). Learning and developing skills of focus group design, active listening, small group moderation and analysis we explore how the views, values and expectations of citizens can co-produce new approaches for communicating a 'wicked' sustainability challenge.
Learning outcomes:
After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- explain social science concepts and theories on communication for sustainability;
- explain social science concepts and theories on responsible research and innovation;
- apply social science concepts and theories to the course profile;
- design and carry out a public engagement focus group project;
- design a communication strategy using the results of empirical research.
