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Innovative Methods in Science Communication and Society

Vak
2024-2025

Admission Requirements

Innovative Methods in Science Communication and Society is a 13-week course which is part of the Science Communication and Society specialisation. The course is open to MSc students from the Faculty of Science and to MSc students in the Biomedical Sciences programme of LUMC. Other students who are interested in following this course, should contact their own study advisor for permission.

NOTE:

  • This course replaces the course Scientific Narration and Visualization (4603SCNV3Y)*

  • There is a limited amount of spots for students who want to follow this course as an elective course and are not following the SCS specialisation. Make sure to register in time to obtain a spot in the course.*

Please apply for this course through this registration form.

Description

In this course Innovative methods in Science Communication and Society you will explore the various ways in which science communication practice and research play a role in society. You will learn about the roles you can take in the interaction between science and society. You will explore the evidence-based development of science communication products. During this course the social, cultural, environmental and ethical considerations in science communication will be discussed through various assignments. By analyzing the intersection between the theory and practice of science communication, you are encouraged to reflect on your own view about the field and its challenges, as well as assessing your skills and future career options.

Course Objectives

After completion of Innovative Methods in Science Communication and Society students are able to:

  • Critically reflect on the roles one can take in the interaction between science and society.

  • Analyze social, cultural, environment and ethical dilemmas within science communication research and practice.

  • Develop innovative communication strategies, such as strengthening a dialogue, based on a critical analysis of the discourse surrounding a certain scientific topic.

  • Develop skills and adequate theoretical knowledge on visual science communication method and strategies.

  • Link science communication leading theories and practices to future career paths.

Timetable

Preliminary schedule: Classes will take place on Tuesday morning 09:15 -12h from September 3rd - November 26th, 2024. Tuesday afternoons (13:15 - 16h) are blocked for assignments and workshops. Room schedule will follow.

In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.

Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.

Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.

Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.

Mode of Instruction

In this course we will make use of various modes of instruction, such as lectures, guest lectures, workshops, individual assignments and group work.

Assessment Method

  • You will answer questions on your motivations and expectations of the semester, taking ownership of your trajectory (pass/fail)

  • In groups, you will analyse a case study on science communication in activism (40%)

  • In pairs, you will redesign a poster based on the obtained knowledge on visual communication (30%)

  • You will write a reflection report on your learning trajectory of the semester (30%)

Reading List

Reading material will be provided via Brightspace.

Registration

As a student, you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.

In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.

There are two enrolment periods per year:

  • Enrolment for the fall opens in July

  • Enrolment for the spring opens in December

See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.

Note:

  • It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.

  • Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.

  • Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.

**Please apply for this course through this registration form. **

Contact

For any information regarding this course or the SCS specialisation in general you can contact our department through: infoscs@biology.leidenuniv.nl.

Remarks

Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.