Building Scientist Citizens: Integrating the Humanities in the Communication of Science and Technology

FAIN: AKA-270097-20

Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN 37203-2416)
Bonnie Dow (Project Director: September 2019 to present)
David W. Wright (Co Project Director: March 2020 to present)

Faculty and curriculum development to create new core courses for an undergraduate program in communication of science and technology.

Vanderbilt University proposes a Humanities Connections planning grant in order to revise the curriculum for our Communication of Science and Technology (CSET) undergraduate program. The revision’s goal is the creation of a core curriculum for the CSET major comprised of courses that integrate humanistic approaches to science communication. Vanderbilt’s CSET program is unique in that it serves students with a strong background in science and it is designed to provide them with the humanistic knowledge and skills to communicate effectively about scientific issues with diverse publics. However, CSET currently only has one fully integrated core course, the introduction to the major. Our goal of creating a core curriculum of 3-4 courses that integrate humanistic modes of thinking with an education in science will enable more effective communication with audiences beyond the scientific arena, potentially influencing public opinion and public policy related to science-based issues.