90044 - Science, Communication and Society (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course the student will have acquired a thorough knowledge of the main topics concerning the role of science and technology in contemporary society. He/she will be able to discuss them effectively both orally and in writing, using the appropriate terminology and with suitable bibliographic references. He/she will develop the ability to assess the different means of communication in science, pseudoscience and fake news. He/she will develop professional skills in writing reviews, articles and essays.

Course contents

Course Title: Science, pseudoscience, fake news, and conspiracy theories

The course will provide an overview of how science communicates results and why citizens are often misinformed about it. We will show that humanities play a crucial role in considering ways of making science accessible to the general public. The course will focus specifically on the relationship between science, popular science and journalism. We will analyse research areas which are particularly important to understand the diffusion of pseudoscience and conspiracy theories. We will study how to verify the sources of scientific and historical information. Journalists and experts in the field will partecipate to the course.

Contents of the course:

First module (Lessons 1-15): science and society, communication, fake news, pseudoscience, conspiracy theories.

Second Module (Lessons 16-24): creationism and evolution. 

Readings/Bibliography

Attending students:

1) M. Ciardi, Galileo e Harry Potter. La magia può aiutare la scienza?, Roma, Carocci, 2014.

2) M. Ciardi, Breve storia delle pseudoscienze, Milano, Hoepli, 2021.

Foreign students do not have to write papers for the exam. They will be required to carry out other tasks.

 

Non-attending students:

1) M. Ciardi, Galileo e Harry Potter. La magia può aiutare la scienza?, Roma, Carocci, 2014.

2) M. Ciardi, Breve storia delle pseudoscienze, Milano, Hoepli, 2021.

3) S. Fuso, Le ragioni della scienza, Roma, C1V, 2018.

4) Evoluzione e creazionismo: il dibattito dopo Darwin, a cura di A. Ottaviani, Roma Carocci, 2017.

Foreign students do not have to write papers for the exam. They will be required to carry out other tasks.

 

 

 

Teaching methods

Teaching methods will include traditional lectures, open discussions, and presentation of papers by the students. Course attendance is strongly recommended.

Assessment methods

Students who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending.

The exam will take the form of an oral discussion. The student will be assessed according to the knowledge acquired, the ability to provide a clear summary of the topics covered, and critical handling of the material. The student will be expected to refer to both the exam bibliography and the texts read and discussed during the lectures.

The assessment will depend particularly on: 1) skill displayed in handling the sources and material in the exam bibliography; 2) ability to find and use information and examples to illustrate and correlate the various themes and problems addressed in the course.

Top marks will be awarded to a student displaying an overall understanding of the topics discussed during the lectures, combined with a critical approach to the material and a confident and effective use of the appropriate terminology.
Average marks will be awarded to a student who has memorized the main points of the material and is able to summarise them satisfactorily and provide an effective critical commentary, while failing to display a complete command of the appropriate terminology. A student will be deemed to have failed the exam in the case of  significant shortcomings. 

Evaluation levels:

30 cum laude: excellent performance showing soundness of knowledge, rich discursive articulation, appropriate expression, interest of critical contribution;

30: Excellent performance, complete, and appropriate knowledge, well-articulated and appropriately expressed, with interesting critical contributions;

29-27: Good performance, more than satisfactory knowledge, correct expression.

26-24: Standard performance, essential knowledge, but not comprehensive and / or not always correctly expressed;

23-21: Sufficient performance, general but superficial knowledge; often inappropriate expression and/or confused articulation of speech;

20-18: Poor performance, sufficient expression and articulation of speech with significant gaps;

< 18: Insufficient performance, knowledge absent or very incomplete, lack of orientation in the discipline, poor and seriously flawed expression.

Teaching tools

Teaching tools will include power points, web sources.

Office hours

See the website of Marco Ciardi