B6992 - EDUCAZIONE E CITTADINANZA SCIENTIFICA

Learning outcomes

The aim of the course is to acquire the fundamentals of the concepts of "Citizenship Education" and "Civic Education", with particular reference to Citizen Science and "Participatory Science". At the end of the course, the student will have acquired some basic cognitive tools for the construction of the principle of "Scientific Citizenship", which includes various ways and different levels of citizen involvement in scientific research and political decisions, with repercussions on the social life of a country and with consequences in relationships with others and with the environment. The principle responds to the need to develop scientific literacy and critical thinking in citizens, therefore new forms of citizenship that can contribute to achieving a democratization of the relationships between the public and scientists, science and society. In particular, the aim of the course is to build new rights and new forms of socialization of science and production of knowledge, in a perspective of democratic coexistence. Students will learn to recognize the fundamental role of formal (School and University) and non-formal education situations, therefore innovative teaching actions, based on the active role of students, and opportunities for public communication of science based on the participation and commitment of citizens.

Course contents

Brief theoretical framework with reference to three protagonists of the educational reflection of the twentieth century: Maria Montessori, a scientist who believed in science as a tool for autonomy and self-determination; Lorenzo Milani, a teacher who fought for everyone's right to education; Alberto Manzi, the first television popularizer and innovative teacher.

Scientific Literacy and Scientific Citizenship.

Public Communication of Science today.

Civic education and citizenship education in Italian schools.

Readings/Bibliography

Corazza L. (2024). Per una cittadinanza scientifica. Milano: Morcelliana.

Teaching methods

Participatory lesson

Group brainstorming

Classroom pair activities and real-life tasks

Laboratory for designing informative and/or educational activities

Assessment methods

The assessment is done through an oral discussion in which students will present a topic of their choice chosen from those covered and a science communication project related to it. The projects are prepared in the classroom with work in pairs, according to the proposed model available in Virtual.

Non-attending students can present an individual work or join remotely with someone who attends.

Teaching tools

All materials used in class (videos, presentations, articles) are available in Virtuale.

The teaching adheres to the blended-learning experiment and therefore uses the Teams platform for any remote connections.

We will use free online graphic design tools such as Canva and social media for scientific dissemination.

For non-attending students: the structured material available in Virtuale is designed for self-learning, to meet the needs of students who are unable to attend lessons in person. Reading the text in the bibliography is also recommended.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Laura Corazza