Teaching

This course explores the spread and effects of misinformation related to scientific topics. We cover four units: defining and identifying misinformation, disinformation, & fake news; social and psychological reasons why we are susceptible to misinformation and false beliefs; the roles of traditional journalism, the internet, and social media in creating and spreading misinformation; correction strategies and efforts to reduce the spread of misinformation.

This class explores health communication theories and applications. One of our primary goals in this seminar is to incorporate theoretical ideas from other disciplines (e.g., psychology, marketing, etc.) that apply to health communication but are not commonly seen in the literature. Topics include models of behavioral change and persuasion, social norms, celebrity and influencers, narrative persuasion, effects of entertainment and social media, emotion, information seeking, backfire effects and misinformation

Introduction of concepts fundamental to conduct of social scientific research, overview of history and structure of field of communication, survey of major theoretical perspectives on mass communication at both micro and macro levels, with treatment of micro-macro and mass-interpersonal integration.

This course is for graduate students from the social, physical and natural sciences seeking research training and topical expertise in science and environment communication. It will tackle a set of issues and content areas important to both scholarly and professional worlds and will ask you to evaluate them through the lens of both research and informed commentary. My goals are to share with you the most important and latest scholarly literature in this area and, ultimately, to help you become more skillful in using communication and other social science theories to conduct research related to environmental and science communication and help you become more skillful at enhancing public engagement with science and environmental issues.

Examination of social scientific research addressing characteristics of science, public understanding of science, science news, and relationships between scientists and journalists. Application of this knowledge to several case studies examining the function of communication in specific scientific or technical contexts.