Scientific popularisation

Teacher(s)

Verhaegen Philippe;

Language

French

Main themes

The course offers discussion on the relationships between popularisation and scientific discourse. To this end, it analyses the three stages involved in a popularisation device: – the production of a popularising discourse: the psycho-social and scientific role of the mediator, or ‘third man’, and the constraints of a didactic discourse; – the reformulation of a source discourse within a second discourse (e.g. paraphrase, transcoding, translation, narrative and metaphorisation); – recognition by the public of a popularised message (e.g. deciphering and appropriation of scientific information, and the attitudes of a reader of scientific popularisation).

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	By the end of the course, students will: – know the main theories relating to scientific popularisation and writers on the subject; – be able to evaluate a communication or scientific popularisation device, and design the necessary adaptations; – be able to design and construct a small popularisation device (including, at least, a text and an image) designed to reformulate an area of scientific knowledge.

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Content

Content This course is based on the idea that, like science, popularisation may be seen as ‘a kind of discourse’ (J F Lyotard) that possesses forms of expression and its own social functions. Unlike scientific discourse limited to written expression, popularisation documents use numerous language combinations such as texts, images, sounds and animation. The course reviews these forms of language, and identifies the specific features of a discourse of scientific reformulation. They include: – the vocabulary and organisation of concepts (e.g. map concept and superordered series); – reformulation (e.g. paraphrasing and meta-language), narration and setting the scene for communication; – imagery and visualisation procedures (including metaphorical measures); – humour. Methodology Lecture, case study and applied exercise.

Other information

Course requirements: A good knowledge of the theories and methods of semio-pragmatic analysis of audio-scripto-visual messages. Assessment will consist of a discussion of the theoretical framework presented, and completion of some scientific popularisation work. SUPERVISION Assistance from a member of the scientific staff in monitoring and supervising students’ work. Classroom with video-recorder, video-data projector, computer and Internet link-up. Students will be able to use a multi-media IT suite.

Faculty or entity

COMU