Science and the Media: Challenges for Journalism

The master course “Science and the Media: Challenges for journalism” gives 10 ECTS and extends over one semester.

Admission

The course is open to master students at the Master Programme of Journalism, other master students at the Department of Media and Communication (UiO) and the Joint Master Programme in Journalism (Nordplus Neighbour Network). Four study places are reserved for students from our partner institutions in the Nordplus Neighbour Network. It is recommended that the students have training and experience in journalism.

Aims

The students are to:

• Gain insight into how journalists relate to science, scientific uncertainty and to scientists as expert sources.

• Develop an understanding of how science and scientific knowledge is a part of society; how it is put to use and how it shapes and is shaped by society.

• Acquire knowledge of central theory and academic work on science journalism and the relationship between science and the media.

• Be able to critically analyze practical journalistic work which covers scientific issues or uses scientists as expert sources.

Course content

Science is becoming more and more influential in society. Scientific research contributes to economic and technological development. It gives us knowledge of how nature is built up, how society functions and what our history is. Increasingly, scientists are used as advisers in political decision-making processes. Developments in science raise important questions about ethics, whether they concern patents on biological material, prenatal diagnosis or the possibility of cloning human beings.

In a democratic society, science and scientific communities should be subject to a rigorous process of dialogue and critique. However, many journalists covering science have tended to regard themselves solely as a translators and disseminators of scientific knowledge. Scientific institutions have, for their part, become increasingly skilful in shaping the image of science in the public.

This course will draw upon studies of on how the media represent science, scientific uncertainty and risk. The students will be encouraged to explore other ways of representing science and science related issues in journalistic work.

Organization of classes

The course will be based on two week-long gatherings at Oslo University College, including lectures, discussions and group-work. The lectures and the curriculum will be in English.

Assessment

The students may choose on of two forms of assessment, both term papers

• a reportage covering science or science related issues, followed by a reflection paper discussing an analyzing the textual material theoretically helped by the syllabus .

• An analytic, theory-based paper investigating a limited media output where science, scientific uncertainty or risks related to science are covered.

The papers are evaluated according to a scale ranging from A to F. The term papers will be assessed by an evaluation committee consisting of both an internal and an external examiner. The term papers may be written in Norwegian or English.