Science and technology topics are core elements of modern life but which provoke a range of reactions and responses. Understanding why people react to issues they way that they do and, crucially, how to continue to facilitate meaningful conversations to build towards a consensus position is a skill vital to anyone wanting to work in any context involving people, especially science, business and policy. This course will provide students with the ability to identify areas of both contention and consensus and the skills to ensure constructive engagement and collaboration. Marrying theory and practice in each session, students will gain experience in different modes and models of public engagement as both participant and organiser.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Articulate common reasons why publics respond in different ways to science and technology topics
- Identify different approaches to engaging publics with science and technology topics and describe their strengths and limitations
- Demonstrate the ability to design, facilitate and evaluate an engagement/dialogue activity
Indicative Assessment
- Story map on a controversial or contested issue (30) [LO 1,2]
- Group assessment – engagement activity output (30%) and peer review (10%) (40) [LO 1,2,3]
- Individual report (30) [LO 1,2,3]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
The expected workload will consist of approximately 130 hours throughout the semester including:
- 36 hours of face-to-face component which may consist of 1 x 1 hour lecture and 1 x 2 hour block consisting of 1 x 1 hour tutorial and 1 x 1 hour workshop
- Approximately 94 hours of self-directed study which will include personal study / assessment work.
Inherent Requirements
No specific inherent requirements have been identified for this course.
Prescribed Texts
All reading and audio visual materials for the course will be made available via the course site in the Learning Management System.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3963 | 23 Feb 2026 | 02 Mar 2026 | 31 Mar 2026 | 29 May 2026 | In Person | N/A |