Let's Talk About Water: Using Film Screenings to Engage Students and the Public in Water Science and Policy
Abstract
"Let's Talk about Water" is a film symposium designed to bring together experts and the public to talk about the complex water issues facing society. The format of the event is quite simple: a panel of experts and the audience view a water documentary (such as "FLOW", "Liquid Assets", or "Gasland") together and there is an extended moderated discussion period following the film between the panel and the audience. Over the course of several events, we have developed best practices that make this simple format very effective. A film creates a context of subject and language for the discussion--it gets the audience and the panel on the same page. The moderators must actively manage the discussion, both challenging the panelists with follow up questions, asking questions to simplify the language the expert is using, and passing a question among panelists to bring out different points of view. The panelists are provided with the film in advance to view and, most importantly, meet the day before the event to discuss the film. This makes for a much more convivial discussion at the event. We have found that these discussions can easily be sustained for 90 to 120 minutes with active audience participation. We have found key element of the event is local relevance. Films should be carefully chosen to resonate with the audience, and the local host is critical in defining the audience, goals and identified panel members. Having local experts from universities and representatives from local water authorities and environmental groups bring a sense of community and a confidence in the audience that the panel members have local knowledge that is important for sustaining discussion. The discussion begins with points raised by the movie (are these issues real? Do they apply here? What are the scientific, engineering, and policy solutions to these problems?) and then segues into a discussion about career opportunities in the water sector, volunteer opportunities in the community or other ways for the audience to get involved. This format has been applied at college campuses with a target audience of lower-level undergraduates, in several universities in the United States and Canada. Additionally, we have held public events (at the NY Public Library, concurrent with World Water Week) and have documented experiences for other educators and researchers who want to employ this format. CUAHSI has created best practice "tips," hosting guides documenting our experiences with individual films, and other information on our website.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013AGUFMED51B0603S
- Keywords:
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- 0815 EDUCATION Informal education;
- 0800 EDUCATION;
- 6699 PUBLIC ISSUES General or miscellaneous