Science Communication and Engagement with Religious Publics
Abstract
An individual's worldview, including their religious beliefs and cultural background, informs their perceptions of scientists, scientific research, and the role of science and technology in society. Extensive national polling indicates that most Americans self-identify as religious or spiritual and affirm that religion is "somewhat" or "very" important in their lives. This social context should be a consideration for scientists who seek to participate in inclusive and constructive engagement on science and technology with diverse publics.
The Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) promotes engagement between scientific and religious communities. The "Engaging Scientists in the Science and Religion Dialogue" project, launched in 2016, supports scientists and science communicators in becoming more effective ambassadors and advocates for science with diverse (and particularly with religious) publics. The project draws on best practices from the growing field of science communication research to offer strategies for (and examples of) culturally competent, dialogue-focused engagement on science and technology- particularly on topics that intersect with cultural values and/or religious perspectives. DoSER staff have produced an array of free online and print resources, organized more than a dozen workshops, symposia, and other contributions to formal programming at scientific society meetings (including a poster symposium at the 2017 AGU meeting), and held or will hold events on university campuses across the United States. As part of the campus events, the project sponsors awards to recognize science engagement with local faith communities and institutions. In pre- and post- workshop survey responses (npre=124, npost=81 as of July 2018), workshop attendees report greater comfort in interaction with religious audiences about science topics, in responding to questions informed by faith beliefs, and interest in doing more science engagement with religious publics. Long-term project impacts are being assessed in follow-up surveys and interviews.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018AGUFMPA21A..04O
- Keywords:
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- 0815 Informal education;
- EDUCATIONDE: 4334 Disaster risk communication;
- NATURAL HAZARDSDE: 6349 General or miscellaneous;
- POLICY SCIENCESDE: 6699 General or miscellaneous;
- PUBLIC ISSUES