EDUC10280 Why Trust Science?

Academic Year 2024/2025

Are you curious about how science works and its place in our world? Would you like to learn about conspiracy theories, ‘alt facts’, and about how scandals and controversies have affected our trust in science? If so, this module is for you.

This module is open to all students in UCD. It offers an interdisciplinary space where students from across campus can come together to think and learn about the role of science in our society.

Using active learning approaches and forms of assessment that aid your learning, we’ll explore the complex relationships between science, expertise, policy and trust. We’ll question whether science is more trustworthy than other forms of knowledge and consider how we might build a climate of trust in diverse expertise to tackle the big issues facing our world – things like climate change, biodiversity loss, equity in health care, pandemics, AI, mental health, etc.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the module, students should be able to:

- Appreciate the role trust plays in how society responds to socio-scientific issues; and evaluate factors that influence the trustworthiness of science and scientists.
- Reflect on their own mindset (i.e. attitudes, believes, values, etc.) toward science.
- Effectively communicate their views on ideas formed during the module (e.g. on how science works, its place in our society, what affects the trustworthiness of scientists, etc.)
- Draw upon, and integrate, relevant ideas from science, philosophy of science, history of science, policy, education and communications studies.

Indicative Module Content:

Over the module, students will explore questions such as:

1. What is science? How does it work and what differentiates it from other ways of knowing/generating-knowledge? Is scientific knowledge superior to other forms of knowledge? Is science something humans invented or would it exist regardless?

2. What is the relationship between science and society? Will science alone solve our great societal challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss or inequality?

3. Who does science? Where is it done, who pays for it, and who benefits? Is ‘tech’ science? Where did STEM come from?

4. Do we trust science and what might make a scientific expert trustworthy or not? How have scientific scandals and controversies affected our public trust in science? We will explore:
I. how scientists were hired by tobacco companies to seed doubt around links to cancer and how many of the same scientists were subsequently hired to seed doubt on climate change.
II. how state-level homophobia delayed research into AIDS/HIV care and how activism from the affected community was needed to get the science started.
III. how mask wearing during covid became a political wedge issue.
IV. how mRNA covid vaccines were kept in western countries.
V. The #FreeBritneySpears movement and the light it shines on how our societies care for people with mental health difficulties. We talk about the role of science in removing peoples’ liberty.
VI. the importance of indigenous knowledge in understanding the impact of climate change.


5. How do conspiracy theories, ‘alt facts’, fake news and cancel-culture affect science?

6. How should science be taught in schools and university? How might public engagement with science be more effective? What role should scientific experts play in policy and decision making (e.g. were governments right to devolve power to scientists during COVID?)

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Specified Learning Activities

24
Autonomous Student Learning

52
Total

100
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
The teaching and learning approaches used in this module are chosen to give students the best chance of achieving the module learning outcomes. As a reminder, these are that students will:
- Effectively communicate their views on how science works and its place in our society.
- Reflect on their own mindset (i.e. attitudes, believes, values, etc.) toward science.
- Draw upon, and integrate, relevant ideas from science, philosophy of science, history of science, policy, education and communications studies.

Students will engage with ideas and practice skills through debate, in-class discussion, and peer instruction. Material will be available to students in diverse formats, including podcasts, books, research papers and policy documents. The purpose of the material is to empower the student to fully take part in the class (rather than as a means of ‘covering content’).
 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade

Not yet recorded.

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Students will be invited to submit their assignment before the week 12 deadline. If they choose to do so, they will be given formative feedback and a chance to re-submit their work.