Note from the Programme Director
Welcome to the University of Manchester, and to our MSc programme in Science Communication. The MSc is one of the degrees hosted by CHSTM (pronounced ‘chis-tem’), the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, which is a world-leading centre for research and teaching in the history and social dimensions of science-based knowledges and practices. For this MSc programme, we benefit from our collaboration with the Innovation and Policy team in the University’s Business School. CHSTM is a centre within the Faculty of Life Sciences, from which it draws its formal procedures and regulations. This online Handbook is the primary authoritative resource on the matters it contains.
CHSTM staff have been key members of the academic community that has emerged around science communication, and most are engaged in science communication practice, either as policy advisors, journalists, authors, curators or lecturers.
Science communication is evolving as professional practice. Science communicators are now part of a wide range of workplaces, and their roles are many. The technologies and skills of science communication are also developing. This dynamic environment presents a challenge for teaching and learning science communication at university: how do we keep up, and stay connected to the real world? We believe that to be ‘educated’ in contemporary society requires not the absorption of a detailed and fixed curriculum, but broad understandings and the creativity and skills to apply them in a shifting world. An overview of academic resources, analytical and critical skills, some basic professional competencies, and personal and intellectual adaptability can provide you with a solid platform on which to build or develop your career.
There are many ways in which our society values science communication. It can be fun and entertaining, and it is also important in many spheres. Science communication is now established as an essential dimension of good scientific research and development. As well as contributing to the cultural capital of the communities it serves, science communication also furthers the recruitment and training of entrants to science-based professions, as well as linking researchers in to new multidisciplinary collaborations, locally and globally. It contributes to establishing a social mandate for responsible scientific research and development, and provides a means for engagement between the scientific community and civil society more broadly.
Science communication informs and challenges policy-making, both about science and in areas where science can make a difference, such as in health, energy and the environment. It facilitates interaction with individuals and institutions in the financial sector, particularly in attracting venture capital to innovative technologies. It also supports the work of scientists who contribute as experts and as citizens in other domains such as the law, human rights, and environmental and health activism.
As a graduate of the programme, you will have a unique combination of practical insight into the challenges of communicating science and a grounding in key scholarly perspectives on science, science communication, and the place of science in the wider society. You will be better equipped to work not only in old and new media but also in science organisations, government/policy and civil society/NGO roles where you will help build understandings among between scientists, decision makers and other citizens. As societies seeks to tackle grand environmental, societal and economic challenges, you can apply your knowledge and skills to the promotion of mutual understanding between scientists, policy makers, civil society actors and citizens, and to create innovative new spaces where citizens and scientists can work together to tackle important questions.
The course should challenge you. It will make you think in new ways about science communication, and should make you confront strongly held views. It will give you new intellectual tools for thinking about important contemporary issues in an atmosphere of open and critical debate. It will improve and add to your practical skills, enabling you effectively to deploy your learning in ways that make a difference. It will demand considerable self-motivation and energy as you engage with other students and your teachers. We hope you will also find it a richly rewarding and enjoyable experience.
You will find CHSTM a friendly and supportive environment, and we encourage you to take a full part in the intellectual and social life of the department. More details of CHSTM will be provided once you start your course.
With our best wishes for a challenging and exciting year ahead
Dr David Kirby
Programme Director
david.kirby@manchester.ac.uk
Academic Advisement
MSc Science Communication 2015-16
| Course List 1 – Mandatory Units (90 credits in total) HSTM60561 Introduction to Science Communication (15 credits) HSTM60571 Research and Communication Skills (15 credits) HSTM60511 Major Themes in HSTM (30 Credits) HSTM60622 Science Communication Mentored Project (30 credits)Graduate Training Programme BIOL60311 Communication Skills, (0 credits) BIOL73130 PGT Advisor Meeting (MSc) 1, (0 credits) BIOL73230 PGT Advisor Meeting (MSc) 2, (0 credits) HSTM60632/60642 PGT Supervisor Meeting (HSTM), (0 credits) BIOL85440 Post Graduate Academic Literacy Programme (ALP), (0 credits) BIOL12000 Health & Safety online course (0 credits) |
> | Academic Requirement 1
Mandatory 90 credits |
> | REQUIREMENT GROUP
Total 180 credits for MScOr 120 credits for PG Diploma |
| Course List 2 – Optional must take 2 of the following: HSTM60582 Museum and Public Events (15 credits) HSTM60592 Science, Government & Public Policy (15 credits) HSTM60602 Science, Media and Journalism (15 credits) HSTM60612 Science Communication Research (15 credits) |
> | Academic Requirement 2
Mandatory 30 credits |
| Course List 3 – Mandatory must take 1 from 1 (60 credits in total) HSTM60632 Dissertation in History of Science, Technology and Medicine, Science Communication Studies or Medical Humanities |
> | Academic Requirement 1
60 credits in total |
MSc Science Communication 2015-16
(Part-Time)
| Course List 1 – Mandatory Units (120 credits in total) Year 1 HSTM60561 Introduction to Science Communication (15 credits) HSTM60571 Research and Communication Skills (15 credits)Year 2 HSTM60511 Major Themes in HSTM (30 credits) HSTM60622 Science Communication Mentored Project (30 credits)Graduate Training Programme Year 1 BIOL60311 Communication Skills (0 credits) BIOL73050 PGT Advisor Meeting (MSc) 3, (0 credits) BIOL73130 PGT Advisor Meeting (MSc) 1, (0 credits) BIOL73230 PGT Advisor Meeting (MSc) 2, (0 credits) BIOL85440 PGT ALP (0 credits) BIOL12000 Health & Safety online course (0 credits) Year 2 |
> | Academic Requirement 1
Mandatory 90 credits |
> | REQUIREMENT GROUP
Total 180 credits for MSc Or 120 credits for PG Diploma |
| Course List 2- – Optional must take 2 of the following (1 unit each year): HSTM60582 Museum and Public Events (15 credits) HSTM60592 Science, Government & Public Policy (15 credits) HSTM60602 Science, Media and Journalism (15 credits) HSTM60612 Science Communication Research (15 credits) |
> | Academic Requirement 2
Mandatory 30 credits |
| Course List 3 – Mandatory must take 1 from 1 (60 credits in total) HSTM60632 Dissertation in History of Science, Technology and Medicine, Science Communication Studies or Medical Humanities |
> | Academic Requirement 1
60 credits in total |