This CoronaComm Halfmester Syllabus was designed as part of my COVID-19 online transition. The syllabus is built around four central concepts:
- Mobile-Friendly/Low Bandwidth: It is unclear what access options students will have during social distancing. Therefore, this syllabus excludes many excellent, relevant PDFs and focuses primarily on short web articles using responsive webdesign.
- Accessibility Oriented: This syllabus is not 100% accessible. However, it focuses on screen-reader compliant materials and all audio/video content includes professional transcripts. Where materials are not accessible, the limited accessibility will be a focus of class discussion.
- Asynchronicity: With students potentially a) distributed across time zones, b) focused on potential health concerns and/or family care, and c) focused on reconfigured employment, it does not seem appropriate to require participation in synchronous activities. Additionally, there are reasonable concerns about overloading LMS servers.
- Public Sci Comm: These materials are designed for an upper-division undergraduate course on Technical Communication and Wicked Problems. However, they would be broadly applicable for a wide range of of courses in tech comm, sci comm, and/or health comm.
CoronaComm Readings and Viewings
COVID-19 as a Wicked Problem
- Somatosphere COVID-19 Forum
- The Social Science of COVID-19 by Amanda Miller, CSU East Bay.
COVID-19 Public Communication Exemplars
- John’s Hopkins University Center for Health Security
- University of Texas at Austin COVID-19 Updates and Guidance
- US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Corona Virus Guidance
- #COVID19 #EpiTwitter and related highlights:
- The Lighter Side
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science Communication Toolkit
Note: This is not my favorite resource for SciComm guidance, but it’s about the only good mobile-friendly option out there.
- AAAS Communication Toolkit Overview
- AAAS Communication Fundamentals
- AAAS Communicating Science Online
Science, Politics, and Democracy
CoronaComm Assignments
Artifact Analysis Packet: Students will identify and analyze two communication artifacts designed to inform or engage public audiences about the chosen wicked problem.
Public Engagement Plan: Using their analysis of preexisting public engagement materials as a guide, students will create a custom public engagement plan designed to catalyze stakeholder engagement with the identified wicked problem. Public Engagement Plans will be designed to be deployed in a social distancing situation. The plan will detail specific initiatives designed to foster dialogue among diverse stakeholders and will include appropriate briefing books for included audiences.
Public Engagement Artifacts: Students will create two sample public engagement artifacts that would be used as a part of their public engagement plan.
CornonaComm Syllabus
Week 1: We’re Online, Now What?
Week 2: COVID-19 as a Wicked Problem
- Readings: COVID-19 Wicked Problem Readings
- Activities: Asynchronous Wicked Problems Discussion; Public Exemplars Analysis Activities
Week 3: Science, Democracy, and Politics
- Readings: PEW Readings; Democratic Model Video or Transcript
- Activities: Science in the Public Sphere Discussion; Artifact Analysis Orientation
Week 4: Public Science Comm
- Readings: AAAS Toolkit
- Activities: Artifact Analysis Assignment
Week 5: Public Engagement Plan
- Activities: Public Engagement Plan Assignment
Week 6: Public Engagement Artifacts
- Activities: Public Engagement Artifacts Assignment