IV. Interpreting and Problematizing
Public Engagement with STEM 

Chapter 8 - Fostering Critical Science Literacy About Public Discourses of STEM

This chapter will focus on learning goals related to critically evaluating scientific claims and evidence, recognizing and analyzing framing, and identifying and interpreting discourses around science and technology. Learning activities presented in this chapter will guide students toward critical citizenship in relation to public discourses, policies, controversies, and hype; greater understanding of the political, environmental, and economic dimensions of science, technology, and innovation discourses; and practical skills related to advocacy and public communication of science and technology.

Chapter 9 - Cultivating Understandings of “Non-Expert” Roles in Science and Technology Research and Development

Chapter 9 will explore public engagement with science and technology (PEST), a cornerstone of STS activist challenges to the linear model of knowledge production and the deficit model of science communication. An important normative endeavor of STS is the democratization of decision-making through public participation. STS approaches this through three basic modes of research and practice: social movements, citizen/community science, and public deliberation. PEST encourages students to build skills that empower them to have critical agency in their lives, internships, and careers. It helps students to learn to ask STS questions and organize venues that encourage reciprocal dialogue among publics and experts. Example activities associated with this chapter include developing a public deliberation, creating alternative science communication tools, and role play centered on STS activism.