Part of the 'Being a Specialist in a Complex World' PG seminar series
Location: G21 Devonshire Building
Time/Date: 7th February 2013, 13:30 - 15:30
Who should define a "problem"? With so many different perspectives to an issue – yours, a colleague’s from another field, your funder’s interests, stakeholders, citizens, policymakers, media and journalists, corporations, advocacy groups – is there any "right" way to approach an issue? Scientists are often called upon by policymakers, funders, the media, and the public to provide the "expert" knowledge needed to sort out differences of opinion. The seminar identifies tools and techniques researchers have available to them to identify, capture, and synthesize multiple competing perspectives of an issue. The discussant will develop an example from the use of citizen juries in food policy making. The discussion papers consider that scientists being "experts" is only one of many roles that a scientists can take when engaging with the public and policymakers.
Discussant:
Mary Brennan, Senior Lecturer in Food Marketing, Agriculture, Food, and Rural Development
Discussion paper:
Millstone, E. (2007). Can food safety policy-making be both scientifically and democratically legitimated? If so, how?. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, Volume 20, Issue 5, October 2007, Pages 483-508
Attendance is free, and open to all postgraduate students. In order to help us get the numbers right for catering, please could you register to attend by using this simple form: http://forms.ncl.ac.uk/view.php?id=3850
For the full programme of seminars in the 'Being a Specialist in a Complex World' series, please see: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/sustainability/assets/documents/PhDengagementseminarsbrochure.pdf
Published: 29th October 2012