Expertise and citizenship
Defining expertise and citizenship: on the mutual expectations of experts and citizens in plant genomics
When communicating with laymen, experts act according to the images they have of their audience. These images influence the way they communicate. The same goes for the way laymen interact with experts. This project will analyze the mutual communication between experts and laymen with special emphasis on identifying the objectives of each party and if these are achieved using their respective modes of communication.
The project concentrates on three large research projects dealing with potato sickness and the 'natural' communication that results from these projects, such as public lectures. The researcher will attend the lectures and tape them for subsequent analysis. Both experts and people (the laymen) from the audience will be interviewed as well. The results will be used to hold a mirror to experts and laymen; by providing insight into the images each side employs, communication may be improved.