Apr
29
2011
Undergraduate students in the UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences now have a new course option listed on the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication’scourse schedule. “Issues in Agricultural and Life Sciences” is the title of the new course created and co-taught by the PIE Center team of Irani, Raulerson, and Chiarelli.
This course covers methods used to effectively communicate, inform, and influence policy decisions about agricultural and life sciences issues. After taking the course, students will be able to:
• Recognize and analyze current issues in agricultural and life sciences (ALS).
• Recognize and separate facts, fiction, and opinion.
• Use both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to conduct public opinion research.
• Use public opinion research in planning for agricultural and life sciences communication.
• Recognize contentious issues in agricultural and life sciences and facilitate consensus building and conflict resolution.
• Recognize components of crisis and risk communication management in agricultural and life sciences.
• Develop a strategic communication management plan for contentious issues in agricultural and life sciences.
The concept for this course came out of a discussion between the PIE Center team and industry professionals, who indicated a need for being able to use social science and public opinion research when creating effective communications materials.
“Effective is the key word there,” said Irani. “We can communicate all day long using different print and electronic media, but if we don’t know for sure how the public will perceive the messages we’re trying to convey, then we’re taking a risk on the messages not working and possibly wasting our time and resources.”
Irani stated that today’s agriculture, life sciences, and natural resources organizations and businesses need to be able to hire new employees that have the ability to create effective messages about key issues and that this course provides students with that skill.
“The first class of students, who completed the course at the end of April, have indicated that they appreciate the course content being offered and that they are learning several skills that they haven’t learned in their other coursework,” Irani said. “They like the exposure to various hands-on issues, as well as the different ways used to communicate the issues effectively.”
The course also involves a guest speaker component that has involved several Florida agricultural producers and industry representatives speaking to the students about issues from their multiple perspectives. The final panel of speakers included several members of the media who spoke about how they cover a crisis and agricultural-related stories.
For more information about the content taught in this course, or to indicate an interest in serving as a guest speaker the next time this course is taught, please contact Becky Raulerson at 352-273-3139 or atbeckyraulerson@ufl.edu.