What is Public Engagement?

You may think that the answer to this question is so obvious that it is not worth asking the question in the first place. Or, perhaps you would give an answer along these lines:

Public engagement is a process of dialogue between researchers and members of the public with the goal of either a) determining the attitudes or beliefs of the public or b) informing them of developments in science and technology.

An answer such as this would capture a significant part of what public engagement involves. However, it would also miss some important nuance and detail.

The purpose of this section is to develop a more careful and extensive understanding of what public engagement is and entails, which will then serve as the foundation for the remainder of the course. It begins with an introduction to and critical examination of public engagement, before turning to look at what public engagement is and the goals associated with it.

The chapter is primarily theoretical in scope, but serves as an important foundation for the more practical chapters later in the guide. Without this foundation, your understanding of some of the concepts in later chapters may be impaired. Therefore, it is only advised for you to skip this chapter if you already have a good understanding of the concept of 'public engagement'.

Chapter Outline

• Climbing the Ladder: From Informing to Empowering
• Goals of Public Engagement

Learning Objectives

In this chapter, you will:

• Learn what is meant by the term ‘public engagement’.
• Identify and explore some of the different approaches to public engagement and the goals associated with them.