Science v. Story Reading Group
Educating others about today’s converging crises is an uphill battle. We must first overcome people’s apathy and denial. We must also outcompete the many distractions vying for their attention, including misinformation and disinformation. Learning to combine factual information and compelling narrative takes skill, and Dr. Emma Frances Bloomfield’s newest book Science v. Story: Narrative Strategies for Science Communicators invites readers to hone this skillset. Quillwood Academy founder Eric Garza will facilitate a reading group on Science v. Story that begins on Friday, May 17, at 1:00 pm US Eastern Daylight Time. To find out what time this is where you live, type your city, town, or time zone in the “Add locations” box at this link. The reading group meets at this same time every other Friday through July 12. Registration for this event is offered by donation, which can include a donation of zero. To sign up, type the amount you want to pay in the “Choose price” box, add the study group to your shopping cart, and check out. If you want to pay by personal check or money order, email eric@quillwood.org to arrange payment.
Read a more detailed description of the event, including its schedule, expectations, and a suggested sliding scale by scrolling further down this page.
Description
Whether you are an educator by trade, an activist or advocate, or a concerned citizen who talks with friends and neighbors about current events, learning to better connect with people and convey useful information is a pivotal skill. As with many skills, there are tricks of the trade to master and pitfalls to avoid. This reading group on Dr. Emma Frances Bloomfield’s newest book Science v. Story is for those who seek a supportive space to hone these skills. It will also give participants opportunities to meet and interact with others who take these skills, and the many issues we face in today’s world, seriously.
From the publisher’s website:
Science v. Story analyzes four scientific controversies—climate change, evolution, vaccination, and COVID-19—through the lens of storytelling. Instead of viewing stories as adversaries to scientific practices, Emma Frances Bloomfield demonstrates how storytelling is integral to science communication. Drawing from narrative theory and rhetorical studies, Science v. Story examines scientific stories and rival stories, including disingenuous rival stories that undermine scientific conclusions and productive rival stories that work to make science more inclusive.
Science v. Story offers two tools to evaluate and build stories: narrative webs and narrative constellations. These visual mapping tools chart the features of a story (i.e., characters, action, sequence, scope, storyteller, and content) to locate opportunities for audience engagement. Bloomfield ultimately argues that we can strengthen science communication by incorporating storytelling in critical ways that are attentive to audience and context.
About the author:
Dr. Emma Frances Bloomfield is Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and author of Communication Strategies for Engaging Climate Skeptics: Religion and the Environment. She is the recipient of the National Communication Association’s Early Career Award in Rhetorical and Communication Theory, recognizing her robust research with the potential to influence the field.
You will not receive a copy of Science v. Story upon registration. If you desire a physical copy of the book, consider supporting one of your local booksellers by buying it from them. Most can order the book for you within a week or two. Electronic versions of the book are also available.
Scroll down for a more detailed schedule, what to expect when you register, a brief bio of the event’s facilitator, and the reading group’s pricing and refund policy. Email eric@quillwood.org if you have questions.
Schedule
All meetings will be facilitated using Zoom conferencing software. To participate in scheduled meetings you will need to install the Zoom app on your computer or phone and create an account. All meetings take place on Fridays at 1:00 pm US Eastern Daylight Time. A link to check what time this is where you live can be found above, and will be provided for each session via email correspondence. Each meeting will last approximately 120 minutes (2 hours).
Meeting 1 — Friday, May 17, 2024: This first meeting serves as an orientation. We will use it to go over group agreements, logistics, and to get to know one another. At the end of the meeting Eric will invite participants to read Science v. Story’s Introduction (pages 1-31) and Chapter 1: Case Studies and Rival Stories (pages 32-50) before our next meeting. Study questions will be provided to invite deeper reflection.
Meeting 2 — Friday, May 31, 2024: We will use this meeting to discuss Science v. Story’s Introduction and first chapter. The study questions provided at the end of our last meeting will offer some structure for the discussion, though we will likely explore other topics and themes too. At the end of this meeting Eric will ask participants to read the next two chapters of the book, and provide study questions to complement them.
Meeting 3 — Friday, June 14, 2024: We will use this meeting to discuss Chapter 2: Character and Action Wedges (pages 51-81) and Chapter 3: Sequence and Scope Wedges (page 82-112). At the end of the meeting Eric will ask participants to read the final two chapters of the book for our next meeting, and provide study questions.
Meeting 4 — Friday, June 28, 2024: We will use this meeting to discuss Chapter 4: Storyteller and Content Wedges (pages 113-142) and Chapter 5: Constellation Practices (pages 143-176). At the end of the meeting Eric will ask participants to read the Science v. Story’s conclusion for our next and final meeting, and provide study questions.
Meeting 5 — Friday, July 12, 2024: We will use this meeting to discuss Science v. Story’s conclusion (pages 177-197). We will also use this meeting to wrap up our reading group more generally.
All meetings will be recorded, and those recordings will be made available to participants within a few days. To protect the privacy of those who attend the Zoom meetings, these recordings—and screen captures taken from them—should not be shared with anyone not registered for this study group. Attendance and participation in meetings are encouraged, but not required. Recordings will remain available for 30 days following the reading group’s end.
What To Expect
When you sign up for this event, Eric Garza will provide a structured space for you and other participants to explore the topics and themes presented in Dr. Emma Frances Bloomfield’s book Science v. Story: Narrative Strategies for Science Communicators. Like all Quillwood Academy events, this reading group will be facilitated in English and will likely attract participants from across the English-speaking world. Participants will come from various ethnic, cultural, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds, and bring to the event a diverse array of life experiences, identities, and worldviews. They will bring with them many styles of communication, as well as different goals and intentions. With this in mind, please allow for cultural differences in communication styles, speaking patterns, and how people use various words. During the event’s orientation Eric will ask participants to abide by a set of agreements to guide our in-meeting conduct. Please read through these before you sign up so you have a sense of what will be expected of you.
When you sign up for this event, expect to receive a confirmation of your registration as well as a receipt of payment within a few minutes. Within a few days you will receive a welcome email with more information, including Zoom login details for our meetings and a link to the reading group’s password protected resource page on the Quillwood Academy website. If you do not see these emails, please check your spam or junk folders in case they were diverted there. If you check these folders and still do not see these emails, email eric@quillwood.org and Eric will investigate what the problem is. In addition to these initial emails sent upon registration, Eric will send reminder emails 2 days and 2 hours before each meeting so the Zoom links are easy for you to find.
Facilitator
This reading group will be facilitated by Quillwood Academy’s founder, Eric Garza. Eric lives in Vermont’s Champlain Valley, in the Northeastern United States. He has facilitated dozens of educational events through Quillwood Academy, and has taught undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of Vermont and other colleges and universities for more than a decade. Eric spends much of his time pondering the skills and practices that will help us navigate today’s many converging crises. His approach to teaching draws on the two decades he has spent exploring educational pedagogy, along with his experience in various contemplative, martial, and place-based traditions. Read a more detailed bio here.
Price and Refund Policy
Registration for this reading group is offered on a donation basis, which can include a donation of zero. To register for this event, type the amount you want to pay in the “Choose Price” box at the top of this page, add the study group to your shopping cart, and check out. If you wish to register at no cost, type zero in the box and continue through the checkout process. You need to progress through all of the checkout steps to register for the event. If you encounter trouble with the checkout process, email eric@quillwood.org and Eric will do his best to help you.
In addition to paying via credit card or PayPal, you may also pay by personal check (drawn from US funds) or a money order (denominated in US dollars). Email Eric to arrange payment. If you choose to pay by check or money order, your registration is not complete until your funds are received and any checks clear. Checks and money orders should be made payable to Quillwood Academy.
The decision to offer this event on a donation basis emerges from Eric’s desire to explore the workings of gift-based economies and ecologies. As you consider what to pay, reflect on the amount of income and wealth you have access to, the cost of living in your area, and what benefits participating in this reading group might offer you, both personally and professionally. Those who pay more make it possible for others to pay less—or pay nothing—while keeping the event financially viable. If you want guidance on what to pay, consider using the following sliding scale:
- Low income/wealth: $30
- Middle income/wealth: $105
- High income/wealth: $315
The low income/wealth suggestion above roughly equates to paying for 9 hours of contact time (4 meetings where we discuss sections of the book for 2 hours, plus a 1 hour orientation) at half the current US federal minimum wage ($7.25/hr). The middle value equates to paying for 9 hours of time at half the current average US middle class hourly wage ($23.08/hr). The high value is 3 times the middle value.
The above suggestions are just that, suggestions. You get to decide what to pay, if you pay anything at all. No one will question your decision, or attempt to verify your income or access to wealth. The amount you pay will not impact how you are treated by the facilitator, and no details about participants’ monetary contributions or payment methods will be shared with anyone else in the reading group.
Participants can receive a full refund of their registration fee if they cancel their registration via email on or before Friday, May 24, 2024. After this date no refunds will be given except in extraordinary circumstances.