Session 1 of the CEPEL Seminar on Current Research Trends for Young Researchers – September 11, 2023

As part of the “CEPEL Seminar on Current Trends in Social Science Research,” we are pleased to invite you to the first seminar of the 2023–2024 academic year:

On September 11, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Linz Room of Building 3 at the University of Montpellier’s Faculty of Law and Political Science, where we will welcome:

Liana Winett,Associate Professorat the School of Public Health, OHSU-PSU, Portland, Oregon, USA (https://ohsu-psu-sph.org) for a seminar titled:

The Importance of Words: Why Social and Political Scientists Should Incorporate the Language That Surrounds Us Every Day as a Focus of Critical Research

The session will be discussed byMarc Smyrl, Senior Lecturer (HDR), University of Montpellier, and is intended to be interactive.

Abstract:

The way we talk about the problems facing societies—including the words and symbols we choose and how they circulate in everyday media—is extremely important for public policy. These representations of problems help determine whether and how the public views the solutions proposed to them. Cognitive and communication sciences show that the way we “frame” public issues shapes our understanding of these issues and the circumstances surrounding those most affected. It can also facilitate—or hinder—our ability to imagine what can be done to address them. This is why public policy specialists must pay close attention to how their issues are presented to capture the public’s interest. They must also be mindful of how they themselves frame these issues in their work. In this seminar, we will examine why and how studying the framing of public problems and policy solutions in various sources of public discourse can enrich research and practice portfolios—including the key questions researchers might ask—and we will draw on recent examples from my work on public health and social policy in the United States and the European Union.