during Times of Uncertainty
during Times of Uncertainty
Introduction:
Times of uncertainty lead the public to seek both leadership and answers. They need answers, and ways to organize around issues of social significance which have created doubt, and indecision. In essence, they need help understanding the issue at hand and being offered an acceptable frame of reference when they, themselves, do not have the experience to come up with constructive solutions. Often this leadership comes out of the academic community. As such, the purpose of the current essay is to determine in what ways academics can contribute on issues of social significance in time of uncertainty. Kalleberg (2014, p. 253) specifically engaged in the conversation, regarding role of public intellectuals, as academic leaders in the larger community. He expressed that they had a responsibility to act as an “academic specialty communicating his or her expert knowledge” to members of the larger community who lack the research, or academic, specialty to understand hard situations.
Defining Academic Leadership
Academic leadership, then is the act of an intellectual acting from a learned perspective, to provide leadership among those who lack specialized education in the area which is specifically being discussed (Kalleberg 2014, p. 253). For example, during an epidemic, a doctor could, as an academic expert in the field of medicine, help to explain the difficult social situation to the public, and to help create understanding and provide actionable steps, or problem solving during the related period of uncertainty. In this way, Academicians are fulfilling their social role as a “knowledge provider” by transferring their knowledge to others, in a way that lay persons can access that knowledge, and use it to understand the difficult circumstance at hand (Mansor, Mustaffa, & Salleh 2015, p.286). While it is generally assumed that these experts would take an active role in sharing their knowledge in this way, however, this has not always been the case. As such, academics can be broken into two main categories: public intellectuals, or those who are actively documents and analyzing their knowledge, and sharing it with others, and those who would prefer to hoard knowledge, and keep it private (Mansor, Mustaffa, & Salleh 2015, p.286; Kalleberg 2014, p.255). Public intellectuals, are those of interest to the current study, because of their willingness and ability to share their work with the public, and to disseminate knowledge.
The Role of Public Intellectualism
Public intellectualism is defined by Kalleberg (2014, p.255) as those who actively work to share and disseminate the knowledge gained through their study and research. At least one study found that “over 90% of the academic staff included in the cross-country comparison had at least one scientific publication” or article published during the three-year period studied. This demonstrates that the vast majority of academics are willing to share their knowledge with others and to actively present their work, as a means of understanding the unknown (Kyvik 2005, p.299). Those who do share their knowledge, become public intellectuals, and play a valuable social role.
Academic research, as a form of public intellectualism is extremely important, because it supports evolving ideas and solutions, which extend into society creating value (Berdahl 2009, p. 1). Knowledge of the past is critical, not only of creating hypotheses to answer important questions about the future, and to generate new solutions, but also to the academic’s ability to provide lay persons with data that is reassuring during times of uncertainty. It is said that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (Santayana quoted in Clairmont 2013, p.1). As such, it is the role of public academics, or intellectuals, to study, and remember the past, and use it to explain the present, as well as to create predictions and potential solutions for application in the future. Their learning, of the past, allows them to disseminate information to the lay people of society, and to preserve knowledge for the next generation of academics.
Public Discourse and the Dissemination of Knowledge
Public discourse then, is the conversation that is held, between academics and one another, and academics and the lay community surrounding them, regarding a certain topic. Cancer research, for example, provides a significant example of public discourse (Kalleberg 2014, p.262). The academic discourse focuses on the development of an understanding of difficult concepts. This includes the creation of scholarly definition of hard situations like terrorism (Kalleberg 2014, p.262). This can be specifically seen, for example in the growth of the public understanding of science. (Baur, 2009, p.222) In essence, while scientific knowledge and understanding was once limited to scientists, though public discourse, and the sharing of information between academics and the public, scientific knowledge has spread. This has occurred, in part, because of the science community’s willingness to share information through mass media, reaching the larger social community, and helping the community to gain a broader understanding of what is being developed among academics within that field (Baur, 2009, p.222). The quantity of “public, and the sharing of information via media has grown exponentially as a direct result of the growth of the internet and social media (Di Lio & Hitchock 2016, p.150). The media has certainly been useful in providing information which is helpful and reassuring, but there is also concern that it acts to disseminate false information, thereby underlying the support that academics can provide the public during times of uncertainty.
The Role of Media
The media often focuses on the problem rather than the solution. Rosenthal (1998, p.158) described the role of media by stating that “the media take a particular interest in the typically subjectivist category of disasters and crises that, without too much reference to tangible referents, feature craze, panic, and collective stress.” This contributes to polarization and undermines strong crisis management. In contrast, however, strong academic leadership, by bonified experts willing to step forward and provide evidence based support for the crisis, which is led by knowledge, rather than the more prominent role in the media, which is not interested in supporting the understanding of laypersons, and instead is interested in exploiting the weaknesses in the system and creating marketable headlines, can help to support the public during socially difficult situations and periods of uncertainty.
Academic Activism as a Counter Balance to Media Skepticism
In contrast, Activism, on the part of academics with “strategic and collective action that aims to address the existing power differentials and to resolve the social problem more permanently” (White cited in Trevino & McCormack 2016, p.236). This is why it is critical for academics, rather than mass media, to provide leadership to the public during difficult times. Because they can act as a voice of reason, actively finding a way forward, rather than acting as to create a “context of framing and blaming (Rosenthal 1998, p.158). The Academic voice creates a voice of reason within the noise, and uses knowledge, rather than emotion to influence the public, and to lead decision making. Thus, academics need to be motivated to consistently demonstrate a willing and ready spirit, which expected to participate, personally in the sharing of knowledge (Mansor, Mustaffa, & Salleh 2015, p.286).
Given that higher education is a “cultural institution in civil society” it should be structured so that it not only provides the skills essential for labor and economic growth, but also so that it cultivates academics who have a knowledge base that serves the public, and generates a generation of academics who are ready and able to share their knowledge with the public, and to become experts in scientific and scholarly disciplines, that allow them to play an important role, as the keepers of knowledge, and the finders of solution in the public arena (Kalleberg 2014, p.269). This is the process of actively cultivating “public intellectuals” who can serve an important social role in the public realm, in addition to serving the purpose of furthering research and scientific or academic knowledge from a purely theoretical perspective (Kalleberg 2014, p.269).
Conclusion
The academic community not only has a basic role, but a social responsibility to act in times of crisis and uncertainty. During times of hardship, or when difficult decisions must be made, lay persons do not have the specialization, in terms of education to fully understand what is happening. In these times they seek leadership from those with specialized knowledge of the situation. They need answers, and ways to organize around issues of social significance which have created doubt, and indecision. In essence, they need help, in the form of academic leadership, to understand the issue at hand and to react appropriately to the situation. Too often, they look to the media for this understanding, but the media is filed with skepticism, and marketing, which creates further polarization around the issues, and undermines understanding and productive action. In contrast, academics, when taking on a role of leadership can support the public in a meaningful way, sharing knowledge and providing a framework for positive and productive public discourse. As such, it is critical that a new generation of academics, who are ready and able to share their knowledge with the public, be cultivated in universities, in order to serve in this critical social role in the future.
References:
Bauer, M 2009, ‘The evolution of public understanding of science - discourse and comparative evidence’, Science, Technology and Society, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 221-240.
Berdahl, R 2009, Research Universities: Their Value to Society Extends Well Beyond Research. The Association of American Universities, Washington DC retrieved 20 January 2017 http://www.aau.edu/workarea/downloadasset.aspx?id=8740
Clairmont, N 2013, ‘Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it’, Think Big retrieved 20 Jan 2017 http://bigthink.com/the-proverbial-skeptic/those-who-do-not-learn-history-doomed-to-repeat-it-really
De Leo, R & Hitchcock, P 2016, The new public intellectual: politics, theory, and the public sphere. Palgrave Macmillan, New York, NY.
Kellerberg, R 2014, ‘The Role of Public Intellectual in the Role-set of Academics’, in C Fleck & A Hess (eds), Knowledge for Whom?: Public Sociology in the Making. Ashgate Publishing Ltd, Farmham, UK pp. 253-272.
Kyvik, S 2005. ‘Popular Science Publishing and Contributions to Public Discourse among University Faculty’, Science Communication, vol.26. no. 3, pp. 288-311
Mansor, ZD, Mustaffa, M & Salleh, LM 2015, ‘Motivation and Willingness to Participate in Knowledge Sharing Activities Among Academics in a Public University’, Procedia Economics and Finance, vol. 31, pp. 286-293.
Rosenthal, U 1998, ‘Future Disasters, Future Definitions’, in EL Quarantelli (ed) What Is A Disaster? Routledge, London UK, pp. 146-159.
Trevino, AJ & McCormack K 2016, Service Sociology and Academic Engagement in Social Problems Routledge, New York.
The plan:
In what ways can academics contribute on issues of social significance in time of uncertainty.
Assignment Two-Essay Plan
Introduction:
Kalleberg role of public intellect
Focus on how public intellect provides social guidance
KB quote to focus on reassurance of the public through intellect
Body 1:
Intro the idea of academic leadership
Give examples of the work of academics as it relates to social issues
Explicitly lead into the idea that academics have a responsibility to the public
Article x 1
Body 2:
Intro to idea of public intellectualism
The idea of general knowledge, and historical data providing reassurance in uncertainty.
Quote the old cliché about those who do not know history being bound to repeat it
Articles x2
Transition by introducing concept of learning
Body 3: Intro idea of public discourse, and dissemination of information
Link this to media
Give examples of intellectualism in media, as it relates to hard times and current events.
Articles x 2
Body 4: General media contribution to the conversation on issues of social significance
Separating mainsteam media from intellectual conversation.
Body 5: The negative impact of media
Academic ability to find counterbalance.
Conclusion
Restate argument
Highlight conclusions
