Tag Archives: rhetoric

Get over your Self

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

What if there is no self? How would we approach life, discourse and communication if we were able to put our Self in abeyance? On hold? I listened to a talk recently about how selves–our egos, I guess–get in the … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, Indian, Native Science, science | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Thinking Creatively

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Jonah Lehrer’s piece on Groupthink skewers the efficacy of brainstorming while lauding the idea that water-cooler conversations that bring together folks from disparate backgrounds can lead to creative thinking.

Posted in authenticity, journalism, writing | Tagged | Leave a comment

Groupthink

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

When I do a mini-lecture on Groupthink I unpack the case study from the Cuban Missile crisis. Social psychologist Irving Janis coined the term Groupthink in 1972 to describe what happens when a leader is surrounded by folks who agree … Continue reading →

Posted in science, science communication | Tagged , | Leave a comment

New Book on American Indians & Popular Culture

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Our new book on American Indians and popular culture arrives in February, right on the heels of ruminations about how politics and science are fused. Because my work examines how Native American cultural values are treated in mediated discourse within … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, cinema, film, framing, journalism, Native Science, science, science communication, writing | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Who Put the Politics in Science?

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

We’ve been ringing our hands over the role of politics in science. And for good reason. Politicians and scientists have come to loggerheads over stem cell research, the Morning After pill (also called Plan B) and climate change.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Jargon & Blarney

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

Being surrounded by social media aficionados brought out the Luddite in me, with constant reminders of how little I know about tweeting, blogging and modern conversations in the virtual world. I needed a field guide to navigate the ScienceOnline2012 conference … Continue reading →

Posted in social media, writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Emotion, Cognition and Indigenous Ways-of-Knowing

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

In daily discourse we distinguish between the heart and the mind, emotion and cognition. And as a former journalist and professor of journalism we learned to separate feelings from facts, and to view the world though an unjaundiced, distant and … Continue reading →

Posted in framing, health, Native Science, science | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Separating Facts from Values

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

One critic charges that Western Science separates facts from values. The provenance of science is to define the facts, while “politicians and moralists” are left to define values. Problem is, according to Bruno Latour, you cannot distinguish facts from values, … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity, Indian, Lakota, Native Science, science, science communication, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Science as Prescription

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

The current edition of Newsweek is chock-full of stories that will make you happier and healthier. Or not. The writers have fallen victim to the false reasoning that you can apply scientific results to your own particular case.

Posted in journalism, science, science communication | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Plain drab wrapper

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Cynthia (Istá Thó Thó) Coleman Emery

This has been a stellar week for tobacco news and media effects. The week began with a story that a federal judge ruled in favor of tobacco companies who whined that placing disgusting images on cigarette packets would harm their … Continue reading →

Posted in ethics, health, risk | Tagged | Leave a comment