Share Paper: Through the ‘Cosmos’: Beauty and Aesthetics in Science Education and Popular Media

  1. Rohit Mehta, Michigan State University, United States
  2. Danah Henriksen, Michigan State University, United States
  3. Punya Mishra, Michigan State University, United States
Friday, March 6 10:15-10:45 AM Amazon O

Abstract: This paper presents the findings of a phenomenological study of the television-based documentary series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (Braga & Druyan, 2014). The study involved analysis of the general scientific discourse presented in the documentary series to examine the ways in which science as a discipline and scientists themselves were portrayed in an aesthetic light. We used Girod’s (2007a) framework for beauty and aesthetics in science and science education to categorize the recurring themes. We found that the series depicted science as capable of capturing the sublime, and reflecting the intellectual beauty inherent in the discovery and invention. We also ...