Friday, Sept. 17 Seminar: David Ropeik, expert in risk communication, Harvard University Extension School

Dear colleagues,

Please join us Friday, September 17 at 1130am in Butler Boardroom for the first speaker in a new seminar series organized by the Media & Communication Research Group. Details are below. Students are strongly encouraged to attend and to participate in the discussion.


David Ropeik
Harvard University Extension School

The Perception of Risk:
Why Our Fears So Often Don’t Match the Facts



Friday, September 17, 2010
11:30 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. (Lecture)
1:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M. (Book Signing)

Butler Boardroom (Butler, 6th Floor)
Copies will be sold before and after the lecture.


Mounting bodies of evidence make clear that the perception of risk is not purely rational and fact-based, but a complex affective process that calls on many subconscious, instinctive, and emotional tools. As much as we must respect the reality that risk perception is a mix of fact and feeling, intellect and instinct, reason and gut reaction, we must also come to grips with the inescapable reality that the way we perceive and respond to risk can get us into trouble. We are sometimes more afraid than the scientific evidence suggests we need to be, and often we are not as afraid as the evidence suggest we should be. So it is vital to understand in as much detail as possible just how we sense and respond to potential danger. Knowledge of the affective system of human risk perception can provide key insights that will help us make healthier choices for ourselves, our society, and our futures.

David Ropeik is an Instructor at Harvard, consultant in risk perception and risk communication, former environment reporter in Boston, and author of the newly released, “How Risky Is It, Really? Why Our Fears Don’t Always Match the Facts.”


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The Media & Communication Research Group (MCRG) in the School of Communication is a collaborative network of American University faculty and students studying the influence of media and communication on public life, civil society, and social problems. MCRG also serves as a public forum for discussion and debate and as the host for a speaker and seminar series. For more information, contact Matthew Nisbet at nisbet@american.edu.