Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies

Grace was approved for the award of PhD in February 2009

Replicating opinions? Cross-cultural responses to a docudrama about human cloning

Grace’s PhD explores how audiences engage with the genre of docudrama. It focuses on a case study of the BBC drama-documentary ‘If…Cloning Could Cure Us’ - which uses a combination of documentary interviews and fictionalised courtroom drama to explore the potential uses of human cloning in stem cell research. Grace’s study combines detailed analysis of the programme, with 20 focus group discussions exploring how viewers use the programme to construct understandings of science and appropriate public policy responses. Focus groups were conducted in the UK and Canada, and in each country included both ‘general public’ and ‘interest’ groups. Interest groups were homogeneous and composed of research scientists, religious groups and patients who might potentially benefit from cloning. Grace’s research looks at how the different contexts in each country (e.g. public policy differences) affect audience reception as well as how different social networks interpret the same media messages. It also examines how audiences navigate fact/fiction boundaries in their understandings of science. Grace concludes her research by reflecting on what these findings mean for the docudrama genre generally, and particularly the use of the genre in the field of science communication.

Supervisor: Professor Jenny Kitzinger

PhD Funding

• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Doctoral Fellowship (2007-2008)
• Overseas Research Students Award Scheme (2004-2007)
• School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies Studentship (2004-2007)

Other Research Experience

Throughout her MA and PhD, Grace has worked as a research assistant on three government funded research projects:

• ‘Representations of Women Scientists’ (funded by the UKRC)
• ‘Media Trends in the Coverage of Science and Technology' (funded by the UK Office of Science and Innovation)
• ‘Genomics, Environment, Ethics, Economics, Law and Society’ (funded by Genome Canada)

Supervision & Teaching Experience

Grace has worked as a dissertation supervisor on the MA in International Public Relations. She has also enjoyed being a teaching assistant on modules such as ‘Academic Study’, ‘Media and the Public Sphere’ and ‘Professional and Technical Communication’. In 2006, Grace was pleased to receive the International Communication Association’s Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award.