ENGL 3820: Science Writing

Course Units

The four course units are described below. Additional information about each unit will be presented during the semester. To jump to the calendar for each unit, click the "Unit Calendar" button at the top of each unit description.

Unit One: Science in the Disciplines
(forum analysis)

Exploring Disciplinary Communication

People often talk about "scientific communication" (or "science writing") as if it is a singular type of communication. But it is far more accurate to talk about communication practices in specific disciplines, and then to consider some ways in which communication in different disciplines is similar or dissimilar. No doubt, writing in physics is more like biology writing than poetry writing.  Yet the experimental reports written by biochemists and the field studies written by lepidopterists, for instance, are different enough that it is unhelpful to reduce them even to the singular category of "biology writing," much less "science writing."

Therefore, we will begin not by working on science writing in general, but by exploring work in particular science disciplines.  You will conduct research to learn more about communication practices in the scientific discipline of your choice. As part of this research process, you will:

• interview a professional or pre-professional scientist in the discipline (either a professor, a professional researcher, or an advanced graduate student who has participated in research); and
  
  
• study a specific disciplinary forum--probably a research journal in your field.

By talking with a researcher and studying a research journal, you will learn what kinds of communication (formal and informal) are typical in your discipline, and you will also learn about the professional forums in which the expert's research is communicated.

Deliverables: forum analysis (900-1200 words); interview notes.

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Unit Two: Scientific Research Articles
(review of literature)

In the first unit, we examined the disciplinary forums in which scientists in specific fields communicated their research. As you read some of the articles in a disciplinary research journal, you probably noticed some of the standard features and sections of scientific research articles. In this unit, we will focus more closely on the scientific research article, the central genre (or "communication type") in most scientific disciplines.

As we learned in the first unit, not all disciplines use exactly the same types of research article. Still, most disciplines have developed a version of the classic "IMRD" experimental report genre, a genre that presents experimental research results in the form of Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.

In this unit, you will locate and read at least five research articles on a current topic in the scientific discipline that you chose for unit one. These articles must be published in recent (post-1995), peer-reviewed primary research journals. We will visit the library for a session on locating peer-reviewed journals and searching research indices, and I can help you to select a topic.

Based on what you discover in the five (or more) articles, you will write a review article that identifies the past trends, current problems, and future directions of research on your topic.

Deliverables: review article (1200-1500 words); copies of five original articles.

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Unit Three: Science in the World
(evaluative report)

One common but rarely examined claim about science is that it helps us to live better lives. Governments support scientific research, and therefore our tax dollars support that research, at least in part because we all assume that scientific research plays some role in making us richer, safer, healthier, and happier.

In this unit, we'll examine the uses of science in the world around us--specifically, references to specific scientific discoveries or claims in the news. What are some of the contributions made by science in our worlds? How are scientific claims presented to members of the public--as truth claims? as possibilities/theories/opinions/guesses? as facts or judgments? as narratives or analyses or descriptions or arguments? How are scientific "experts" represented in the media? In short, what are some of the ways in which the putative benefits of science are made visible to us on a daily basis?

Together, we will examine some of the appearances of science on the stage of current events. Then, you will each identify a current issue that you would like to research from the perspective of science communication. Most of you will select an issue related to your major or (for non-science majors) the discipline that you have studied in previous units.

For the Unit 3 project, you will collect material in popular media, determine its scientific elements, and then write an evaluative essay. In the essay, you should address the following questions (not simply by answering the questions individually!):

1. What the scientific elements are and where they come from (who's the "expert"?)
   
   
2. What case is being made to the public-why the topic has public relevance or significance
   
   
3. Why science is being brought in to support the case
   
   
4. What style(s) of scientific rhetoric are being used (is the scientific argument a matter of ethos? logos? contribution of "mere facts"? a matter of controversy?)
   
   
5. Is this issue truly "scientific"? Will the public perceive it as a science problem or a public problem (or both)? Evaluate the matter from your perspective as an informed and critical consumer of public media.

Deliverables: Evaluative report (600-900 words) on science in the news; copies of science articles in the news.

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Unit Four: Research Presentation

Based on material that you have written or gathered previously, you will propose and then produce a document or visually-assisted presentation in which you communicate scientific research results to a specific audience--probably an audience consisting of non-experts who have some identifiable interest in your topic. The scope of the document should be defined in your proposal, in consultation with me.

Presentation genres may include the following: brochure; research poster; Powerpoint presentation; other genres with prior approval. As the unit nears, we will discuss possible presentation genres and project ideas in more detail.

Deliverables: presentation document; explanatory memo.

Documentation process (roughly but not completely sequential).

1. Determine the rhetorical situation.
2. Define “outcomes.” [What will the user be able to do after accessing the document?]
3. Select an appropriate document type [genre].
4. Collect and develop content.
5. Choose an appropriate “style” and “tone” (both visual and textual).
6. Choose a basic “organizational principle” for the material. (Consider how material should be arranged in the document as a whole.)
7. Experiment with page design. (Remember that page design should be chosen according to earlier decisions about organizational principle, style, tone, and context of use.)
8. Lay out the page (or screen) and insert content.
9. “Test” the document to ensure that it functions as desired. (Refer to rhetorical situation.)
10. Revise visuals and text. Ensure that visuals and text work well together.
11. Edit for consistency, accuracy, and clarity.
12. Publish the document.
    
    

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