McKee, Laura
MWF 10:20 AM
Park Hall 0061
Designed for students both with and without STEM backgrounds, this course is an introduction to writing about scientific research and subjects for general audiences. We will read, explore, and analyze scientific and technical writing in a variety of genres, including research articles, journalistic articles, personal essays, memoirs, podcasts, and documentaries to inform our understanding of the various rhetorical contexts, opportunities, and strategies for science writing and communication. The written assignments will result in a significant and diverse body of written work (the equivalent of 6000 words or 25 pages), and the instructor will be closely involved in student writing, providing opportunities for feedback and substantive revision. Writing topics will be guided by individual student interests.
Readings will include work by Hope Jahren, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Emily Anthes, Joy Buolamwini, Michael Pollan, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Primo Levi, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Stephen Hawking (and others), as well as pieces from major publications such as Science, Nature, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Best American Science and Nature Writing anthology series.