McKee, Laura
MWF 1 :50 PM
Park Hall 0259
Designed for students with and without STEM backgrounds, ENGL 3860W is an introduction to writing about scientific research and subjects for the public. We will read, explore, and analyze scientific and technical writing in a variety of genres, including research articles, journalistic articles, personal essays, memoirs, comics/graphic nonfiction, podcasts, and documentaries to inform our understanding of the various rhetorical contexts, opportunities, and strategies for science writing and communication. We will also discuss best practices and techniques for audience engagement and understanding, asking how can we keep our readers reading, even when encountering complex scientific content? Writing topics will be guided by individual student interests. This class is an excellent opportunity to expand your writing skills; diversify your portfolio of writing; and explore connections between STEM and the Humanities.
Readings will include work by Hope Jahren, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Emily Anthes, Joy Buolamwini, Margaret Renkl, Michael Pollan, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Primo Levi, Siddhartha Mukherjee, and Jonathan Fetter-Vorm, among others. We will also read pieces from major publications such as Science, Nature, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Orion Magazine, and The Best American Science and Nature Writing anthology series.
This course is writing intensive which means it includes substantial and ongoing writing assignments. 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.