ENGLISH 390: SCIENCE WRITING Fall 2015
SECTION 0401 MWF 12:00 – 12:50 Tawes 1106
SECTION 0501 MWF 1:00 - 1:50 Tawes 0207
Instructor: Dr. Katherine O’Neill Email: Use subject line: ENGL 390
Office hours: Monday 2:30 to 5:00 pm and by appointment, Tawes 1200
Overview of this course
Prerequisite: English 101 or equivalent AND a minimum of 60 credits.
English 390 is designed for students who are preparing for graduate study and/or careers in the biological, physical or social sciences. It satisfies the Professional Writing requirement for undergraduates. This class will prepare you as scientists to communicate technical information to your peers, government agencies, non-profits, public policymakers, students and the public.
All PWP classes require at least six graded assignments consisting of a minimum of 25 pages of original writing.
Required text: Writing Science in Plain English by Anne E. Greene; other assigned readings on CANVAS
Learning Outcomes: Upon completing this course, students can expect to:
- Analyze a variety of professional rhetorical situations and produce appropriate texts in response.
- Understand the stages required to produce competent professional writing through planning, drafting, revising and editing.
- Identify and implement appropriate research methods for each writing task
- Practice the ethical use of sources and the conventions of citation appropriate to each genre.
- Write for intended readers of a text and design or adapt a texts to audiences who may differ in their familiarity with the subject matter.
- Demonstrate competence in Standard Written English, including grammar, sentence and paragraph structure, coherence and document design (including the use of the visual) and use this knowledge to revise texts
- Produce cogent arguments that identify arguable issues, reflect the degree of available evidence and take account of counter-arguments.
Attendance:
You are expected to attend class every day and have assigned reading with you. Absences due to illness, religious observances and family emergencies may be excused. You must tell me at least one week prior to the religious observance that you will be missing class on a particular date. If possible, notify me prior to class if you are absent due to illness or other emergency and specify the reason for the absence. In the event of an absence, you are still responsible for the material that was covered in class that day. If you have an unexcused absence on a day when an assignment is due, you will lose points for lateness.
Absence from more than one class because of the same illness: you must provide written documentation from a health care provider.
Tardiness
Coming to class late is not respectful, and in the work world it will not be tolerated. At the same time, I understand that this campus is quite large and you may sometimes have difficulty getting to class on time. If you do enter the classroom after class has begun, please take your seat quietly and do not disrupt the class.
Late assignments
Assignments are due at the beginning of class. Papers turned in late without permission will be penalized one letter grade for every class period that they are late.
Behavior in class
In this class, we will be providing feedback to one another, discussing ideas and encouraging critical and creative thought. I expect that there will be a diversity of perspectives and that we will maintain an open and accepting environment. Participation in discussions and peer editing is required. It is expected that all conduct will be respectful and constructive. The tone of this class is collaborative, not competitive.
Electronic devices such as cell phones, laptops and tablets are not permitted in class. I expect your full attention to the class content and discussions. If you are awaiting an important phone call, put your phone on vibrate and put it in a pocket. Leave the room quietly if the call comes in. I do not want to see cell phones on your desks.
Academic Integrity
Dishonesty has no place in an institution of higher learning. Dishonesty includes cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating information or citations, facilitating dishonest acts by others, submitting work used in a previous class. Occasionally, students who have not carefully studied citation conventions may find themselves accused of dishonesty when in fact, they simply were not aware of proper citation standards. It is YOUR responsibility to become knowledgeable about standards for academic integrity. The Student Honor Council has a tutorial on academic integrity at this link: http://www.academicintegrity.umd.edu/AI/Default.aspx
Instructor’s Philosophy
Writing: I believe that writing cannot be separated from critical thinking. As we structure our writing, with outlines or concept maps, notations, etc., we are simultaneously structuring our thinking. Writing therefore is NOT linear. It is an iterative process, meaning that we repeat the process multiple times until we reach the target. Even those who write for a living and have years of experience edit and revise their work until it best meets their goals.
Success in this class: Show up, ask questions, pay attention, do your assignments. I want you to be successful. I am a human being, and the mother of two college students. I know that we sometimes encounter potholes on the road of life. If you are stuck in a pothole - having trouble keeping up, or having difficulty with an assignment– or a personal issue that is impacting on your work: SEE ME. I am more than happy to make adjustments that will facilitate your success. If you wait until the last week of class and are missing 4 assignments, it will be much more difficult to create a happy ending.
ELMS
I will be communicating with you through ELMS and email. Check ELMS EVERY DAY for announcements. All of the material that you need to do your assignments will be found on ELMS.
TEXTS AND other class materials
The text is “Writing Science in Plain English”, by Anne E. Greene. It is an inexpensive paperback. You can buy it used on Amazon for less than $10. We will use the text for readings and assignments. In addition, I will post additional readings online on the class ELMS page. You will also be required to research and print out 8 to 10 articles from the scientific literature. Plan on spending $30 to $35 on printing. The total cost of materials for you will be less than $50 – far less than the cost of most textbooks.
ASSIGNMENTS
This class is about the process of writing. Every assignment will have several steps, including handing in a first draft, followed by a final version to be graded. The draft will not be graded, but you will receive comments on it, which you will use to revise and edit as you write the final document. The draft is MANDATORY, and accounts for 20% of your grade for that assignment. That means that if you don’t hand in a draft, the maximum grade that you can get on the assignment is 80%
You will need 4 pocket folders to save all of the materials used to complete your assignments – this means notes, outlines, your first draft (hardcopy) with my comments and your final revised document. You will hand in all of these materials to me when your assignment is due. I want to see your process and your thinking. You must hand in all of the first drafts in order to get full credit for your assignment.
All first drafts must be handed in as hard copies. Final revised documents may be uploaded onto ELMS, and hard copies of other materials (drafts, notes, etc.) must be handed in. I do not accept assignments by email.
Course Schedule (This may change slightly. Students will be advised of changes via Announcements in
CANVAS)
1 / M 8/31, W 9/2, F 9/5 / Course Introduction:
General Rubric
Rhetorical analysis, definitions
Introduce Portfolio 1
Search for positions, analyze ads and companies; analyze personal statements
Analyze cover letters, resumes, CVs / Portfolio 1 materials: CANVAS
2 / M 9/7, W 9/9, F 9/11 / Peer editing of personal statements, cover letters, resumes
Clarity, diction / Williams, Chapter 1: CANVAS / M 9/7: draft of resume and cover letter due, with printout of job description
F 9/11: draft of personal statement due
3 / M 9/14 / Scientific communication
Reading and writing journal articles: library research
Analysis of research articles: audience and purpose
Analysis of research articles: IMRAD
Reader expectation theory / Greene: Chapters 1-5
Penrose & Katz, Ch 1: Science as a Social Enterprise: CANVAS / W 9/16: Final documents for Portfolio 1 are due
4 / M 9/21 / Analysis of research articles: presentation of data, use of tables, charts and graphs
Peer editing: edit analysis of research articles / Critical analysis of scientific article: CANVAS / F 9/25: First draft of analysis of research article due: peer editing
5 / M 9/28 / Genre of the review article
Conferences
Conferences / Elements of style for journal articles: CANVAS
Greene: Chapters 6-9
6 / M 10/5 / Writing a review article: Identifying trends and patterns
Introducing new information / Penrose & Katz, Ch 5, Reviewing prior research: CANVAS / W 10/7 First draft of grid for review article due
F 10/9 First draft of results section of review article due
7 / M 10/12 / Interpreting findings and drawing conclusions
Annotated Bibliography
Ethics in Scientific Communications / Greene: Chapters 10 and 11 / W 10/14 First draft of results section due
F 10/16 First draft of annotated bibliography due
F 10/16
8 / M 10/19 / Communicating science to the general public
Accommodating to the general audience / Penrose & Katz, Ch 8, Communicating with public audiences: CANVAS / M 10/19: First draft of Discussion section of review article due
9 / M 10/26 / Audience analysis
Peer editing: popular press article
Communicating with non-scientific audiences in professional contexts / Purpose, audience analysis: CANVAS / M 10/26: First draft of introduction and abstract due
F 10/30: Final documents for Portfolio 2 are due
10 / M11/2 / Rhetorical strategies in Public policy: peer editing, public policy / Value of science in public policy: CANVAS / M 11/2: First draft of article for general public is due
F 11/6: First draft of public policy memo due
11 / M 11/9 / Research Proposals: Audience, background and methodology, reviewer evaluations / Research proposal: CANVAS / F 11/13: First draft of research proposal due
12 / M 11/16 / Planning final projects: form groups, create project plans / F 11/20: Final documents for Portfolio 3 due
13 / M 11/23 / Composing posters/presentations: role of conferences, audience, methods of presentations, use of graphics, anticipating counter arguments / www.ugresearch.umd.edu/researchposter.php
14 / M 11/30 / Planning, work group
Presentations / M 11/30: First draft final project planning documents due
15 / M 12/4 / Presentations / M 12/4: Final 16documents for Portfolio 4 due
16 / M 12/7
Portfolios
You will create 4 portfolios of your writing assignments including notes, drafts, worksheets, outlines, peer reviews, and photocopied articles – keep the documents organized, dated and labeled. You will hand in ALL of those documents in your final portfolio. Each portfolio will receive a grade based on how well it demonstrates that you collected and analyzed information and produced drafts and revisions that take into account the feedback that you received on drafts and your own process of critical thinking.
Portfolio 1: Preparing a professional application
Personal statement, cover letter, resume or CV
Portfolio 2: Communicating complex information
Analysis of research article, review article, annotated bibliography
Portfolio 3: Analyzing published research and translating for diverse audiences
Research proposal, public policy memo, and article for general public
Portfolio 4: Contributing to academic conversations
Final project proposal and outline, presentation
You will receive a detailed Assignment sheet for each of the assignments in the four portfolios which will give specific instructions for completing the assignments. These assignment sheets will also be in Canvas.
Grading
Your final grade will be based on your writing assignments and class participation, as follows:
Portfolio 1:15%
Resume 50 points
Cover letter 50 points
Personal Statement 50 points
Portfolio 2:30%
Annotated Bibliography 75 points
Analysis of a Research Article 75 points
Review Article 150 points
Portfolio 3: 22.5%
Article for a general publication 75 points
Grant proposal 75 points
Public policy brief 75 points
Portfolio 4:12.5%
Oral presentation or poster 125 points
Reflective writing:5%
Homework:5%
Class participation:10%
Students with disabilities
The University is committed to providing appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities. If you are a student with a documented disability, please inform me within the first week of class, so that we can get your accommodations in place immediately. To obtain an Accommodation Letter from the Disability Support Services (DSS) of the University Counseling Center, you may call 301-314-7682, email or visit the Shoemaker Building.
Non-native speakers of American English
Please let me know if American English is not your first language – you may have difficulty with grammar and vocabulary, which I will take into account.
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