SYLLABUS (pdf) T-Th 9:30-10:45, LGRT 123
http://people.chem.umass.edu/thompson/Courses/Chem391A/Fall08/
NEW: ResearchProposalPeerReview
INSTRUCTORS:
Lynmarie Thompson Holly
Davis
UMass Office: LGRT 403E UMass
Office: LGRT 115F
phone: 545-0827 Smith
Office: Seelye 307
Mailbox: LGRT 713C Smith
phone: 585-3034
E-mail:
thompson@chem.umass.edu E-mail:
hdavis@smith.edu
Want more help? Try
the UMass Writing Center...
REQUIRED
TEXTS:
1.
Davis, H, Pechenik, J, & Tyson,
J. The Short Guide to Writing in Chemistry. Available from Collective Copies.
2. Lunsford, Andrea and Robert Connors The Everyday Writer, Third Edition,
2005.
OR
Faigley, Lester, et. al. The Penguin Handbook, UMass Amherst Custom Edition.
2007.
COURSE GOALS
Effective communication is critical to success in
scientific and science-related careers. Whether you are interested in pursuing
basic or applied research, in teaching scientists or nonscientists, or in
combining science with government policy, patent law, or journalism, you will
need to complement your scientific training with clear oral and written
communication skills. Your success in scientific research, for example, will
depend on not only what new knowledge you contribute, but also on how effectively you
are able to communicate it. Luckily, writing is a skill you can develop
through practice, like any other skill. The goal of "Writing in Chemistry" is
for each student to practice communicating science and improve his or her
ability to clearly convey scientific principles.
Another goal is for students to learn to use
writing as an added tool for learning chemistry. In the pursuit of clear
communication you often will gain a deeper understanding of the topic. To
communicate your ideas effectively in your writing, you must choose the most
important concepts, identify compelling support for each point, and organize
them into a logical sequence. New ideas emerge as you view your topic from
multiple angles and decide how best to convey it to your audience. Thus writing
is a very effective means of discovering what you do and don't know, as well
as
discovering new insights.
Because this process is also the backbone of
preparing an effective oral presentation (and because both written and oral
communication skills are so essential to success in scientific and other
careers), this course incorporates oral presentation assignments as well. The
written and oral assignments will give you experience with a variety of tasks
that scientists encounter. One means of learning to write well (and present
well) is to pay attention to what is effective (and not so effective) in the
papers you read and the presentations you attend. Because both are critical to
effective communication, when we evaluate your assignments we will pay close
attention to both what is said and how it is said. And because writing effectively is
inextricably linked with writing correctly, we will review the most important
of the conventions of style, usage and punctuation during the semester, so that
you can put them to good use in the writing you submit. With all these
elements, this course gives you the opportunity to improve your ability to
communicate the science you have learned in other courses, as an important
preparation for whatever career you pursue with your science education.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1.
A
series of completed written assignments of varying lengths, including both a
mid-process and a final draft as well as periodic shorter writing exercises.
2.
Two oral presentations, one for a non-science audience and one for a
science audience.
3.
Association (new or continuing) with a research group that will form the
foundation of
three of the assignments below (projects
4,5, 6) OR choose the Teaching Proposal.
4.
Regular class attendance and active participation in discussion and peer
review.
5.
Satisfactory performance on weekly homework/quizzes on the conventions
of grammar
and punctuation.
6. Satisfactory performance on a final
test on all the conventions covered throughout
the semester.
ASSIGNMENTS
#1
Personal statement, resumé, and cover letter
A
contribution to a possible Time magazine series "Molecules
that Matter" (non-science
audience):
#2
Persuasive essay (10%)
#3
Short persuasive oral presentation (5%) --
Research
proposal related assignments (science audience):
#4
Critical Summary of a
research article (can be related to proposal area) (15%)
#5 Proposal - research or teaching (15%) -- research group peer review, teaching proposal tips
#6
Formal oral presentation of proposal (10%)
#7
Timed writing exercise
-- 3 samples plus evaluation (5%) Self-Evaluation
form
These
assignments cover several different types of communication that will be
important during your career:
Communicating
your strengths and interests – 1
Communicating
science to a non-scientific audience – 2 & 3
Communicating
science to a scientific audience – 4, 5, & 6
Rapid,
clear communication - 7
GRADING
10% Attendance,
homework, in-class writing & discussion, peer review
15% Quizzes on
conventions of punctuation, usage and style
10% Comprehensive
test on conventions of punctuation, usage and style
65% Major projects listed
above