193 W20 Selinger

University of Waterloo 
Department of English

ENGL 193 – Communication in the Sciences (Physical) 
Winter 2020 

Instructor and TA Information 

Instructor: Dr. Megan Selinger 

Office: HH 155 

Office Phone: 519-888-4567, ext. 38219 

Office Hours: M/W, 1:00-2:00 (and by appointment) 

Email: megan.selinger@uwaterloo.ca 

Course Offerings 

ENGL 193-015       M/W 10:00-11:20 STC 3014 

ENGL 193-016       M/W 11:30-12:50 STC 3014 

ENGL 193-017        M/W 02:30-03:50 STC 3014 

Course Description 

Science expands our understanding of the world by questioning perceived truths and seeking out new answers. However, to have an impact, the information and insights generated by scientific research must be effectively communicated, whether to publics, policymakers, or other scientists.  

In this course you will learn effective written, oral, and visual communication in the physical sciences. You will have the opportunity to enhance these communication skills through iterative design processes that emphasize attention to your audience and the purpose of your communications. You will work individually and collaboratively, using a variety of genres used in scientific communications, to craft messages for internal and external audiences, including scientists, government stakeholders, affected communities, and broader publics. Overall, this course will enhance your capacity to conduct research and report research findings, communicate ethically, and thereby effect change. 

Course Goals and Learning Outcomes 

Communication is essential for scientists who communicate in many different ways with many different audiences. In this course we will introduce you to a variety of ways scientists communicate, giving you the basis to begin sharing the importance of science in more tailored, concise and effective messaging.  

Course Outcomes 

By the end of the course, you should be able to: 

• design, draft, and persuasively deliver scientific communications to expert and non-expert audiences; 

• justify decisions about the language, content, and genre used when communicating scientific information; 

• practice collaboration and peer review in support of iterative communication design processes, including revision; 

• practice research processes to find, assess, document, incorporate, and cite research resources and communicate research findings; 

• describe and appraise the purposes and ethical concerns of science communication.

Required Readings Available on LEARN 

Readings will be made available to students as PDFs on LEARN or through the UW Library. 

Course Requirements and Assessment 

In this course a passing grade is 50%. You will need to complete the following assignments and activities. Assignments will be submitted and feedback will be provided through LEARN. Due to the importance of revision and process in writing and communication design, there is no exam. 

Assignment Breakdown 

Contribution Assessment 

Building strong writing skills demands frequent practice. In this class, that practice will take the form of in-class activities, and the interpretation and analysis of different written documents. I measure participation in several ways. I monitor your attendance, group work and involvement in class discussions. You must participate regularly in class and group discussions, you must listen and respond to your classmates’ contributions to those discussions, and you must contribute meaningfully to any group work in which you are engaged. I will also request self-assessment of your participation. 

EDGE: Skills Identification and Articulation Workshop 

The Skills Identification and Articulation Workshop helps students identify the skills they are developing throughout their undergraduate career. Students who complete this workshop will become better able to recognize their skills and develop strategies for expressing these to target audiences (e.g. to potential employers in job interviews). The workshop was developed and will be facilitated by a Career Advisor from the Centre for Career Action. It has been tailored to the Communication in the Sciences course, so as to help students gain a deeper understanding of how class activities and concepts can be applied in a variety of employment and professional contexts. Students who are actively pursuing the EDGE certificate, or who wish to pursue the program in the future, will receive a milestone for participation in the workshop. 

Reading Quizzes  

Unannounced reading quizzes will evaluate basic understanding and retention of the readings.  

Annotated Bibliography 

Find and locate three current scholarly science articles which use the IMRaD format. These should be on topics and/or areas of science that you find interesting. For each article, locate one non-scholarly text which discusses that research.  

For each of your six texts, you need to create an annotated list of references. This will include each text’s citation in APA format and an analysis of that text. For each text:  

• Give the authority of the author and the point of view from which he/she writes. Indicate the nature of the text’s content, its scope and quality. 

• Point out the sources strengths and weaknesses. 

• Discuss your interest in this topic and how this text relates to that interest). 

Please note: This assignment is the basis for other assignments. As such, you need to choose scholarly science articles you are interested in and you want to work with for the rest of the term projects.   

Science Literature Review 

Science literature reviews are written BEFORE the research takes place. They assess: 1) what research is needed in the field – the gaps in research, 2) what methods and strategies are currently used with this topic and 3) what particular articles or ideas this work be in conversation with.  

Choose one of science journal articles to work with. In this article, the authors will have situated their work within a research conversation. Identify from their citation list two to three key texts they either build on or challenge. Read through and write short summaries about the research. Then write a few paragraphs about what those papers mean to the research article you have chosen to work with. Why did your authors cite those articles? What does it tell us about the problem or issues the authors of your research article are trying to solve? You’re trying to provide a general understanding of what material currently exists in this research area and how your research and your article would fit in. Finally, you need to provide a tentative assessment of those two-three articles in terms of their data quality, the arguments they make, etc.  

Grant Proposal: Crowdfunding Your Research 

Your proposal will use the research article you chose to base your Science Literature Review on to host a crowdfunding project on Experiment.com.  

 Mock up a draft of your own crowdfunding proposal in a world processor. Look at all the different components involved: the proposal, images, biography, etc. In this scenario, your article hasn’t been published i.e. the experiment hasn’t been run and there are no results.  Thus, you are asking for a significant amount of money (you can decide what amount you feel is valid for your research project) to support the team’s research goals (i.e. to run the experiment and share your results).  Since most funded proposals include a video, in lieu of a video, you will create a storyboard for your proposal.  

Include 2-3 paragraphs on a separate page identifying your audience and your choices. How will you get people to fund you? Why would they choose your experiment?  

Public Communication Oral Assignment 

You’ve completed the initial research and now you’re ready to report the results. You’ve been invited to give a talk at your local library about your work. Demographics include a range of learners and you’re going to have to figure out how to communicate your complex subject to a wide audience.  

You will first need to decide what aspect of your paper you think will appeal to your audience. What is particularly interesting about your work and what do you most want to share with others? You will want to figure out how much you can cover about 3 minutes! It isn’t a long time to talk so you’re going to need to be selective. Prepare a slideshow or some other kind of multimedia to use during your talk 

You should be sure that your presentation is the correct length, polished and practiced, and aimed at a wide audience with different kinds of expertise. 

State of Science 

Your next assignment will be to write a report on the state of a particular phenomenon in science and how it is currently being represented in both the scholarly field and the public sphere. This assignment will let you trace the origins of science and understand how that is translated and changed to present that information to the publics.  

Using your original published peer reviewed article, select two popular non-scholarly accompaniments which also discuss that particular scientific phenomenon. Use the CARS model of introductions to frame your research. You may structure your piece either as a more traditional academic essay or an IMRAD-report style piece. Analyze all three texts in a cohesive argument as follows:  

1. Science content (how true/accurate is the science in each publication)

2. How the science is framed (what are we supposed to see the raw content as? Pay attention to language, metaphor, and imagery for each text)

3. Critical analysis: what does the content mean and how does it reach that meaning? What should the framing in question 2 be seen as? Relate to wider issues and debates. 

Poster Presentation and Conference Proposal (Group Assignment) 

Posters bring together almost every model of communication you need to master: written communication, visual communication (particularly data), oral communication in your short explanation of your research, and even interpersonal communication as you answer questions.  

You will be placed in small groups of 3-5 students. In your group, choose one scientific article that can be represented both orally and visually and, together, create a poster based on that research article. In addition, you will write a 3-minute pitch about your work – which you will memorize and present when someone asks about your poster. You will also write a one page design rationale that includes a justification for your focus, your design decisions, and that explains the importance and visual significance of any graphics you include. Each group member will write reflective memos about the collaborative process (to be handed in) and will sign a Group Assignment Disclosure (on LEARN). 

You should be sure that your poster is written for a poster format and not a direct quote from your Research Report. Ensure it is focused on a particular issue in the research you’re summarizing, includes graphics such as related images or visual representations of data, and is polished and free of errors. 

Course Outline 

Attendance Policy 

If you miss 5 or more classes without first discussing your situation with the professor, you will receive a failing grade in the course overall. This is because much of the writing and revision process is conducted in-class, and you are also expected to participate in peer review, and a group presentation. 

Extensions and Late Policy 

Many unexpected events can happen over the course of the term. To ensure all students are treated in the same way, requests for alternative assignment due dates must be accompanied by appropriate documentation from a doctor or health care professional. Late assignments will be docked 5% per day. Assignments more than 3 days late will not be accepted. If you have a valid reason to request an extension, you must notify me 48 hours before deadline if at all possible. You must also submit documents that support your reason for an extension. With a valid reason, you and I will agree on a new date, which will be firm. Assignments will not be rescheduled for reasons of personal convenience. 

Mental Health Support 

All of us need a support system. The faculty and staff in Arts encourage students to seek out mental health supports if they are needed.  

On Campus 

• Counselling Services:  counselling.services@uwaterloo.ca / 519-888-4567 ext 32655 

• MATES:  one-to-one peer support program offered by Federation of Students (FEDS) and Counselling Services 

• Health Services Emergency service: located across the creek form Student Life Centre 

Off campus, 24/7 

• Good2Talk:  Free confidential help line for post-secondary students. Phone: 1-866-925-5454 

• Grand River Hospital: Emergency care for mental health crisis. Phone: 519-749-4300 ext. 6880 

• Here 24/7: Mental Health and Crisis Service Team. Phone: 1-844-437-3247 

• OK2BME: set of support services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning teens in Waterloo.  Phone: 519-884-0000 extension 213 

Full details can be found online at the Faculty of ARTS website 

Download UWaterloo and regional mental health resources (PDF) 

Download the WatSafe app to your phone to quickly access mental health support information 

Territorial Acknowledgement 

We acknowledge that we are living and working on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (also known as Neutral), Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations that includes 10 kilometres on each side of the Grand River. 

For more information about the purpose of territorial acknowledgements, please see the CAUT Guide to Acknowledging Traditional Territory (PDF) 

Cross-listed course (if applicable) 

Please note that a cross-listed course will count in all respective averages no matter under which rubric it has been taken. For example, a PHIL/PSCI cross-list will count in a Philosophy major average, even if the course was taken under the Political Science rubric. 

Electronic Device Policy 

Electronic devices may be used to take notes and to enhance the classroom experience. However, using your devices for activities outside of the course is not permitted.   

Academic Integrity 

Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. Check the Office of Academic Integrity website for more information.  

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity to avoid committing an academic offence, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. [Checkthe Office of Academic Integrityfor more information.] A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course instructor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate associate dean. For information on categories of offences and types of penalties, students should refer toPolicy 71, Student Discipline. For typical penalties, checkGuidelines for the Assessment of Penalties. 

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. ReadPolicy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance. 

Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed underPolicy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances(other than a petition) orPolicy 71, Student Disciplinemay be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer toPolicy 72, Student Appeals. 

Turnitin.com and alternatives: Text matching software (Turnitin®) may be used to screen assignments in this course. Turnitin® is used to verify that all materials and sources in assignments are documented. Students' submissions are stored on a U.S. server, therefore students must be given an alternative (e.g., scaffolded assignment or annotated bibliography), if they are concerned about their privacy and/or security. Students will be given due notice, in the first week of the term and/or at the time assignment details are provided, about arrangements and alternatives for the use of Turnitin in this course. 

It is the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor if they, in the first week of term or at the time assignment details are provided, wish to submit the alternate assignment. 

Accommodation for Students with Disabilities 

Note for students with disabilities: AccessAbility Services, located in Needles Hall, Room 1401, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register withAccessAbility Servicesat the beginning of each academic term.