ENGL 193-001 Communication in the Life Sciences
Winter
2022
Tuesdays
and
Thursdays
1:00-2:20
PM,
STC
3014
Instructor
Instructor: Jennifer Clary-Lemon
Office Hours: By appointment through Zoom. Please email me for an appointment time.
Email: jclarylemon@uwaterloo.ca
Note: I respond to emails from M-F and try to take a break on the weekend. If you email me on the weekend, please be prepared to wait until Monday for a response.
In this class, held at the University of Waterloo, we acknowledge that we are connected to 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 ten kilometres on each side of the Grand River.
Course Description
Normally,
we
would
be
meeting
every
day
face-to-face
to
talk
about
communicating
in
the
Life
Sciences.
This
term,
we
are
faced
with
unknowns
about
the
upcoming
term,
at
least
until
January
27—we
will
be
online
until
then.
Generally
speaking,
we
will
be
meeting
synchronously
and
online
during
our
scheduled
class
period
through
Zoom.
Specifically,
what
this
looks
like
may
vary
from
week
to
week—we
may
meet
for
updates
for
a
few
minutes
and
then
do
breakout
room
activities,
or
we
may
have
an
asynchronous
online
task.
I
ask
that
you
are
flexible
with
our
online
times,
since
much
of
the
class
plan
has
had
to
pivot
and
may
have
to
continue
to
do
so
throughout
the
term.
This
is
another
very
abnormal
year,
so
I
want
to
recognize
that
we
are
all
showing
up
to
class
in
ways
that
may
be
other
than
optimal
and
facing
limitations:
access
to
reliable
internet,
access
to
quiet
space
to
read
and
work,
and
various
emotional
and
health
barriers
to
our
best
selves.
Many
of
you
are
not
quite
experiencing
the
first
year
that
you
had
hoped
to!
Please
know
that
I
am
happy
to
work
with
you
if
and
as
you
might
face
these
or
other
difficulties.
The
best
way
for
me
to
get
to
know
you
is
by
Zoom
call,
which
I
am
happy
to
schedule
with
you
at
a
time
of
your
choice—email
me
at
jclarylemon@uwaterloo.ca.
In
this
course
you
will
learn
about
effective
written,
oral,
and
visual
communication
in
the
life
sciences.
You
will
have
the
opportunity
to
shape
these
communication
skills
through
iterative
design
processes
that
emphasize
attention
to
your
audience,
the
purpose
of
your
communications,
and
student
agency.
You
will
work
individually
and
collaboratively
to
understand
and
craft
messages
for
internal
and
external
audiences,
including
scientists,
government
stakeholders,
affected
communities,
or
broader
publics.
You
will
learn
about
a
variety
of
genres
while
enhancing
your
capacity
to
conduct
research
and
report
research
findings,
communicate
ethically,
and
thereby
effect
important
change.
Course Goals and Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students 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 Text and software
- Online readings. See course LEARN site.
- A Zoom account. Sign up for free at https://zoom.us
Course Requirements and Assessment
Information on course requirements and assessments.
Assessment |
Date of Evaluation |
Weighting |
Summary |
Jan. 25 |
5% |
Science and Ethics |
Feb. 8 |
20% |
Public
Undertanding
of
Science
Assignment |
April 5 |
25% |
Public Undertanding of Science Zoom 3MT Presentation |
March 31, April 5 |
20% |
Weekly activities and Homework |
various |
20% |
Peer reviews (4) |
various |
10% |
Total |
100% |
Summary (5%)
You will write a 250-word summary of an article that we read in class in order to familiarize yourself with the conventions of this important academic skill.
Science and Ethics: RetractionWatch (20%)
For this assignment, you will rhetorically analyze one of the top 10 most highly cited retracted papers on retractionwatch.com. Your analysis will focus on an examination of the science itself (logos), scientific ethos, and the reception by the scientific (and other) community over time (pathos). In 4 pages, you will examine the context for the retraction by emphasizing scientific ethics, speculating on why you think this paper continues to be cited despite its retraction.
Public Understanding of Science Assignment (25%)
This assignment is based on exploring Public Understandings of Science (PUS), which often present science communication as a one-way model from scientist to citizen, and Critical Understandings of Science in Public (CUSP), which notes science’s uncertainties, practices, biases, and ethics. You will locate an original version of a scientific report and at least two popular press articles (1 blog post or podcast is also acceptable) that take up its findings of a contemporary scientific phenomenon. You will place the three pieces in context, taking a critical view by analyzing their use of accurate raw science content, the framing of that content, and who benefits and suffers from the science as presented.
Public Understanding of Science Zoom Presentation (20%)
Together with two peers, you will develop a visual and presentation for a 3-minute-thesis (3MT) style presentation using Zoom videoconferencing software. Together, you will present three minutes on commonalities between the main findings of your Public Understandings of Science Assignment. We will watch these videos in class, where you will answer a live Q-and-A in front of the class.
Weekly Activities and Homework (20%)
We will often complete individual and collaborative activities in class that engage with our course readings. These might be discussion board posts, creation of short videos, quick responses to course readings, turning in drafts, or other activities that hone the skills of close reading, invention, summarizing, and paraphrasing.
Peer Review (10%)
Because the main component of this course is writing, a large part of it is devoted to respecting and keeping track of writing processes: drafts, notes, ideas, feedback. When we workshop writing for class, you act as a willing and prepared reviewer of other writers’ work. This means that on peer review days, you meet draft posting deadlines and show up ready to act as a thoughtful reader and commenter of your peers’ work.
Weekly Activities, Peer Review, and Grading
Writing-to-learn activities that we complete in class are process oriented, which means you learn from the activity rather than from me assigning a letter grade based on a finished product. As such, if a post or response is thoughtful and complete, you will receive a 10/10.
A “thoughtful” post is one that answers the prompt clearly and conscisely, making specific reference to what is being asked and providing a full account of answering to it. A thoughtful post is specific, making references to passages in the course text, examples from everyday life or relevant experience, or other popular or cultural references (i.e., news, blogs, social media). If you are using sources to support your response, they will be cited in APA style. Thoughtful posts observe writing conventions: capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar.
A “thoughtful” response to a peer is one that shows connection to the writer that one is responding to. This connection is made by not only acknowledging the writer’s point, but adding to it in a meaningful way that extends and expands the view of what has been posted. Thoughtful responses observe writing conventions: capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar.
“Complete” posts and responses meet the minimum word requirement as asked, do so in a way that purposeful (i.e., are showing critical thinking rather than filling space to meet a requirement), and are posted on time.
Careless and/or incomplete posts and responses may be late, off-topic, ignore what is being asked, simply agree or disagree in response to another writer, write responses that have little to do with the course, or not fulfil the minimum word requirement. Careless posts and responses disregard writing conventions. The highest a careless/incomplete post or response will receive is 5/10. Late posts and responses will receive 0/10.
For activities that involve more sophisticated learning-to-write activities when there is more attention paid to format and polishing the product, you will receive a percentage grade out of 10 points. Peer Reviews will similarly be out of 10 points, with full credit being given for not only participating in peer review, but using the feedback gathered during peer review to revise your draft towards a polished final product. For final papers, you will receive a numeric grade out of 100.
Late Work
Late assignments will not be accepted without an extension. Permission to turn in a late assignment without penalty will be given rarely and only based on a videoconference with me, and never on the day the assignment is due. If you are having trouble completing an assignment, please speak with me.
Attendance Policy
It
is
essential
that
you
attend
each
class.
By
“attend”
it
is
meant
that
you
come
to
class
and/or
post
regularly
or
meet
with
your
peers
online
and
on
time,
having
read
the
course
material
for
the
week
and
being
ready
to
engage
with
it.
Basic
Needs
Any student who has difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, and believes this may affect their performance in the course, is urged to contact the Dean of students in their faculty for support. Furthermore, please notify the professor if you are comfortable in doing so.
Alternate Arrangements for COVID-19 Scenarios
In the event that in-person classes must be cancelled for either short term (1 week) or longer term (i.e., university-wide shut down), we will adapt lesson plans and the course outline to using the classroom LEARN and embedded Zoom link for synchronous class time on both Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:00-2:20. Should you test positive or need to self-isolate for COVID-19, please contact me as soon as possible to arrange accommodations for your absences for in-person classes.
Institutional-required statements for undergraduate course outlines approved by Senate Undergraduate Council, April 14, 2009
Cross-listed course
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.
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.
Discipline:
A
student
is
expected
to
know
what
constitutes
academic
integrity,
to
avoid
committing
academic
offences,
and
to
take
responsibility
for
his/her
actions.
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
professor,
academic
advisor,
or
the
Undergraduate
Associate
Dean.
When
misconduct
has
been
found
to
have
occurred,
disciplinary
penalties
will
be
imposed
under
Policy
71
–
Student
Discipline.
For
information
on
categories
of
offenses
and
types
of
penalties,
students
should
refer
to
Policy
71
-
Student
Discipline.
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.
Read
Policy
70
-
Student
Petitions
and
Grievances,
Section
4.
Appeals:
A
student
may
appeal
the
finding
and/or
penalty
in
a
decision
made
under
Policy
70
-
Student
Petitions
and
Grievances
(other
than
regarding
a
petition)
or
Policy
71
-
Student
Discipline
if
a
ground
for
an
appeal
can
be
established.
Read
Policy
72
-
Student
Appeals.
Other
sources
of
information
for
students
Academic integrity (Arts) Academic Integrity Office (uWaterloo)
Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
Note
for
students
with
disabilities:
The
AccessAbility
Services
office,
located
in
Needles
Hall
Room
1132,
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
with
the
AS
office
at
the
beginning
of
each
academic
term.