ENGL 193 F22 Zafar

Communication in the Life Sciences (ENGL 193, Section 006)

Instructor: Sonia Ayesha Zafar

Email: sa2zafar@uwaterloo.ca

Classroom: EV3 3406 (click here for the location of EV3)

Consulting Time: Will be communicated

In-person meeting space: to be determined

Territorial Acknowledgement

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is centralized within the Office of Indigenous Relations.

Map source: Adam Lewis, “Living on Stolen Land,” Alternatives Journal. December 2015

• For more information about the purpose of territorial acknowledgements, please see the CAUT Guide to Acknowledging Traditional Territory (PDF)
• For more questions on the Haldimand Tract and the Six Nations please contact me outside class hours, and I can refer you to an expert for gaining knowledge on the subject (or for general information on reconciliation work carried out within the University of Waterloo please visit: https://uwaterloo.ca/indigenous/).

Course Description

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 craft messages for internal and external audiences, including scientists, government stakeholders, affected communities, or broader publics. You will learn a variety of genres, such as research reports, grant proposals, conference abstracts, conference posters, public talks, blog posts, and podcasts. Overall, this course will help you enhance your capacity to conduct research and report research findings, communicate ethically, and thereby effect important change.

Course Objectives:

The sciences expand our understanding of the world by posing questions and by collecting evidence to address these questions. In order to have an impact, the information and insights generated by scientific research also need to be effectively communicated, whether to publics, policymakers, or to other scientists.

Course Goals and Learning 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.

Course Structure:

Generally, classes will follow the following format: lecture (20 -25 minutes depending on content), break (5 mins- we can specify a time or can discuss incorporating it openly during the class time), workshop/activity (40 mins), and discussion (10 mins). Our aim is to finish as much work in class as possible. However, this format may vary depending on the schedule and requirements of the workshop (e.g., peer reviews and/or guest speakers).

Required Texts and Materials:

Thaiss, Christopher. Writing Science in the Twenty-First Century. Broadview Press, 2019.

ISBN: 978-1-55481-304-9

*Note: Instructions for accessing additional readings will be available on the course LEARN site.

Grade Breakdown:

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 final exam.

Group work components - approx. 20% of course grade excluding the class participation activities

*Note: Assignments due end Week; Friday @ 11:59 pm unless specified otherwise

Assignment Descriptions

Participation (20%)

During each week of the course, you will have readings, lectures, and smaller-scale activities to complete such as worksheets and activities, and discussion board posts.

Assignment #1: Interpreting and communicating Science (20 %)

The first assignment is the culmination of the first 5 weeks of the semester. In these five weeks you will learn and practice the crucial communication skills of summary, analysis, storytelling and the art of effective collaboration. You will also gain familiarity with some of the standard rhetorical moves of persuasive scientific communication for science specific and wider audience, the various ways that science communication can make a difference through print and online venues.

Apart from the collaborative class activities that slowly prepare you for Assignment #1 the assignment itself involves three major steps that are linked to the minor steps:

• Step 1: Searching and identifying an article (2.5%) from the area of your interest.

• Step 2: Analyzing introductions through Swales Model for Rhetorical Introductions for understanding and summarizing information (2.5%)

• Step 3: Converting scientific information into STEM journalism for reaching wider audiences.

Activities contributing towards the culmination of Assignment#1

Activity 1: Understanding genres of science communication beyond scientific articles (1.25%)

Activity 2: Casting you as the MC of your science story and identifying your science interest through your Science Biography (2.5%)

Activity 3: Analyzing the science articles for summary and understanding will be carried out by using the worksheets for breaking down Swales and IMRD models of science to help you understand and summarized scientific knowledge (2%)

Activity 4 (A-D): Practicing networking and negotiations in breakdown of IMRD divisions, identifying and using multimodal features, creating science stories, incorporating scientific information in for presenting to a wider audience (5%).

Assignment #2: Crowd Funding Proposal (25%)

This project runs during weeks 6-9 and includes Reading Week. It introduces you to the sources of funding in sciences. The culmination of this project will be in the form of a sample funding proposal for experiement.com. You will simultaneously work in groups and individually for understanding different aspects of assignments, but your final submission will be in the form of an individual proposal. For ensuring practice the funding proposal will be based on the same article from your area of interest identified in the previous assignment.

Activities contributing towards the culmination of Assignment#2

The project will be supported by 3 in class group activities (total 4.5%) and two Peer Reviews (5%).

Activity 5: Networking and negotiating science for finding the right fit for funding (1%)

Activity 6: Synthesizing the science funding proposal by identifying the parts of the proposal at experiment.com (2%)

Activity 7: Reviewing the research proposal on the worksheets (2%)

Peer Reviews: Practicing networking, negotiations and reviewing – providing and

receiving feedback (from 2 peers) on your individual experiment.com proposals (5%).

Assignment #3: Science Communication – Poster & Presentation (20% out of which 5% will be awarded for active participation in the preparation activities):

The last five weeks of the course (10-14) are dedicated to a group project that invites you to explore the rhetorical strategies and ethical dimensions of science communication. During Assignment 3, you will focus on more formal aspects of science communication and will create a poster in science specific science-communication genres. However, through presentation of the poster you will ensure that your research is geared towards different public audiences. The assignment thus culminates in a group poster presentation.

Activities contributing towards the culmination of Assignment#3

The project will be supported by 3 in class group activities (3.5%) and 1 individual activity (1%) and two assignment specific activities (5%).

Activity 8: Networking and negotiating for analyzing science posters in a group (1%)

Activity 9: Brainstorming the prompt for creating your own group poster and presentation (1%)

Activity 10: Revisiting old work in the light of new evidence and identifying individually strong and weak points of previous group presentation on the worksheet (1%)

Activity 11: Reviewing the previous presentation with the previous group members and comparing notes for coming up with a list of do’s and don’ts for the upcoming group presentation (2 %)

Assignment Preparation (5%):

Activity 1: 1st Drafts with inline comments from group members – to be submitted to the “check-in” dropbox in LEARN)

Coming up with a checklist for the poster presentation based on the readings and discussions so far.

Activity 2: (2.5%) 2nd Drafts with inline comments from group members – to be submitted to the “check-in” dropbox in LEARN)

Editing, proofreading and finalizing work based on course readings and group discussions.

*Note: Most of the activities will be based on worksheets to help the students streamline information and to carry out a more concentrated analysis.

After the reading week sign up for the blog post sheet. 4 students will blog about an interesting but inconspicuous science discovery or a scientist. You only have to write one blog and monitor it for the week by responding to the comments on it. The 10% is further divided as 5% for blogging 2% for monitoring and 3% for commenting on other blog posts i.e., each student should atleast leave a comment or share an interesting fact on three other blogs besides sharing and monitoring their blog posts.

Course Policies & Related Information

• Submission Deadlines and Extensions:

All work in this course must be original work of the student or students submitting the assignments. Additionally, all use of sources must be documented correctly using APA citation format.

• Extensions. You may take extensions on your individual assignments after informing the instructor. Most group work and activities will be carried out in the classroom. However, for the final presentation please try and ensure your availability in the last three weeks of the course. Please inform the instructor for any extensions on all assignments/activities.
• Longer Extensions. Assignments that are turned in late and without informing the instructor will be graded after consultation with you and may incur a deduction. In general, extensions are available; please request such extensions 24-hours in advance if at all possible. Requests for an extension longer than 24-hours must be made via email and need to include a suggested due date.
• Kindness is a Policy. Generally, kindness will be our default policy when it comes to instruction, late assignments, the inability to participate on an activity, and other aspects of the course.

Additional Policies

Student Emergencies. Circumstances affecting your ability to complete course work should be communicated to your instructor as soon as you are safely able to do so. Please understand that in most circumstances you do not need to provide private or personal details. For problems with an extended duration, you may be asked to work with your university adviser.

Instructor Emergencies. Please note that your instructor may also encounter health or family emergencies, and will always communicate any changes or issues to you as soon as possible.

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. See the UWaterloo Academic Integrity webpage and the Faculty of Arts Ethical Behavior webpage for more information on policies, procedures, and student responsibilities, including consequences for deliberate or accidental plagiarism.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. Check the Office of Academic Integrity for 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 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. For typical penalties check Guidelines 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. Read Policy 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 under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 - Student Appeals.

Note for students with disabilities. The AccessAbility Services office, located on the first floor of the Needles Hall extension (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 with the AS office at the beginning of each academic term.

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 will be given an alternative, 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 an alternate assignment.

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 your professor if you feel comfortable doing so.

Writing and Communication Centre (WCC). The Writing and Communication Centre works with students in all faculties to help you consider your audience, clarify your ideas, develop your voice, and write in the style appropriate to your discipline. WCC staff offer one-on-one support for writing papers, delivering presentations, citing research, and revising for clarity and coherence. Group appointments for team-based projects, presentations, and papers are also available.

For information about booking an appointment and to see drop-in hours, visit www.uwaterloo.ca/wcc.

Please note that communication specialists guide you to see your work as readers would. They can teach you revising skills and strategies, but will not change or correct your work for you.

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 helpline 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 on 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.

Academic freedom at the University of Waterloo. Policy 33, Ethical Behaviour states, as one of its general principles (Section 1), “The University supports academic freedom for all members of the University community. Academic freedom carries with it the duty to use that freedom in a manner consistent with the scholarly obligation to base teaching and research on an honest and ethical quest for knowledge. In the context of this policy, 'academic freedom' refers to academic activities, including teaching and scholarship, as is articulated in the principles set out in the Memorandum of Agreement between the FAUW and the University of Waterloo, 1998 (Article 6). The academic environment which fosters free debate may from time to time include the presentation or discussion of unpopular opinions or controversial material. Such material shall be dealt with as openly, respectfully and sensitively as possible.” This definition is repeated in Policies 70 and 71, and in the Memorandum of Agreement, Section 6.