Autum 2019 | TTh 4:00-5:20 in MEB 246
Office Hours: M 3:30-4:30 & Th 2:00-3:00 in MGH 310 (Datalab)

Course Schedule | Syllabus | Assignments | Discussions

Sept 26: Course Introduction

Meet your writing community
Review syllabus and assignments
Set course expectations
Introduce grading philosophy and growth mindset
What is science writing?

Readings: None.

Assignments:

Discussion Prompt: First Day

First Sequence: Summarizing a Scientific Paper

Oct 1: Getting Started with a Summary

Discuss: What makes a good summary?
Identify and understand your audience
Exercise: Annotate and summarize a scientific article
Introduce the assignments in the first sequence

Readings:

How to Write a Summary
Astronomers watch six galaxies suddenly fire up into quasars
A New Class of Changing Look LINERs (Skim just the abstract, introduction, and conclusions.)
A New Milky Way Dwarf Galaxy in Ursa Major (Just look at it quickly.)

Assignments:

Discussion Prompt: Summaries

Oct 3: Choosing a Topic and Designing Your Summary

Scientific posters as a type of summary
Exercise: Analyze and critique a scientific poster
How to use Web of Science via UW Libraries
How to use Google Scholar

Readings:

How to Make a Scientific Poster
Earth Motion: Does Solar System Orientation Matter? (Don't focus on understanding the topic. Focus on what type of summary the poster provides.)

Assignments:

Discussion Prompt: Scientific Posters as Summaries

Oct 8: Drafting Your Summary

Discussion: The field of science writing
How to get started on a writing project
How to read and annotate a scientific article
Exercise: Annotating a scientific article
Activity: Designing our peer review process

Readings:

Shitty First Drafts
Novelist Cormac McCarthy's Tips on How to Write a Great Science Paper
Optional: A Note to Beginning Science Writers

Assignments:

Discussion Prompt: Writing a First Draft
Choose an astronomy research paper that you want to summarize for the First Sequence assignment. Bring two hardcopies with you to class.

Oct 10: Reviewing the First Draft of Your Summary

How to improve your writing
How to give and receive constructive feedback
Workshop: Peer reviews of your first draft summaries

Readings:

How to Give and Receive Constructive Feedback as a Writer

Assignments:

First draft of your summary is due Oct 10 before class. Turn in on Canvas and bring three hardcopies and your annotated article with you to class.
Sign up for a 1:1 conference time slot for next week.

Oct 14-18: 1:1 Writing Conferences, No Regular Class

We will not meet at our regular class times this week.
Instead, you will meet 1:1 with me to review your assignment draft, ask questions, and get feedback.

Readings: None.

Assignments:

Second Sequence: Writing a Persuasive Science Article

Oct 22: Rhetorical Grammar

Topics:

Rhetoric and rhetorical grammar
Structuring your argument
Exercise: Annotate a persuasive article, focusing on rhetoric

Readings:

Assignments:

Discussion Prompt: Rhetorical Grammar

Oct 24: Getting Started with your Persuasive Science Articles

Topics:

Choosing a topic for a persuasive science article
Writing a proposal
Writing a "hook" to get your audience's attention
Exercise: Annotate a persuasive science article, focusing on its "hook"

Readings:

Assignments:

Discussion Prompt: Writing a Hook

Oct 29: Drafting Your Persuasive Science Article

Topics:

Writing effective transitions
Using scientific facts as evidence
Addressing counterarguments
Exercise: Annotate a persuasive science article, focusing on its structure, transitions, evidence, and counterarguments
Workshop: Review proposals

Readings:

Argumentative Essays
Pale Blue Dot: Video or Text

Assignments:

Discussion Prompt: Pale Blue Dot
Proposal for Persuasive Science Article due by 4:00pm. Turn in on Canvas and bring three hardcopies with you to class.

Oct 31: Reviewing the First Draft of Your Persuasive Science Article

Topics:

Revisit: How to give and receive constructive feedback
Workshop: Peer reviews of your first draft persuasive science articles

Readings:

Providing Feedback to Writers

Assignments:

First draft of your persuasive article is due Oct 31 before class. Turn in on Canvas and bring three hardcopies with you to class.
Sign up for a 1:1 conference time slot for next week.

Nov 4-8: 1:1 Writing Conferences, No Regular Class

We will not meet at our regular class times this week.
Instead, you will meet 1:1 with me to review your assignment draft, ask questions, and get feedback.

Readings: None.

Assignments:

Second draft and conference questions are due by 4:00 the night before your conference. Turn in on Canvas and bring two hardcopies with you to the conference.
Final draft is due Thursday, Nov 7 by 4:00. Tun in on Canvas.
Reflection on the second assignment is due by Friday, Nov 8 at 4:00. Turn in on Canvas.

Third Sequence: Explaining Scientific Topics

Nov 12: Getting Started With Explaining Scientific Topics

Topics:

What is "explaining"? Why is it difficult and important for scientific topics?
Techniques for explanation [Slides]
Introduce the third assignment sequence

Readings:

Eratosthenes (video)
Up Goer Five

Assignments:

Discussion Prompt: Techniques for Explaining

Nov 14: Proposing Your Science Explanation

Topics:

Audience-appropriate vocabulary
Exercise: Analyze simplified science explanations
Writing your proposal

Readings:

Look through some entries on Ten Hundred Words of Science. Find at least one that you like.

Assignments:

Discussion Prompt: Writing Proposals

Nov 19: Analyzing a Science Explanation

Topics:

Storytelling as a form of explanation
Writing a "hook" for a science explanation
Exercise: Annotate a science article that explains a scientific topic
Workshop: Review proposals

Readings:

Assignments:

Proposal for your Science Explanation is due by 4:00pm. Turn in on Canvas and bring three hardcopies with you to class.
Discussion Prompt: Storytelling and Explanation

Nov 21: Flexible Day

Topics:

Agenda for the day TBD.

Readings: None

Assignments:

Discussion Prompt: About This Course

Nov 26: Reviewing Your First Draft Science Explanation

Topics:

Workshop: Peer reviews of your first draft persuasive science articles

Readings: None

Assignments:

First draft of your science explanation is due before class. Turn in on Canvas and bring three hardcopies and your annotated article with you to class.
Sign up for a 1:1 conference time slot for next week.

Nov 28: No Class, Thanksgiving

Hooray! Let's be thankful for a day off.

Dec 2-6: 1:1 Writing Conferences, Course Wrap-Up

We will not meet on Tuesday this week, but we will meet on Thursday to wrap up the course.
Instead of class on Tuesday, you will meet 1:1 with me to review your assignment draft, ask questions, and get feedback.

Readings: None.

Assignments:

Second draft and conference questions are due by 4:00 the night before your conference. Turn in on Canvas and bring two hardcopies with you to the conference.
Final draft is due Tuesday, Dec 10 by 4:00. Tun in on Canvas.
Reflection on the second assignment is due by Wednesday, Dec 11 at 4:00. Turn in on Canvas.

ENGL 199B: Interdisciplinary Writing in Astronomy