Course Syllabus

Course Overview

Basic Information:

Title: Writing in the Scientific Disciplines
Number: ENG 393-004
Time & Location: T&R 12:30pm–1:15pm (MO 204)
Instructor: Dr. Jeremy Tirrell (he/him/his)
Office Hours: Morton Hall 161, M, T, R, F 11:00–12:00 (and by email, Zoom, or appointment)

 

Summary:

This course prepares students to compose and present contemporary science writing in academic contexts. Students will engage writing rhetorically as part of a collaborative knowledge-making process that is situated within scholarly conventions and discourses. Students will exit the course with sharpened abilities to create research and make it accessible.

This course affirms the Seahawk Respect Compact Links to an external site., which frames class interactions. All class members are expected to treat each other with appropriate courtesy and decorum, and all coursework should be completed in a thorough, timely fashion. All students must read and abide by the policies articulated in this syllabus.

 

Catalogue Description:

Rigorous introduction to writing for academic science contexts. Critically examines the current state of academic science writing and explores the multiple practical strategies scientists use to communicate in professional settings. 

Credit Hours: 3
University Studies: Building Competencies/Writing Intensive
Course Repeatability: Course may not be repeated

 

Learning Outcomes:

To complete this course successfully, students should demonstrate the ability to:

  • Summarize and compare the findings and arguments expressed in scientific scholarship (WI 1)
  • Explore issues of subjectivity in relation to scientific discourse (WI 1)
  • Write effectively about scientific issues and topics for a variety of audiences and types of publications (WI 2)
  • Develop an effective writing process involving invention, drafting, generating and responding to peer review, and revision (WI 2)
  • Learn and employ primary and secondary research strategies to locate scientific findings, debates, and data to support writing assignments (WI 1, WI 2)
  • Write persuasively yet fairly about complex and controversial scientific issues and ideas, drawing upon the conventions of science writing modeled in course readings and discussed in class (WI 1, WI 2)
  • Design texts for a variety of audiences and contexts (WI 1, WI 2)
  • Demonstrate the ability to create clear, persuasive and appealing graphic elements and visual designs informed by basic design principles (WI 1)

 

Required Materials:

  • Writing Science: How to Write Papers that Get Cited and Proposals that Get Funded, Schimel

This book may be obtained from:

Be aware that electronic/loose-leaf/ring-bound/rental versions are perfectly usable, but they do not have any resale value.

Course Policies

Technology Expectations:

  • ability to interact with the course website
  • an email account checked regularly for course-related business
  • a flash drive or other means to backup coursework

Students need not be technological experts to succeed in this course, but digital technology interaction is an aspect of contemporary society, and computer problems are not valid excuses for incomplete work. Practice the core principle of digital data use: redundant backup. Digital technology will fail; be prepared for that eventuality. (If Canvas experiences outages or other issues, the instructor will make the necessary curricular exceptions.)

Students may use laptops, cell phones, and other digital devices during class, provided that they do not disrupt other students’ learning or the instructor's classroom management. This course is situated in an increasingly connected multimedia environment. Students are responsible for their own engagement with class meetings, and thus their resultant success or failure. Articles such as this Links to an external site., this Links to an external site., this Links to an external site., and this Links to an external site. suggest that students will be better served by not using such devices in class.

 

AI Use:

Generative AI applications such as Copilot and ChatGPT that create text, images, computer code, multimedia, and other content are an aspect of contemporary society in general and professional writing in particular. This course will engage with generative AI as needed, and some deployments may be proscribed. This course is focused on original research and writing, and it will address using such tools ethically. Using any prohibited generative AI deployments will constitute an honor code violation.

Six principles will govern the use of generative AI in this course:

  • Use AI to enhance, not replace, your writing
  • Practice writing for future academic and professional contexts
  • Be critically aware of AI’s limitations
  • Be transparent
  • Be accountable
  • Be aware of plagiarism risks

Academic and scientific institutions have varied policies and practices regarding generative AI; therefore, we must be thoughtful about using it in this class and beyond. Learn the expectations of your field, including the practices of intended publication venues.

 

Availability of Material Online:

Some material on this Canvas site may be publicly accessible on the Web.

 

Professionalism:

This course seeks to uphold the Seahawk Respect Compact Links to an external site.. Our culture has become conscious of the rhetorical implications of language used to name and describe beings, objects, and concepts. Students in this course have agency over how they choose to be addressed by the instructor and other class members. If students encounter challenging language in this course, they are encouraged to discuss it with the instructor either inside or outside of class. This is a rhetoric course, predicated on examining language's grounding and effects. It is a forum for such conversations. This course engages diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate. Inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement. Course readings have been selected by faculty experts in their fields to reflect and guide students towards the current state of knowledge in their disciplines. 

 

Attendance and Punctuality:

Because this class contains a strong workshop and discussion component, class attendance is crucial. Students who are not present when role is taken will be considered absent. If there are extraordinary circumstances that will prevent a student from attending class, including illness or emergency, the student should contact the instructor. There is no separate attendance component of the course grade, but any student who misses more than five in-class meetings without clearance from the instructor will fail the course automatically. Additionally, any work missed because of an absence cannot be made up without clearance from the instructor. The class abides by the maxim that all members of the class should show respect to one another by meeting at designated times and places prepared to work.

 

Late Work:

If something will prevent a student from submitting coursework on time, they should contact the instructor. 

 

Statement on Academic Integrity:

All UNCW community members are expected to adhere to the guidelines set forth in the UNCW Student Academic Honor Code Links to an external site.. Students are expected to produce original work in this course. Collaboration and incorporation of external material and ideas into original work is of course necessary and acceptable, but all students are ethically obliged to document external sources through appropriate citation practices. The course will guide students through specific uses of generative AI tools; use outside of these practices may constitute an honor code violation. Students who are uncertain if some element of their work constitutes plagiarism or another honor code violation should speak with the instructor. The point of any class is to educate, not to punish; nevertheless, the consequences of honor code violations are appropriately dire. Please consult the UNCW Code of Student Life Links to an external site. for more information.

 

Copyright and Intellectual Property Policy:

Any dissemination of class notes, lecture slides, recordings, handouts, copies of exams, or any other course materials without permission of the instructor is prohibited by the UNCW Copyright Use and Ownership Policy, which specifies that class notes and related materials are considered derivative of original intellectual property of the course instructor. Therefore, the instructor (not the student) owns the copyright and must provide specific permission to distribute and/or reuse those materials for anything other than personal use and scholarship by the student. Commercial use, display, or dissemination of such notes, copies, or recordings—as well as posting to websites—will generally constitute an infringement of copyright and the UNCW Student Academic Honor Code Links to an external site..  Materials that qualify as student-owned are listed in the UNCW Copyright Use and Ownership Policy.

 

Statement on Services for Students with Disabilities:

The university will make every effort to accommodate students with disabilities. Students requiring accommodations should contact the Disability Resource Center Links to an external site., as the instructor can take no action without its guidance. Students should do this as soon as possible, as accommodations cannot be made retroactively.

 

Statement Regarding Violence and Harassment:

UNCW practices a zero tolerance policy for any kind of violent or harassing behavior. Students experiencing an emergency of this type should contact the police at 911 or UNCW CARE at 962-2273 (24-hour crisis line: 910-512-4821). Students should be aware that all university employees, including instructors, are legally obligated to communicate any report of alleged sexual misconduct, on or off-campus, to the Dean of Students. Three university entities are confidential resources exempt from this obligation: CARE Links to an external site., the Counseling Center Links to an external site., and the Abrons Student Health Center Links to an external site..

 

Statement on Religious Observance:

In accordance with NC SL 2010-211, students are entitled to two excused absences for religious observances per academic year. Students must inform the instructor in writing the first week of class if they will miss any classes due to religious observance. Additionally, students should inform the Registrar the first week of class who will then coordinate with the corresponding course instructors. Any absence for religious purposes will be considered unexcused unless a student submits the request in writing the first week to the instructor or Registrar.

Course Grading

Grade Disbursement:

Students will have private, secure access to their grades through this Canvas site.

 

Grade Components:

Popular Science Responses = 11 points (7.5% of course grade)
Workshop Preparation = 11 points (7.5% of course grade)
Preliminary Research = 5 points (3.4% of course grade)
Literature Review = 20 points (13.6% of course grade)
Method Design = 20 points (13.6% of course grade)
Presentation = 10 points (6.8% of course grade)
Research Paper = 50 points (34% of course grade)
Abstract = 5 points (3.4% of course grade)
Reflection = 5 points (3.4% of course grade)
Poster = 10 points (6.8% of course grade)

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Total = 147 points

 

Final Course Grades:

This courses uses the plus/minus grading system on final grade reports. (Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number.) The breakdown is as follows:

  • 92%–100% = A
  • 90%–91% = A-
  • 88%–89% = B+
  • 82%–87% = B
  • 80%–81% = B-
  • 78%–79% = C+
  • 72%–77% = C
  • 70%–71% = C-
  • 68%–69% = D+
  • 62%–67% = D
  • 60%–61% = D-
  • 0%–59% = F