University of Puerto Rico at Cayey
Department of English
INGL 3105: Skills for Communication in the Sciences
Developed by Dr. Walter Rybarkiewicz
(wrybarkiewicz@cayey.upr.edu)
Course Description:
Through a variety of activities using authentic English texts from a number of fields of natural sciences, particularly biology and chemistry, this course offers the students an opportunity to develop skills essential for scientific work. The students will improve reading speed and comprehension and will develop a stronger technical and general English vocabulary. They will also develop analytical and critical skills through guided textual analysis and through exercises related to the readings. Finally, the students will learn to distinguish different kinds of scientific discourse (lab reports, reviews and critiques, research proposals, conference papers, articles, oral presentations) and to use this knowledge for writing and presenting information in their own field.
Course materials:
1. Packets with relevant selections form the following sources:
Beall, Herbert. 1996. A Short Guide to Writing About Chemistry. 2nd ed. New York: HarperCollins.
Brown, Kathryn S. 1997. Scientific journal editors say polished prose clarifies research. The Scientist, January 20, 1997.
Day, Robert A. 1998. How to Write & Publish a Scientific Paper. 5th ed. Phoenix: The Oryx Press.
Day, Robert A. 1995. Scientific English: A Guide for Scientists and Other Professionals. 2nd ed. Phoenix: The Oryx Press.
Gopen, George D. and Judith A. Swan. 1990. The science of scientific writing. American Scientist, vol. 78, pp. 550-558. Also available from <http://trc.ucdavis.edu/bajaffee/NEM150/Course%20Content/gopen.htm>. A summary of the article can be had from <http://www.crowl.org/Lawrence/writing/GopenSwan90.html>.
Halliday, M. A. K., and J. R. Martin. 1993. Writing Science: Literacy and Discursive Power. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press.
Moore, Randy. 1997. Writing to Learn Science. Fort Worth, Philadelphia, New York: Harcourt Brace.
Nagle, James J. 1994. Reading and Writing Biological Literature: Prerequisites to Research. Bios, vol. 65, no. 3, pp. 97-116.
Pechenik, Jan A. 1993. A Short Guide to Writing About Biology. 2nd ed. New York: HarperCollins.
Selections from The Journal of Cell Biology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, Bios, Nature, Science, Scientific American, American Scientist.
2. Relevant Internet sites: www.sciam.com, www.nature.com, www.amsci.org, and others.
3. Recommended additional material: A comprehensive dictionary of scientific English indicating the pronunciation of basic scientific terms and words, for instance:
Barnhart, Robert K. 1986 or later ed. The American Heritage Dictionary of Science. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
4. Recommended video, available in the Sala de Sonido y Movimiento in the Library: VHS 668: Grammar: Everything You Wanted to Know About Usage.
Course Outline:
Week 1: Organizing the course. Diagnostic MCAT test.
Week 2: The nature and origins of scientific writing; main types of scientific literature.
Week 3-4: Samples of general scientific English used in biology, chemistry, medicine and social aspects of medical studies, science and technology, and psychology.
Week 5-6: The character of scientific English: aspects of grammar, vocabulary and style, cohesion, punctuation; avoidance of common errors and jargon.
Week 7: Reading before writing (effective reading of scientific texts and taking notes). General principles of writing a scientific paper (title, organization, quotes and references, abstracts).
Week 8: Giving an oral presentation of scientific material.
Week 9: Writing lab reports. The IMRAD pattern of organization of a scientific paper.
Week 10: Writing research proposals.
Week 11: Writing summaries, critiques, reviews, and conference reports.
Week 12: Writing résumés and letters of application. Writing a thesis.
Week 13: Submitting the manuscript for publication. Electronic publishing.
Week 14: Scientific discourse and other types of discourse.
Week 15: Students present their final projects in class. Diagnostic MCAT post-test.
Course Policies and Requirements:
Effective study of the course contents is not possible without one's own materials. Two percent of the final grade (out of 10 % allotted for the active participation in class) will be given for owning the required packets, bringing them to the class, and using them in the discussion.
Students are responsible for coming to the class having read the assigned material. Points will be given for being able to discuss the topic in class (active participation). In cases of the lack of discussion students may expect unannounced quizzes which will check their knowledge of the materials assigned for reading.
Attendance is mandatory: A student missing more than six hours without a legitimate and verifiable excuse will see her or his grade lowered from A to B, B to C, and C to D for each additional three-hour period missed. If unexcused absences reach 35% of the class time the student will automatically gain an F. A legitimate and verifiable excuse will have to be shown in case of a true emergency. The students are responsible to cover the material they have missed. Only those with a legitimate and verifiable excuse can take a make-up for a missed quiz, test, or an exam. The make-up has to take place within two weeks from the missed class.
All assignments are to be given when due: late work without a legitimate excuse will result in reduced evaluation (5% for each working day the project is late).
Evaluation:
1. Final written project .................................................. 20 %.
2. Oral presentation of the final project ........................ 15%.
3. Two oral presentations during the semester ............ 10 %.
4. Tests and quizzes ..................................................... 20%
5. Homework and written assignments ........................ 20%.
6. Active participation in class ....................................... 15 %.
The standard curve will be used: 100-90% = A; 89-80% = B; 79-70% = C;
69-60% = D; 59% or less = F.