Course Syllabus

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: WRITING AND SPEAKING IN THE SCIENCES

EEB 525, Fall Term 2023, 3 credit hours

Professor: George Kling, gwk@umich.edu

Time and Place: Monday and Wednesday 2:30-4 pm, Room USB 4151 (Undergrad Science Bdlg)

Text: The text for the course is Strunk and White (2000) The Elements of Style, 4^th Edition.

Date Day Lecture Topic

Aug	28	M	Introduction; Reading and Synthesizing Science Literature
	30	W	Formulating a Research Question, The Strategy of a Proposal
Sep	4	M	*No Class* – Labor Day Holiday
	6	W	Proposal/Paper Abstracts – a Blend of Roadmap, Purpose, and Promise
	11	M	Linking Elements in a Document – Transitions, Foreshadowing, Flow
	13	W	The Conceptual Diagram as a Unifying Tool and Theme
	18	M	Writing and Coordinating the Introduction and Proposed Research
	20	W	Discussion and Peer-review of Proposal/Paper Introductions – I
	25	M	Discussion and Peer-review of Proposal/Paper Introductions – II
	27	W	The Psychology of Composition – Why are we Better Editors than Writers?
Oct	2	M	Writing for the Public, Stakeholders, Managers, and the Popular Press
	4	W	Evaluating Written Communication in Public Outreach
	9	M	Take-home evaluation and peer review (no in-class meeting)
	11	W	Take-home evaluation and peer review (no in-class meeting)
	16	M	*No Class* – Fall Study Break
	18	W	Summary of the Writing Process
	23	M	Recognizing the Elements of Effective Verbal and Visual Communication
	25	W	The Strategy of a Scientific Presentation – Structure, Outline, and Message
	30	M	Speaking in Formal Settings Communication
Nov	1	W	Speaking in Informal Discussions
	6	M	The Prelim Oral versus the Job Interview versus the Town Hall Meeting versus the Street Corner Debate
	8	W	The Microphone and Camera – Friends and Fiends of the Broadcast Media
	13	M	Role-playing, Staying on Message, and the Pitfalls of Radio, TV, and YouTube
	15	W	The Curriculum Vitae, Letters of Recommendation, and other aspects of “Evaluation” in being a Professional
	20	M	*No Class -* THANKSGIVING
	22	W	*No Class -* THANKSGIVING
	27	M	Role Playing in Professional Evaluation
	29	W	Communication and Pedagogy – Becoming a Better Teacher
Dec	4	M	Discussion of student-suggested topics of interest
	6	W	Course Synthesis

* Grading for the course will be approximately as follows:

Written Drafts (Paper or Proposal) 50%

Oral Presentation 25%

Peer Review and Class Participation 25%

COURSE Abstract. Success in all professional endeavors requires clear, effective, and persuasive communication in both written and verbal forms. This course helps students identify key components of writing and speaking in terms of proper grammar, syntax, and organization, and focuses on the application of these components in academic and specifically in science communication. The course is designed to be practical for graduate students at the stage of developing research ideas and writing proposals or papers and presenting seminars, and begins the term with a brief review of methods to read and synthesize the science literature effectively in support of novel research questions or hypotheses. For the next several weeks students will develop their proposals or papers as we discuss topics of structure, argumentation, audience, and tone (different for a proposal than for a published paper). Editing and peer-review both in and out of class will be used to build skills in recognizing logical, convincing writing. The remainder of the course (~2/5^th ) will focus on verbal communication of science in three formats: (1) formal seminars or conference presentations, where students will present a formal talk to the class during the semester, (2) informal small group discussions such as job interviews, stakeholder meetings, or oral prelim exams, and (3) outreach to the public or to managers such as in lectures, town hall meetings, or media broadcasts. Students will role-play in class on both sides of the interview process in order to better understand the nuance of answering questions yet staying on message. The course has two 1.5-hr lecture periods per week; the text for the class is Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. Admission preference will be given to EEB Ph.D. students in their second year or above writing a paper or proposal, or EEB M.S. students in their final year writing a thesis.

Recordings: Slides presented in lecture are available on Canvas, and lectures may be recorded by the instructor for student use. Students are prohibited from recording or distributing any class activity without written permission from the instructor, except as necessary as part of approved accommodations for students with disabilities. Any approved recordings may only be used for the student’s own private use.