ENGLISH 390: SCIENCE WRITING
Fall 2015
SECTION 0401 MWF 12:00 – 12:50 Tawes 1106
SECTION 0501 MWF 1:00 - 1:50 Tawes 0207
Instructor: Dr. Katherine O’Neill
Email: koneill4@umd.edu
Use subject line: ENGL 390
Office hours: Monday 2:30 to 5:00 pm and by appointment, Tawes 1200
Overview of this course
Prerequisite: English 101 or equivalent AND a minimum of 60 credits.
English 390 is designed for students who are preparing for graduate study and/or careers in the
biological, physical or social sciences. It satisfies the Professional Writing requirement for
undergraduates. This class will prepare you as scientists to communicate technical information to your
peers, government agencies, non-profits, public policymakers, students and the public.
All PWP classes require at least six graded assignments consisting of a minimum of 25 pages of original
writing.
Required text: Writing Science in Plain English by Anne E. Greene; other assigned readings on CANVAS
Learning Outcomes: Upon completing this course, students can expect to:
 Analyze a variety of professional rhetorical situations and produce appropriate texts in
response.
 Understand the stages required to produce competent professional writing through planning,
drafting, revising and editing.
 Identify and implement appropriate research methods for each writing task
 Practice the ethical use of sources and the conventions of citation appropriate to each genre.
 Write for intended readers of a text and design or adapt a texts to audiences who may differ in
their familiarity with the subject matter.
 Demonstrate competence in Standard Written English, including grammar, sentence and
paragraph structure, coherence and document design (including the use of the visual) and use
this knowledge to revise texts
 Produce cogent arguments that identify arguable issues, reflect the degree of available evidence
and take account of counter-arguments.
Attendance:
You are expected to attend class every day and have assigned reading with you. Absences due to illness,
religious observances and family emergencies may be excused. You must tell me at least one week prior
to the religious observance that you will be missing class on a particular date. If possible, notify me prior
to class if you are absent due to illness or other emergency and specify the reason for the absence. In
the event of an absence, you are still responsible for the material that was covered in class that day. If
you have an unexcused absence on a day when an assignment is due, you will lose points for lateness.
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Absence from more than one class because of the same illness: you must provide written
documentation from a health care provider.
Tardiness
Coming to class late is not respectful, and in the work world it will not be tolerated. At the same time, I
understand that this campus is quite large and you may sometimes have difficulty getting to class on
time. If you do enter the classroom after class has begun, please take your seat quietly and do not
disrupt the class.
Late assignments
Assignments are due at the beginning of class. Papers turned in late without permission will be
penalized one letter grade for every class period that they are late.
Behavior in class
In this class, we will be providing feedback to one another, discussing ideas and encouraging critical and
creative thought. I expect that there will be a diversity of perspectives and that we will maintain an
open and accepting environment. Participation in discussions and peer editing is required. It is
expected that all conduct will be respectful and constructive. The tone of this class is collaborative, not
competitive.
Electronic devices such as cell phones, laptops and tablets are not permitted in class. I expect your full
attention to the class content and discussions. If you are awaiting an important phone call, put your
phone on vibrate and put it in a pocket. Leave the room quietly if the call comes in. I do not want to see
cell phones on your desks.
Academic Integrity
Dishonesty has no place in an institution of higher learning. Dishonesty includes cheating, plagiarizing,
fabricating information or citations, facilitating dishonest acts by others, submitting work used in a
previous class. Occasionally, students who have not carefully studied citation conventions may find
themselves accused of dishonesty when in fact, they simply were not aware of proper citation
standards. It is YOUR responsibility to become knowledgeable about standards for academic integrity.
The Student Honor Council has a tutorial on academic integrity at this link:
http://www.academicintegrity.umd.edu/AI/Default.aspx
Instructor’s Philosophy
Writing: I believe that writing cannot be separated from critical thinking. As we structure our writing,
with outlines or concept maps, notations, etc., we are simultaneously structuring our thinking. Writing
therefore is NOT linear. It is an iterative process, meaning that we repeat the process multiple times
until we reach the target. Even those who write for a living and have years of experience edit and revise
their work until it best meets their goals.
Success in this class: Show up, ask questions, pay attention, do your assignments. I want you to be
successful. I am a human being, and the mother of two college students. I know that we sometimes
encounter potholes on the road of life. If you are stuck in a pothole - having trouble keeping up, or
having difficulty with an assignment– or a personal issue that is impacting on your work: SEE ME. I am
more than happy to make adjustments that will facilitate your success. If you wait until the last week of
class and are missing 4 assignments, it will be much more difficult to create a happy ending.
ELMS
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I will be communicating with you through ELMS and email. Check ELMS EVERY DAY for announcements.
All of the material that you need to do your assignments will be found on ELMS.
TEXTS AND other class materials
The text is “Writing Science in Plain English”, by Anne E. Greene. It is an inexpensive paperback. You
can buy it used on Amazon for less than $10. We will use the text for readings and assignments. In
addition, I will post additional readings online on the class ELMS page. You will also be required to
research and print out 8 to 10 articles from the scientific literature. Plan on spending $30 to $35 on
printing. The total cost of materials for you will be less than $50 – far less than the cost of most
textbooks.
ASSIGNMENTS
This class is about the process of writing. Every assignment will have several steps, including handing in
a first draft, followed by a final version to be graded. The draft will not be graded, but you will receive
comments on it, which you will use to revise and edit as you write the final document. The draft is
MANDATORY, and accounts for 20% of your grade for that assignment. That means that if you don’t
hand in a draft, the maximum grade that you can get on the assignment is 80%
You will need 4 pocket folders to save all of the materials used to complete your assignments – this
means notes, outlines, your first draft (hardcopy) with my comments and your final revised document.
You will hand in all of these materials to me when your assignment is due. I want to see your process
and your thinking. You must hand in all of the first drafts in order to get full credit for your assignment.
All first drafts must be handed in as hard copies. Final revised documents may be uploaded onto ELMS,
and hard copies of other materials (drafts, notes, etc.) must be handed in. I do not accept assignments
by email.
Course Schedule (This may change slightly. Students will be advised of changes via Announcements in
CANVAS)
Week
Dates
Topic
Readings
1
M
8/31,
W 9/2,
F 9/5
Course Introduction:
General Rubric
Rhetorical analysis,
definitions
Portfolio 1 materials: CANVAS
Writing Assignment
Due
Introduce Portfolio 1
Search for positions,
analyze ads and
companies; analyze
personal statements
Analyze cover letters,
resumes, CVs
3
2
M 9/7,
W 9/9,
F 9/11
Peer editing of personal
statements, cover
letters, resumes
Williams, Chapter 1: CANVAS
M 9/7: draft of resume
and cover letter due,
with printout of job
description
Clarity, diction
3
M 9/14
Scientific
communication
Reading and writing
journal articles: library
research
Greene: Chapters 1-5
Penrose & Katz, Ch 1: Science as a Social
Enterprise: CANVAS
F 9/11: draft of personal
statement due
W 9/16: Final
documents for Portfolio
1 are due
Analysis of research
articles: audience and
purpose
Analysis of research
articles: IMRAD
4
M 9/21
5
M 9/28
6
M 10/5
7
M
10/12
Reader expectation
theory
Analysis of research
articles: presentation of
data, use of tables,
charts and graphs
Peer editing: edit
analysis of research
articles
Genre of the review
article
Conferences
Conferences
Writing a review article:
Identifying trends and
patterns
Introducing new
information
Interpreting findings
and drawing
conclusions
Annotated Bibliography
Ethics in Scientific
Communications
Critical analysis of scientific article:
CANVAS
F 9/25: First draft of
analysis of research
article due: peer editing
Elements of style for journal articles:
CANVAS
Greene: Chapters 6-9
Penrose & Katz, Ch 5, Reviewing prior
research: CANVAS
Greene: Chapters 10 and 11
W 10/7 First draft of
grid for review article
due
F 10/9 First draft of
results section of review
article due
W 10/14 First draft of
results section due
F 10/16 First draft of
annotated bibliography
due
F 10/16
4
8
9
M
10/19
M
10/26
Communicating science
to the general public
Accommodating to the
general audience
Audience analysis
Peer editing: popular
press article
Communicating with
non-scientific audiences
in professional contexts
Penrose & Katz, Ch 8, Communicating
with public audiences: CANVAS
M 10/19: First draft of
Discussion section of
review article due
Purpose, audience analysis: CANVAS
M 10/26: First draft of
introduction and
abstract due
10
M11/2
Rhetorical strategies in
Public policy: peer
editing, public policy
Value of science in public policy: CANVAS
11
M 11/9
Research proposal: CANVAS
12
M
11/16
13
M
11/23
14
M
11/30
Research Proposals:
Audience, background
and methodology,
reviewer evaluations
Planning final projects:
form groups, create
project plans
Composing
posters/presentations:
role of conferences,
audience, methods of
presentations, use of
graphics, anticipating
counter arguments
Planning, work group
Presentations
15
M 12/4
Presentations
16
M 12/7
F 10/30: Final
documents for Portfolio
2 are due
M 11/2: First draft of
article for general public
is due
F 11/6: First draft of
public policy memo due
F 11/13: First draft of
research proposal due
F 11/20: Final
documents for Portfolio
3 due
www.ugresearch.umd.edu/researchposte
r.php
M 11/30: First draft final
project planning
documents due
M 12/4: Final
16documents for
Portfolio 4 due
Portfolios
You will create 4 portfolios of your writing assignments including notes, drafts, worksheets, outlines,
peer reviews, and photocopied articles – keep the documents organized, dated and labeled. You will
hand in ALL of those documents in your final portfolio. Each portfolio will receive a grade based on how
well it demonstrates that you collected and analyzed information and produced drafts and revisions that
take into account the feedback that you received on drafts and your own process of critical thinking.
Portfolio 1: Preparing a professional application
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Personal statement, cover letter, resume or CV
Portfolio 2: Communicating complex information
Analysis of research article, review article, annotated bibliography
Portfolio 3: Analyzing published research and translating for diverse audiences
Research proposal, public policy memo, and article for general public
Portfolio 4: Contributing to academic conversations
Final project proposal and outline, presentation
You will receive a detailed Assignment sheet for each of the assignments in the four portfolios which will
give specific instructions for completing the assignments. These assignment sheets will also be in
Canvas.
Grading
Your final grade will be based on your writing assignments and class participation, as follows:
Portfolio 1:
15%
Resume 50 points
Cover letter 50 points
Personal Statement 50 points
Portfolio 2:
30%
Annotated Bibliography 75 points
Analysis of a Research Article 75 points
Review Article 150 points
Portfolio 3:
22.5%
Article for a general publication 75 points
Grant proposal 75 points
Public policy brief 75 points
Portfolio 4:
12.5%
Oral presentation or poster 125 points
Reflective writing:
Homework:
Class participation:
5%
5%
10%
Students with disabilities
The University is committed to providing appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities. If
you are a student with a documented disability, please inform me within the first week of class, so that
we can get your accommodations in place immediately. To obtain an Accommodation Letter from the
Disability Support Services (DSS) of the University Counseling Center, you may call 301-314-7682, email
dissup@umd.edu or visit the Shoemaker Building.
Non-native speakers of American English
Please let me know if American English is not your first language – you may have difficulty with grammar
and vocabulary, which I will take into account.
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