Calderwood Seminars in Public Writing: Environmental Science JournalismE&ES 399 -- Fall 2019 (v. 9/3/2019)

Professor: Suzanne OConnell E&ESOffice: Exley 431, Lab 419, ext. 2262 (860 685-2262)Best way to contact me = email soconnell@wesleyan.eduOffice Hours: Wednesday 9-10 am, Friday 10:00-11:00 am and by appointmentClass meets: Wednesdays, 7-9:50 pm (hopefully a little earlier) Location: Exley 409

Why WritingAs a science major you know how fun and important science is. As a human you know

how critical the environment is to the future of humanity. This course is designed around writing and editing to help you to become a better communicator of science.

Writing is an essential component of almost any career. You can’t be a good scientist unless you can write. Why not also write so that you can communicate what you know and what you’ve done to the broader public? This course will provide practice in different styles of writing and emphasize editing and rewriting.

Required Books (Books are available in paperback and available on Amazon)Carson, Rachel., Silent Spring, 1962. Houghton Mifflin Company, NY, NYPierre-Louis, Kendra, 2012, Green Washed: Why We Can’t Buy Our Way to a Green Planet, Ig PublishingGreene, Anne, 2013. Writing Science in Plain English, U of Chicago Press

Course Description & Goals (plagiarized from many other Calderwood seminar syllabi)

Learning Objectives:1) Find your voice as a science writer so that you can effectively communicate science to

non-scientists by teaching you how to synthesize and communicate science research to a lay audience.

2) To provide you with the opportunity to practice existing writing and editing skills and to acquire new ones appropriate for non-academic/non-science audiences. Because the aim of the course is to produce written work for non-experts, course assignments will de-emphasize some academic writing habits. Course assignments will be general giving you the freedom to interpret the assignment.

3) Develop the ability to discuss science topics with colleagues and friends.4) Acquire the skill and discipline to develop your own writing practice.

Course OrganizationBy participating in this course, you are joining a learning community focused on public

writing and critical thinking. The course is organized around a series of writing assignments (see below). Part of each class meeting will be devoted to class discussion related to the week’s reading. This will help to clarify information in the texts. The remainder of each class period will be dedicated to you discussing your work and the work of your classmates. Each assignment will be done in pairs with one student in the role of writer and the other in the role of editor.

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The format of this class is a collaborative writing workshop. Writing and editing exercises will be the centerpiece of the course. There will be six written assignments over the course of the semester, usually 400 to 1000 words in length. (Include word count with each submission.) These assignments will be due at regular intervals, pretty much every other week. And much of the time, you will alternate being a “Writer” and an “Editor.” Writers submit Draft #1 to editors for initial comments before submitting a revised Draft#2 to the entire class. A week after the class workshop Draft #3 is do to the professor. All drafts are submitted through Moodle. Assignments must be completed on time or no credit will be given.

We will also read through Greene, Anne, 2013. Writing Science in Plain English. Those assignments are small/short and will be given weekly.

Course Requirements and LogisticsClass Attendance and Participation. We are a learning community. All participants are expected to come to class on time, be prepared and pay attention. DO NOT use your cell phone during class or do non-class activities on your computer. We will have an official break for cell phones, bathroom, and food/beverage purchases. You will learn from each other as much as from me. The workshop format of the class sessions makes preparation and attendance imperative.

In discussing public writing, we will draw upon and critique class members’ drafts. Please adhere to a high level of professionalism and kindness and make every effort to keep comments and criticisms constructive. Each week you should come prepared with extensive notes, suggestions, and ideas and reactions for the week’s assigned authors. Each participant must therefore read all of the assignments (document and Draft#2) posted before class. This means that Draft #2 must be posted at least 24 hours before class, and preferably by noon on the Tuesday before the Wednesday evening class and no later than 6 pm.

Departmental Colloquium. Speakers are invited to give colloquia to the E&ES Department on some Thursdays, from 11:50-1:00. You are strongly encouraged to attend these seminars. The seminars are given by people trying to explain their work to a broad audience. Are they successfully able to do so? What suggestions would you make for a better presentation? The October 10 colloquium, a science writer is, required. We will briefly discuss the E&ES presenters techniques and skills in communicating their work.

Editing is not an easy job. Your job is to make the story better, even great. Like writing there’s no specific formula, but here’s a link to a brief article I found useful. https://www.writerscookbook.com/7-signs-of-a-great-editor/

Mark Twain said, “I am not the editor of a newspaper and shall always try to do right and be good so that God will not make me one.”

Some Class Policies1. Extensions can not be granted in this course. Each student’s work is dependent upon every

other student faithfully completing the assignments according to the deadlines. If you miss an assignment you will receive a 0. If you miss two assignments, you will fail the course.

2. For written work, full discussion of material and sharing of ideas with other students is desirable before writing begins; however, the final written product should be done alone.

3. Formal references are not required. But I do want to know where information you use comes from. If you use an outside source, please include a hyperlink to that source or a reference.

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4. E-Mailing: Non-personal questions about the course should be posted to the course Moodle Discussion so everyone can benefit from the shared information. I encourage you to try to answer each other’s questions about course content and information. Particularly with regard to content, explaining concepts to other people is the surest way to learn those concepts.

Activity schedule as a tableEveryone reads assigned documentDraft #1 Writer sends to editor (before Sunday noon)Editor sends comments, edits and original copy back writer & to Suzanne (recommend by Monday noon)Draft #2 post to Class Moodle by Tuesday, noon (optimal) and no later than 6 pm.Everyone reads all of the Draft #2 submissions and prepares commentsClass workshop Wednesday evening on Draft #2Draft #3 (Final) to Suzanne and Moodle Wednesday before class (one week after workshopping)

Activity schedule (from the point of view of the writer) as a Figure (Figures help me and hopefully they help you.)

Stand-alone submissions Lamont Open House – Communicating complicated science to the public. – see schedule

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Mid-semester Reflection due to Moodle between 6 pm October 11 and noon October 14. End of Semester Reflection & Portfolio. -- At the end of the semester, turn in a portfolio

of your work with Drafts #1 and #3 and a reflection. (I recommend keeping drafts #1 and #3 in a separate folder so that it is easy to turn in the end of the semester assignment. As part of the Calderwood grant that allows for the teaching of this course I am required to turn in Drafts #1 and #3 to the funder.)

Students with Disabilities: Wesleyan University is committed to ensuring that all qualified students with disabilities are afforded an equal opportunity to participate in, and benefit from, its programs and services. To receive accommodations, a student must have a disability as defined by the ADA. Since accommodations may require early planning and generally are not provided retroactively, please contact Accessibility Services as soon as possible. If you have a disability, or think that you might have a disability, please contact Accessibility Services in order to arrange an appointment to discuss your needs and the process for requesting accommodations. Accessibility Services is located in North College, rooms 021/022, or can be reached by email (accessibility@wesleyan.edu) or phone (860-685-5581).

Weekly Syllabus -- Brief

Wk Date Topic Writer Editor

1 4-Sep Intro to Course, Oreskes Assignment    2 11-Sep Journal article: Thompson +2009 PG PB3 18-Sep Journal article - Pritchard, 2019 PB PG4 25-Sep OpEd PG PB5 2-Oct OpEd PB PG

  5-Oct Sat. Lamont Open House - required    6 9-Oct Science Writer from Columbia Un.    

  10-Oct Science Writer noon colloquia    

7 16-OctWorkshop Lamont Open House & Profile Proposal    

8 23-Oct Book - Silent Spring PB PG9 30-Oct Book – Green Washed PG PB

10 6-Nov Profile PB PG11 13-Nov Profile PG PB12 20-Nov Suzanne away (count Lamont Trip)    

  27-Nov TG break    13 4-Dec Reflection & Discussion    

  14-Dec Final Reflection & Portfolio Due    

Notes on submitting documents

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All documents must be submitted as MS Word documents. (Between editor and writer you may use any format you choose.) Use 1.5 spacing and include page numbers and word count.

All submissions except the OpEd may include a Figure. The figure must have a caption that counts in your word count. If you didn’t create the figure, it must have a citation.

If a single word count is given for an assignment, e.g. 800 words, it can by +/- 50 words (e.g. 750-850).

Unless it is common knowledge, facts or information from other sources should include a hyperlink. See example in Moodle from “The Conversation.”

Details of Assignments

(Week 1) Watch Naomi Oreskes TED talk: “Why we should trust scientists.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxyQNEVOElU) (20 minutes). On your own, write an opening paragraph of a story that might appear in the NY Times about why we should trust scientists (30 minutes). We will then exchange papers, edit a paper, and briefly discuss each paper and the suggested edits. Final versions from class will be turned in at the end of class.

(Weeks 2 & 3) JOURNAL ARTICLES: Write an 800 -1000 word summary of research described in article to non-science funding agency. At the top of your submission include the specific focus of your audience, e.g. This funding agency is interested in climate change. (These words do not count in your word count.)

Peer-reviewed articles, published in journals, represent a lot of work and are a primary way to communicate that work. Many journals are published by scientific societies (e.g. AAAS, AGU, GSA) others by for-profit companies, such as Elsevier. Some journals are more prestigious (e.g. Science and Nature) with high rejection rates, but also broader appeal, while others have a narrower focus (e.g. Climate Change) and may be easier journals in which to get specific, focused information published. For both weeks I have selected articles on a similar topic, written 10 years apart. Especially the second week, consider how effectively the two articles presents their information.

Week 1: Thompson, L.G., Brechera, H. H., Mosley-Thompson, Hardy, D. R. and Marka, B. G., 2009, Glacier loss on Kilimanjaro continues unabated, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS),106, 19770-19775.

Week 2: Pritchard, H., 2019. Asia’s shrinking glaciers protect large populations from drought stress, Nature,569, 649-660.

(Weeks 4 & 5) OP-ED on an environmental topic of your choice Write an 800 word Op-Ed.. At the top of your submission include which news publication you are writing for and your goal in writing the Op-Ed. (These words do not count in your word count.)

OpEds are an opportunity to write an opinion piece about a topic you care about and change people’s mind. There’s a clear formula for writing an OpEd, which is posted on Moodle and follows the instructions provided in the OpEd Project (http://www.theopedproject.org/ ) .

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Before writing your OpEd read two of these OpEds (on Moodle) and come to class prepared to discuss what makes an effective OpEd. The objective is to each changed peoples attitutes and behaviors. How? Can you do the same?

King, M. L. 1963. Letter From a Birmingham Jail Steinem, G. 1978. If Men Could MenstruateMcKibben, B., 2018. Free California of Fossil FuelsAllen & Laurent, 2019, Air conditioning & a Heathier Planet

(Weeks 6 & 7) Lamont Doherty Open House & Science Journalist visit Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) or Lamont, is part of Columbia University’s

Earth Institute and a premier earth science research center. Every year they sponsor an Open House, where the public is invited to visit research displays and attend public lectures. Assignment: Write a 400 word article for a travel magazine about the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory Open House. (Some of you may have attended a previous Open House – feel free to discuss your experience with others.) We will spend about 4 hours at the Open House during which time you are free to attend any lectures and displays you choose. For the writing assignment, you may choose to write about the entire experience or a single exhibit or lecture. If you are unable to attend, please let me know ASAP and we will identify an alternative public lecture/ communication assignment.

Kevin Krajick, a science writer for the Columbia’s Earth Institute will join us October 9. Prior to class read these three articles. These are different generas and each article provided different challenges. You will be able to discuss your commnets and questions with Kevin.

Melting of Himalayan Glaciers Has Doubled in Recent Yearshttps://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2019/06/19/melting-himalayan-glaciers-doubled/(straight news - Earth Institute)  The Scientific Detectives Probing the Secrets of Ancient Oracleshttps://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/where-are-the-greek-oracles(long-form narrative – Atlas Obscura. Even includes a Wesleyan professor.)  Wallace Broecker, Prophet of Climate Changehttps://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2019/02/19/wallace-broecker-early-prophet-of-climate-change/ (obituary – Earth Institute)

Kevin will also be giving the Thursday noonish colloquium. You are required to attend. 

(Weeks 8 & 9) BOOK REVIEW: Books can change the world. In recent times, an important environmental book was: An

Inconvenient Truth. This is a classic and I recommend your reading it. In this class we will read two books, a classic (Silent Spring), written by a biologist and Green Washed written by a journalist. Both are available in paperback from Amazon for under $18.

(Week 8) Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, 1962. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, I recommend the 50th edition. If you choose a different edition, the additional material from the 50th edition, introduction by Linda Lear and afterword by E.O. Wilson, will be posted on Moodle.

(Week 9) Kendra Pierre-Louis,2012, Green Washed: Why We Can’t Buy Our Way to a Green Planet, Ig Publishing, written by a science journalist.

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(Weeks 10 & 11) SCIENTIST PROFILE/INTERVIEW. Needs Long Lead Time. This is an opportunity for you to learn about a specific person and/or a specific field. The scientist you profile can be on or off campus. Start thinking right away about who you would like to interview for your profile. Preparing for an interview takes time and you need to establish when the person might be available. You also need to have a backup, in case the person is unavailable.

Final submission: In 800 words describe the highlights of this persons career and why they are someone other people should know about.

October 16 – interview proposal. <800 words, why this person (you need to do background work), some questions you want to ask. You don’t need a lot of information so a 10-20 minute interview should suffice. Don’t waste their time or yours.

October – 17 email person and set up interview time/location/method. Some people that do excellent interviews are Terri Gross on “Fresh Air” and Krista Tippet on “On Being” (both NPR shows with podcasts.) But your job is to write a profile. The New Yorker often contains profiles and another good source of profiles are obituaries.

REFLECTIONS

Reflection 1, Due between October 2 @ 10 pm and October 6@ noon. This is a mid-point check to give you (and me) the opportunity to digest some of what you’ve learned as a writer, editor and conversationalist. Submit 400-800 words addressing the prompt: (You may address 1 or all 4 of the prompts.)

What have I gained as a public science writer from this course?What is the most meaningful thing I have learned to do?What are my goals for the remainder of the course?What would make this course a more effective learning experience for me?

Reflection 2 (cover memo) + Portfolio Due December 14, by 5 pm (End of exam period)Write a cover memo containing reflections on your work (700-1000 words). These

reflections might include thoughts on how your skills in E&ES developed and on how your writing skills improved over the semester and/or address the following questions:

1. How have your writing/editing skills developed over the semester?2. In what area did you improve the most? What improvement(s) did you make? 3. What do you consider your best piece of work and why? Or your biggest achievement

and why?4. How important was peer editing to the development of your writing skills?5. What suggestions do you have for the next offering of the course?

We will use these prompts in our end of semester reflection discussion on the last day of class.

Please assemble the work you submitted this semester into one file. The first page(s) should be your cover memo (yes you'll be submitting it twice), then a Table of Contents, followed by your original draft (Draft #1 seen only by you and your editor) and your final draft (Draft #3), both without any comments for each of the assignments. Table of Contents should list the assignment,

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e.g. Journal Article, which article (just the topic, your don't have to write out the entire reference, and the dates they were due.  Please number the pages.

Let’s have a great semester!

http://www.trustees.org/see-polar-bears-in-the-wild/ https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/penguins-awestruck-by-yoyo

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