Graduate writing in marine and environmental sciences
OCG533, Fall 2002

Syllabus

Instructor: Kenneth A. Rahn
Center for Atmospheric Chemistry Studies
Graduate School of Oceanography
CACS Room 212; 874-6713
E-mail: krahn@uri.edu
Course’s web site: http://karws.gso.uri.edu/OCG533/02Fall/OCG533Fall02.html 

Goals
      This course in scientific writing has three main goals: (1) to show graduate students how to set up a scientific paper and to make informed choices about its content, structure, and style; (2) to show how to use the English language to communicate the desired message clearly, unambiguously, and efficiently; and (3) to show how to use the language to communicate the message to the widest possible audience. Communicating correctly and clearly means choosing the right words (diction) and putting them in the right places (grammar and syntax), so that the reader gets the precise message you intend to transmit. Communicating efficiently means using optimum structures and choice of words (rhetoric and style) to ensure that the reader grasps the essence with minimum effort. Communicating widely means maintaining enough rigor to satisfy professional demands while keeping the language simple enough that it can be understood by nonspecialists and maybe even by nonscientists. To reach these goals, this course takes a rigorous approach to syntax, grammar, rhetorical principles, compositional style, and the journal article, while touching as well on selected societal aspects of scientific writing.

Textbook
      Principles of Scientific Writing, Version 3.1d, September 2002, Kenneth A. Rahn. Our class notes and main source of information. (To be updated and supplemented during the semester)

Suggested reference books
      (1) Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, Sixth Edition. The classic guide to editorial style in science, now with expanded coverage in nonbiological sciences.
      (2) Instant English Handbook, Madeline Semmelmeyer and Donald A. Bolander A very good pocket reference for grammatical matters.
      (3) Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace, Fourth Edition, Joseph M. Williams. The key to a readable style and effective sentences and paragraphs. This book will inspire you to high-class writing, even in science. We will even try to move beyond it in some ways.
      (4) The New York Public Library WRITER’S GUIDE TO STYLE AND USAGE, Andrea J. Sutcliffe, Ed. Although not directed specifically toward scientific writers, it is one of the best references of style and usage I have seen. I recommend it for every scientific writer’s library.

Format
      We meet three times a week for 50 minutes or more. In the first part of the semester, I will give written assignments for most classes. Because of the volume of material we must cover and the importance of regularly practicing skills in your new “language,” these assignments and their associated reading will normally take some hours to complete. I will not ask of you more than nine hours outside class in a given week—an average of three hours per assignment. If for a particular week you find that you are about to exceed this limit, you may quit without penalty, and I will assume responsibility for making those assignments too long. Assignments are returned graded and annotated at the next class. Late assignments may be graded 50% off.
      Throughout the semester you will work on writing a journal article that will be due at the end. We will review the possible structures for the paper and the format, material, and styles appropriate to each, and then you will choose among them and gradually construct the sections as we discuss their principles in class.

Writing the paper
      You should write your paper on data that you have generated yourself. If that is not possible, we will find some alternative that is mutually acceptable. The paper does not need to be long—in fact, shorter may be better, especially for students writing their first paper. Try to choose your topic early and starting working on the paper as soon as possible—the process will take much longer than you think! Near the middle of the class, I will begin meeting with students individually to discuss their progress. Experience has shown that these meetings can be valuable. Take advantage of me and start producing drafts sooner rather than later.

Grading
      I am tough but fair. All is structured to help you succeed. Homework assignments account for two-thirds of the grade, the final paper one-third. By putting forth serious effort on all assignments, you can guarantee yourself a good grade. We will have no midterm or final exam unless there is an outcry to the contrary.

Provisional Schedule (Chapter numbers of notes in parentheses)

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