The science essay

Far more than a collection of facts, science is a body of ideas that forms the cultural context through which we view the world.
—K. C. Cole

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

The science essay uses science to think about the human condition; it uses humanistic thinking to reflect on the possibilities and limits of science and technology. In this class we read and practice writing science essays of varied lengths and purposes. We will read a wide variety of science essays, ranging across disciplines, both to learn more about this genre and to inspire your own writing. This semester's reading centers on "The Dark Side," with essays ranging from Alan Lightman's "Prisoner of the Wired World" through Robin Marantz Henig's cautionary account of nano-technology ("Our Silver-Coated Future") to David Quammen's investigation of diseases that jump from animals to humans ("Deadly Contact").

Groopman, Jerome, and Tim Folger. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2008. Boston, MA: Mariner Books, 2008. ISBN: 9780618834471.

Hancock, Elise. Ideas into Words: Mastering the Craft of Science Writing. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003. ISBN: 9780801873300. [Preview a Version in Google Books.]

I also strongly urge you to purchase a good college dictionary, if you do not already own one. By that I mean, not a pocket dictionary! If English is not your first language, you will need at least two good dictionaries. If you are really interested in good usage, also consider purchasing a dictionary of usage.

Writers will have wide latitude in choosing topics for the five essay assignments. The class will be run seminar style, with lots of attention to individual writers. Revision of essays and workshop review of writing in progress are an important part of the class. To fulfill the oral presentation component of the class, each student will lead class discussion on one of our readings.

All essays (except essay 1, a warm-up piece) will be revised once; essay 5 (the long essay) and one other essay of your choice will be polished further.

Essay assignments will be detailed in a separate document. Here's a brief overview:

This class is structured more as a workshop than a lecture class. Your responsibility in the class is not only to be a writer, but also to read and respond to classmates' work and to participate in discussions. Therefore, attendance is important.

Lateness is discourteous to your classmates and to your professor. Your grade for class participation will suffer if you are habitually late. Being more than 10 minutes late 3 times = 1 absence.

To participate in class discussions, you must read assignments on time. It is also imperative that you bring a draft to class on workshop days, and be prepared for oral presentations. Deadlines for revisions will be more flexible.

You are required to have one conference with me, but I encourage more. Bring specific questions about your writing, such as how to make an introduction more vivid or how to connect the ideas in your essay. You are also welcome to use conference time to continue discussions begun in class or try out ideas for essays.

There are no tests in this class.

The quality of your writing will be the primary criterion for your semester grade. I'll also take into consideration effort and improvement, especially as demonstrated by revision, and class participation, including your participation in workshops and your oral presentations. Note that revision does not mean correcting errors nor simply polishing prose; it means re-seeing the entirety of your essay.

What do letter grades mean? "A" work is so accomplished in skill, substance and style that it would delight an editor. "B" work is good, solid work. "C" work is satisfactory but with little to recommend it. "D" work meets the requirements of the course by the skin of its teeth and by the reader's open-hearted charity. "F" is reserved for work that does not satisfy the requirements of the course. Oral presentations will not receive letter grades but will be marked √(OK), √+ (very good) or √- (weak) based on preparation, cogency and coherence.

Plagiarism—use of another's intellectual work without acknowledgement—is a serious offense. It is the policy of the Literature Faculty that students who plagiarize will receive an F in the subject, and that the instructor will forward the case to the Committee on Discipline. Full acknowledgement for all information obtained from sources outside the classroom must be clearly stated in all written work submitted. All ideas, arguments, and direct phrasings taken from someone else's work must be identified and properly footnoted. Quotations from other sources must be clearly marked as distinct from the student's own work. For further guidance on the proper forms of attribution, consult the style guides available at the Writing and Communication Center and the MIT Web site on Plagiarism.

Introductions

Course overview

What is a "science essay"?

Audience: grabbing the reader

Literary techniques: scenes, imagery, characters

Voice and tone

Science and life - the "non-quantifiable

Context

The writer as a "character" in his essay

Are we prisoners of the wired world?

Comment on essay 1

Discuss essay 2, "Home Science"

Examples: Natalie Angier, "Red"; student essays

Homework 4 due

Title of book to review due

Workshop essay 2 "Home Science"

"Lucidity, lucidity, lucidity"

Reason and emotion

Framing ethical concerns

Asking the right questions

Homework 7 due

Revision of essay 2 due

Share proposals for essay 3

Public health and individual patients

Involving the reader

Book review as essay

Tight focus and wide significance

The language of judgement

Homework 11 due

Revision of essay 3 due

Questions about essay 4, book review

Strategizing the longer research essay

Keeping readers involved in longer essays

Handling complexity

Present proposals for essay 5

Structuring the longer essay (Hancock)

Share outlines/intros in small groups

Individual conferences for essay 5

Homework 19 due

Essay 5 due

Homework 21 due

Revision of essay 5 due

Guest speakers:

Edward Morris and Susannah Sayler (Topic: The Canary Project)

Marcia Bartusiak
(Topic: Science Writing as a career)

Homework 23 due 1 day after Ses #24

Re-revision of one essay from essays 2-4 due one day after Ses #24

Hear favorite essays and discuss (cont.)

Course evaluations

Don't show me this again

This is one of over 2,200 courses on OCW. Find materials for this course in the pages linked along the left.

MIT OpenCourseWare is a free & open publication of material from thousands of MIT courses, covering the entire MIT curriculum.

No enrollment or registration. Freely browse and use OCW materials at your own pace. There's no signup, and no start or end dates.

Knowledge is your reward. Use OCW to guide your own life-long learning, or to teach others. We don't offer credit or certification for using OCW.

Made for sharing. Download files for later. Send to friends and colleagues. Modify, remix, and reuse (just remember to cite OCW as the source.)

Learn more at Get Started with MIT OpenCourseWare