Science writing and new media: perspectives on medicine and public health

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

None.

Like other scientists, medical researchers and clinicians must be capable of presenting their work to an audience of professional peers. Unlike many scientists, however, physicians must routinely translate their sophisticated knowledge into lay terms for their own patients and for the education of the public at large. A surprising number of physicians write for less utilitarian reasons as well, choosing the narrative essay as a means of exploring the non-technical issues that emerge in their clinical practice. Over the course of the semester, we will explore the full range of writings by physicians and other health practitioners. Among the writer / physicians whom we encounter will be Atul Gawande, Danielle Ofri, and Jerome Groopman. Students need have no special training, only a general interest in medicine or in public health issues such as AIDS, asthma, malaria control, and obesity. The writing assignments, like the readings, will invite students to consider the distinctive needs of different audiences. Assignments will include a critical review, an autobiographical narrative, an article designed for Scientific American, and an oral presentation on research completed for the Scientific American article. Students will learn to respond constructively to the work of others and to revise their own work in the light of comments from the instructor and from their peers.

Any number of themes can provide a point of departure for an introductory writing course. My hope is that each of you can find something personally engaging and intellectually challenging in our joint exploration of "perspectives on medicine and public health." While some of you may contemplate a future in medicine, I suspect that all of you can draw upon a personal experience that heightened your interest in some particular aspect of medicine. In any case, you need no special expertise to prosper in this course. We will begin by reading a series of essays about doctors and patients. Later in the semester, you will have the opportunity to follow your individual inclinations and to investigate a topic that intrigues you.

The writing assignments will begin with those things that you know best—your own experiences and your own opinions—and move toward topics that are less personal and less familiar.

This is not a classic textbook course. You cannot do the work at the end of the semester and hope to pass this course. More importantly, you cannot hope to alter the way you approach writing if you remain a passive spectator in this class. MIT's introductory writing courses are designed to help you develop writing strategies that will serve you throughout your career. By the time you reach college, old writing habits are already deeply rooted. Weeding out the unproductive ones requires hard labor. New, improved varieties will only take root if you nurture them. You will find this process more manageable if you take advantage of the experience, insights, and support of your classmates. If all of you participate actively, you can turn a rugged task into a satisfying collaborative venture.

This class offers ample opportunity to refine your oral communication skills. You will be expected to express your questions and your insights in every class discussion. In addition, you will be asked to make one or more informal oral presentations and one formal presentation.

Lunsford, Andrea A. EasyWriter. 5th ed. Bedford / St. Martin's, 2013. ISBN: 9781457640469.

Perelman, Leslie, and Edward Barrett. The Mayfield Handbook of Technical and Scientific Writing. McGraw-Hill Humanities / Social Sciences / Languages, 1997. ISBN: 9781559346474.

Penrose, Ann M., and Steven B. Katz. Writing in the Sciences: Exploring Conventions of Scientific Discourse (The Allyn & Bacon Series in Technical Communication). 3rd ed. Longman, 2010. ISBN: 9780205616718.

The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)

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