Resources for Students
Resources for Students
Resources for Students
Resources for Students
Graduate Courses
WCS 501: Science Communication
Students in this graduate-level course will apply rhetorical analysis to the stylistic conventions of writing in the sciences and math while improving their ability to write clear, concise, and coherent prose. Students will write in their areas of expertise in accordance with ethical and professional standards, prepare coherent reports of research findings, develop skills needed to author research publications, and present posters and/or oral presentations in conferences. They will learn to skillfully communicate scientific concepts and research findings in a variety of modalities for expert and lay audiences.
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To see a sample syllabus for this course, click here
WCS 562: Creative Nonfiction
This workshop-oriented seminar is devoted to reading, analyzing, composing, and revising original and previously published creative nonfiction and to the study of the creative process. The course is designed for advanced students interested in exploring narrative elements within factual stories that they have experienced, witnessed, or researched. Students will also refine their writing through a process of oral workshop and repeated revision. Each student will finish the semester with a portfolio of nonfiction short exercises and an extensive, researched longform manuscript.
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To see a sample syllabus for this course, click here
MSC 601: Technical Communication
This graduate level course combines the application of rhetorical analysis to stylistic conventions of writing in engineering, with a focus on clarity, conciseness, and coherence. Students will employ process writing to produce genre specific writing familiar to Engineers, including research reports and scientific papers designed for specific audiences. This course also trains students to deliver effective and appealing professional and scientific presentations, with attention to best practices in the use of technical English and oral communication.
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To see a sample syllabus for this course, click here
PhDBS 708: Writing for Biomedical Sciences
This course teaches students in the Biomedical Sciences program to become more effective genre-specific writers. This course highlights key characteristics of science writing and emphasizes the importance of organizing writing around research outcomes, communicating difficult discipline and statistical concepts clearly and effectively for scientific and general audiences. Focused on the writing stages of planning, drafting, and revising texts, this course teaches through engagement with scientific literature and activities based on practical examples and exercises. Students will analyze and produce common scientific writing genres while considering the rhetorical, ethical, and technical aspects of developing and producing texts. This course will also prepare students for the writing of their interim and final PhD theses.
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To see a sample syllabus for this course, click here
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WCS 730: From Genre to Style & Back: Writing for PhD Students
This course integrates genre-based writing instruction with the disciplinary concerns of graduate writers in PhD programs. It uses genre theory to prompt students to become ethnographers in their own fields and examine the discursive construction of disciplinarity. Moving from higher-order (macro-structural, formal) concerns to lower-order (micro-structural, stylistic) ones, it also incorporates writing-group pedagogy to foster the development of a writerly habitus. By focusing on both genre conventions and genre innovation, this course supports the development of students’ academic literacy.
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To see a sample syllabus for this course, click here