Ithaca College

Seats are available in Science Writing (WRTG-31400, CRN 43204) for Spring 2017. This useful Writing Intensive course is offered 4:00 PM, Tuesday and Thursday.

Science Writing teaches journalistic and literary scientific writing for general and specialized periodicals. Students learn to communicate scientific facts and theories to professional and sophisticated lay readers through description, analogy, narrative, and argument. The course also discusses the technical and scholarly conventions of formal scientific writing, such as research proposals, publishing formats, and APA and CSE citation. Class readings include major humanistic essays from the history of science and articles and features from contemporary popular and scientific publications.

An elective in the Writing major’s feature and professional writing concentrations, Science Writing also serves students in communications, environmental studies, and the health and natural sciences. Accordingly, the course encourages dialogue, debate, and collaboration between aspiring journalists, creative nonfiction writers, publicists, and lobbyists and future clinicians, educators, researchers, scientists, and technicians. Its primary focus, therefore, is institutional science itself, examining its history, organization, politics, and ethics through the lenses of rhetoric and writing. For a copy of the course syllabus, visit:

• https://faculty.ithaca.edu/direnzo/docs/syllabi/314.pdf

Prerequisites: Junior standing (sophomores welcome with permission of instructor); any one of the following: WRTG-20100 or WRTG-21300 and two courses in the natural sciences; or any level-1 composition course from WRTG-10600 through WRTG-16500 and three courses (at least one above level-1 in the health and natural sciences. The alternative prerequisites allow easy access to students who are not Writing majors and minors. Should you experience problems enrolling online, contact Dr. Anthony Di Renzo at direnzo@ithaca.edu.

Science Writing will not be offered again until Spring 2019. Please take advantage of this opportunity and discover why science writing is America's fastest growing publishing field.