ENCM 3505 - Studies in Technical & Disciplinary Writing: Environmental and Science Writing

Goals: To develop tools for understanding, and experiences to demonstrate/practice, rhetorical efficacy in specific discourse or disciplinary contexts.

Content: How can we write about science in a way that people will want to read? How can we write about the fate of species and ecosystems in a way that will engage and entertain and maybe even inspire? How can we turn scientific information into stories that cause readers to wonder at this mysterious, fascinating, imperiled world we call home? While engaging with subjects such as the food we eat, the water we drink, the energy we mine and burn, and the health of our body, mind, and spirit, the main subject of the best environmental and science writing is the question of how shall we live? In an age when humans are straining the earth’s abilities to sustain life, this question has never been more important.

We will begin by reading published environmental and science writing to understand the possibilities of the genre and to practice reading as writers—asking, ‘How can I learn from what they are doing, and what can I steal?’ We will learn the process of the workshop, of commenting constructively on the work of our peers. And we will write our own essays—trying our hand at weaving sensory detail, firsthand experience, research, and humor into our own stories of life on Earth. Expect interdisciplinary discussions, lively reading and writing, and a new appreciation for our beautiful, troubled world.

Credits: 4