Calendar, Readings, and Assignments

[EH] = Buy at Amazon Hancock, Elise. Ideas into Words: Mastering the Craft of Science Writing. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003. ISBN: 9780801873300.

Please note: OCW users are not able to turn in assignments to the instructor or receive a grade for their work.

SES # TOPICS READINGS ASSIGNMENTS
1

Introductions

Class overview

Writing for a general audience

Buy at Amazon Zinsser, William. "Science, Technology and Nature." Chapter 15 in On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction. 30th Anniversary ed. Harper Perennial, 2006, pp. 147–64. ISBN: 9780060891541.

Buy at Amazon Kanigel, Robert. "The Science Essay." Chapter 22 in A Field Guide for Science Writers: The Official Guide of the National Association of Science Writers. 2nd ed. Edited by Deborah Blum, Mary Knudson, and Robin Marantz Henig. Oxford University Press, 2005, pp.145–50. ISBN: 9780195174991.

Session 1 Assignment (PDF)
2

The pleasures and challenges of science writing

The science essay

Introduce Essay 1 assignment

Lightman, Alan. "The Accidental Universe." Harper's, December 2011.

Quammen, David. "Deadly Contact." National Geographic, October 2007.

Session 2 Assignment (PDF)
3

Description: Accuracy + making it fresh

A writer's voice

"From Devils to Mathematics." (PDF) Example student work. Courtesy of an MIT student. Used with permission. Session 3 Assignment (PDF)
4 WORKSHOP Essay 1 (full class and small groups) [EH] Chapter 1, and skim chapter 2

Session 4 Assignment (PDF)

ALSO, Select book for Book Review. See the Book List for Review Assignment (PDF)

5

Return essays

What do we mean by revision?

Discuss News and Profile article assignments

Short News Articles

As you read these stories, note what they have in common: what kinds of things do the writers do? Where does certain information, such as where a study is published, go? What do the introductions—or"leads," as journalists call them—do? What is the"take-away" message—the biggest point—for each of these stories? Do the stories make it clear why this point matters? How is technical complexity handled? Do you notice images or analogies that the writers use to make the concepts more easily understood?

Read several articles from different disciplines on ScienceNews.org

Kolata, Gina. "Mice Fall Short as Test Subjects for Humans' Deadly Ills," The New York Times, February 11, 2013.

Zimmer, Carl. "Tipsy Fruit Flies on a Mission," The New York Times, February 16, 2012.

Chandler, David L. "A Cooler Way to Protect Silicon Surfaces: New Room-Temperature Process could Lead to Less Expensive Solar Cells and Other Electronic Devices," MIT News Office, February 13, 2013.

Trafton, Anne. "New way to Stop the Bleeding: Nanoscale Biological Coating developed at MIT could Prevent Battlefield Deaths," MIT News Office, January 10, 2012.

———. "Bringing a New Perspective to Infectious Disease: Enlisted in the Fight Against HIV, MIT Engineers and Scientists Contribute New Technology, Materials and Computational Studies," MIT News Office, February 8, 2013.

Session 5 Assignment (PDF)
6

Discuss news writing

Introduce & discuss Investigative Essay assignment

[EH] Chapter 5: The Nitty-Gritty, and Chapter 6: Refining Your Draft Session 6 Assignment (PDF)
7

Discuss/critique pitches (small groups)

Pick 1 story idea to pursue

[EH] Chapter 3: Research and the Interview

New York Times profiles, & student-written profile (see assignment for links)

Session 7 Assignment (PDF)
8

The profile: Writing about science by writing about scientists

Brainstorm Profile/Archive assignment ideas, incl. background reading

Issues re: News stories?

Burgos, Ana. "A Professor of Puzzles." Angels, 2012.

An example of student work, published online in the MIT student writing collection Angles.

Session 8 Assignment (PDF)
9 WORKSHOP 2 News Stories (full class) and small groups

Kolbert, Elizabeth. "The Catastrophist." The New Yorker, June 29, 2009, 39–45.

Buy at Amazon Johnson, George. "Michael Faraday." Chapter 6 in The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments. Vintage, 2009, pp. 75–87. ISBN: 9781400034239.

Session 9 Assignment (PDF)
10

Return News stories

Discuss Kolbert & Johnson
readings

Progress report: Profiles/Archival stories

Angell, Marcia. "The Illusions of Psychiatry," The New York Review of Books, July 14, 2011.

———. "The Epidemic of Mental Illness: Why?" The New York Review of Books, June 23, 2011.

Freedman, David. "Lies, Damned Lies and Medical Science." The Atlantic, October 2010.

Session 10 Assignment (PDF)
11

Complex issues: Getting readers to think like scientists

The research process: Why we cite

Pollan, Michael. "Our Decrepit Food Factories," The New York Times Magazine, December 16, 2007.

Steingraber, Sandra. "The Whole Fracking Enchilada." Orion, September/October 2010.

Elizabeth, Royte. "Fracking Our Food Supply." The Nation,  

Session 11 Assignment (PDF)
12

Taking a stand: Writing to persuade

The research process: Note-taking

Discuss Research proposals

REVISE News Story  
13

Library session to work on Investigative Essay

Note: class meets in the library

[EH] Chapter 4 Session 13 Assignment (PDF)
14

The research process: Citing, quoting, paraphrasing

Writing and Structure (Hancock and handouts)

Organizing a longer article

 No readings.  Session 14 Assignment (PDF)
15 WORKSHOP 1 Profile article (full class), and small groups Specter, Michael. "The Mosquito Solution." The New Yorker, July 2012, 38–46. Session 15 Assignment (PDF)
16 Organizing a longer article  No readings. Session 16 Assignment (PDF)
17 Reports on journal and book sources

"The Unwanted Connection." (PDF) Example student work. Courtesy of an MIT student. Used with permission.

"True Colors." (PDF) Example student work. Courtesy of Jessica Fujimori. Used with permission.

Session 17 Assignment (PDF)
18

WORKSHOP 2 Essays full class

Return Profiles/archival articles

 No readings. Session 18 Assignment (PDF)
19 WORKSHOP small groups

Book Reviews

Royte, Elizabeth. "Signs of Life," The New York Times, March 30, 2012.

Bartusiak, Marcia. This resource may not render correctly in a screen reader."Go Up, Young Man," (PDF) TheWashington Post, January 8, 1995, Final Edition, SECTION: BOOK WORLD; PAGE X10.

Royte, Elizabeth. "The Poisoned Earth," The New York Times, September 14, 2012.

Fortey, Richard. "That's Life?" The New York Times, March 8, 2013.

Pimm, Stuart. "Careers: A guide to the life scientific." Nature 496, no. 297 (2013).

"Breaking the Stereotypes for Engineers." (PDF) Example student work. Courtesy of an MIT student. Used with permission.

Session 19 Assignment (PDF)
20 The Book Review: an important genre  No readings. Work on Revision of Investigative Essay (no assignment sheet)
21 Revision issues  No readings. Session 21 Assignment (PDF)
22

Revision issues

Discussion of favorite science writing

 No readings. Work on Book Review (no assignment sheet)
23 Movie: TBA  No readings. Session 23 Assignment (PDF)
24 WORKSHOP Book Reviews: 1 full class, & small groups No readings. 

COMPLETE WORKSHOP: Respond online to group members

ALSO: Work on Re-revision of Investigative Essay

25

Return Book Reviews

Share "best writing"

 No readings. Session 25 Assignment (PDF)
26

Share "best writing"

Summing up & reflecting

Evaluations

All work due

No readings.