1-11 Lecture #1: Introduction: Purpose and content of course. Writing by editing. Introduction to arumentative writing. Introduction to reader-based writing. Introduction to the basic elements of grammar. Evaluating a scientific paper. Guidelines for writing your first 4-page paper.
Assignment due: At the end of class, form interest groups of 3-5 people per group. During the course of the next week, each group must meet, chose a journal article to critique, and discuss it. Before the next class meeting, make one copy of your selected article, list the people in your group on its first page, and put it in Tosney’s mailbox. During the following week, each of you should prepare an outline for your paper.
Before the next lecture, read the article by Gopen and Swan (Gopen, G. D. and J. A. Swan (1978). The Science of Scientific Writing. American Scientist 78: 550-558).
1-18 Lecture #2: The elements of style I: Nouns, precise nouns, noun concatenations, nouns as adjectives, nouns as hidden verbs, noun placement. Shunning the -tion words.
Assignments due: #1
(Assignments listed by # are described during lecture and in handouts).
Each group should hand in one xeroxed copy of the journal article they will be critiquing. On the top, print the names of the people in your group.
1-24 MONDAY
1-25 Lecture #3: The elements of style II: Verbs, inert verbs, hidden verbs, vague verbs, portentous verbs, abused verbs. Verb tense. Danglers. Verbals. Active voice, passive voice. How to gleefully split an infinitive. Adverbs. Prepositions for ending sentences with. Leisurely sentence openers.
2-1 Lecture #4: The elements of style III: Argumentative writing. Organization. Good paragraphs: topic sentences, logical flow, transitions. Focus, unity, momentum. Paragraph order. One major idea per unit.
2-8 Lecture #5: The elements of style IV: Organizing and writing to convince. Attaining focus, unity, momentum. Lucidity, clarity, precision, succinctness. Phrases and clauses. Parallel constructions, correlatives. Recognizing and eliminating repetitive redundancies. Non-sexist writing, anguished English.
2-15 Lecture #6: Writing a research paper: The abstract. The title. The purposes and styles of introduction, methods, results and discussion. Revisions. Submitting a manuscript. Journal choice, manuscript preparation, following the instructions, cover letter. The review process. Rebuttals and revisions. Proofs.
2-22 Lecture #7: Designing a poster: Using visual logic. Making your meaning clear in a limited space. Accessibility. Achieving visual impact. Convincing your audience even when you aren't there. Use of titles, subtitles, legends, figures. Designing graphics. Formats, data density, clarity, legends.
Reading for today: http://biology.lsa.umich.edu/research/labs/ktosney/file/PostersHome.html
Assignments due: #6
3-1 MIDWINTER BREAK
3-8 Lecture #8: Speaking: Presenting a poster: giving a 5 minute talk every 5 minutes for 3 hours. Writing your CV.
Assignments due: #7: Poster mockup.
Reviews of your colleagues' papers. Email your evaluations to me, and also send an evaluation to each person whose paper you evaluated.
3-15 #9: Presentations only.
3-22 #10: Presentations only.
3-29 #11: Grants: The NIH system, the review process, what happens at a study section meeting. Good science does not speak for itself; you speak for it. Defining the scope and direction of the proposed research; writing the specific aims. Organizing the essential elements of a "RO1" application to NIH. Following the instructions.
4-5 Lecture #12: Grants, continued. Predoc fellowship applications. Postdoc fellowship applications. Particulars and peculiarities of different funding agencies. Persistence: deciphering the “pink sheet” and preparing an amended application.
4-12: Lecture #13: Career strategies. Becoming a Ph.D., choosing a postdoctoral position, getting a job, getting tenure. Academia and industry. Doing hypothesis-driven research.
This lecture is open to the public.
Class will meet in 2004 NS, at 3:30.
The talk itself will begin at 4:10, but class participants are expected to come at 3:30.
4-19: Lecture #14: Review of strategies. Career and writing goals for the future.
Analysis of your writing strategies
Assignments due: #12. Any late assignments. Your final paper revision. Material turned in after today will not be assessed.
Be prepared to discuss what you feel you accomplished in MCDB 501, and to detail how you plan on continuing to improve your writing in the future.
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