Environment General Courses (ENVIRON)

taught in Durham

298.10. Professional Writing in Environmental Science and Policy

Env. 298.10, Professional Writing (3 credits)
Fall 2005
Dr. Julie A. Reynolds, Instructor
julie.a.reynolds@duke.edu
134 BioSci
681-6899

Course description

Most Environmental Science and Management professionals spend a significant portion of their careers writing reports, grant proposals, journal articles, books, letters, and so forth. However, relatively few are able to write efficiently and clearly. Although effective writing is essential for the communication of knowledge, few have formal training in this critical skill.

This course is focused on how to become an effective writer, employing a three-pronged approach to demystify the writing process. First, examples of excellent writing are examined with the goal of identifying a suite of skills that contribute towards successful writing. Second, we focus on sharpening these specific skills through various short writing assignments. Third, we will use a diversity of forums—including writing workshops, peer reviews, and individual conferences—to provide students with detailed feedback, allowing them to rethink and revise their writing.

Topics to be covered include:
• Writing on the job and writing for publication
• Current conventions in scientific writing (including organization, structure, values)
• Technical versus popular writing styles
• Documenting research
• Ethical issues in web-based research

Enrollment is limited to 20, and is particularly appropriate for both undergraduates and graduate students working on a thesis proposal, thesis, or other major research paper.

click for complete syllabus (.pdf) >