Critical Reading and Writing for Science LIBS 7019

​This course aims to train students to develop their critical abilities for more effective communication both with a scientific audience and when communicating about science with the general population. There's a misconception that scientific communication is strictly about explanation and facts – that when done properly, it does not include elements of persuasion but is primarily or exclusively the description of uncontested empirical claims supported by hard proof. If this were true, effective communication in science would merely require reasonable clarity, good grammar and adequate scientific knowledge. But it's not so. Effective scientific communication is not possible while taking the reductive approach that it can be done by merely informing and understanding without taking into account critical and persuasive components. Those working in science do influence (properly or not), must persuade, need to resist undue influence, and must be able to communicate with others partly or entirely outside their field of expertise. Through the use of elements of logic, rhetorical analysis, academic writing, epistemology and philosophy of science, this course will guide students to become better communicators in discussions of science or that involve science.