Week 5

Week 5: Effective Writing

Monday, Oct 25

• Due to 'extreme weather' we will meet remotely (as requested by students)

• We discussed a few pieces of effective "non-explainer" short-form writing that convey 'technical ideas'

  • "quantum distributions for Sarah Baartman", Lena Blackmon (in The Offing, June 2018)

  • "The Webb Telescope’s Latest Stumbling Block: Its Name Webb"

• What is effective about these pieces?

  • What is Blackmon's poem about? On one level, it is a personification of blackbody radiation. However, the way it is written, the title, and the ideas presented make it clear that the poem conveys something about the institution of science rather than the science of blackbody radiation.

  • How did the article on the Webb telescope controversy present an idea in a way that communicates the underlying issue? Who is the audience for this piece? What didactic techniques do the astronomers quoted in the article use to make their case?

Wednesday, Oct 27

• Today Prof. Tanedo went over some of the technical ideas in the short stories we've read. These are summarized on our stories page.

Homework

• Due next Monday: [Submission Link]

  • One page blog post. The topic must include both your technical idea and your short story, but you have full flexibility otherwise.

  • Your audience is "general." Imagine the audience of Scientific American: no specific age, but some initial interest in technical ideas. Your job is to grab their attention.

  • Suggestions:

    • What is your goal for the blog post? 

    • Why should the audience care? 

    • Why should they trust you? How does the style, language, and tone reflect that? 

    • What information do you include, and what information is not necessary? 

    • This is a draft, we're not looking for perfection: use this as an opportunity to 'sketch' ideas and try things out. We will spend next week going over them together.