Why this course?

In this course, we will hone in on the cornerstone of all scientific discourse: communication. Even though science as a discipline might be about amassing facts at a fast clip, science as discourse is about getting your message across. The overarching course aim is to arrive at a detailed inventory of effective principles that guide the various modes of science communication (research article, conference talk, science poster, etc.), thus ensuring that you will always be able to convey your message with crystalline clarity. You’ll learn to craft both presentations and prose that convey clear messages by consistently considering the audience’s perspective. What do they know already and why should they care about your contribution? Furthermore, we’ll show you where there’s room for you to stretch and grow in your usage of English.

Format

This is a tailor-made course, which uses classroom instruction, peer review, short assignments, video training and individual tutorials (where desired). Throughout the course you will produce new material, in order to directly apply what you have learned to your own research. Topics covered: 

• Writing up your research for publication: readability, cohesion and coherence, readers' perspective
• Presenting your research to an international audience: interaction, structure, intonation, pronunciation.
• Getting your audience's attention with your poster: pitching the poster, using visuals well, balance of information

Prior to the first session, all participants are kindly requested to submit a a short audio or video clip of themselves as an introduction, encompassing a succinct overview of their research, their experience with writing and presenting in English, and the specific aims they might have with the course. This file (avi, mp3, mp4) is due approximately one week before the course commences.