Tuesday, Dec. 9

Today we meet in the Loree 023 Computer Lab.

Upcoming Schedule and Due Dates

In Class

Project Presentations by Larbi and Samina.

Final in-class work on Project Proposals.

Grading Criteria for the final Project Proposal.

Homework

Congratulations! You're almost finished. Complete the Project Proposal and leave a single printed copy in my mailbox in Murray Hall by 4 PM tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec.10.

Final project proposal basic formatting guidelines: Single-spaced, numbered pages; skip lines between paragraphs; 1-inch margins; serif font, like Times New Roman.

Use both headings and sub-headings to divide the proposal.

Things to keep in mind as your finish up:

• Make sure that pages are numbered as discussed in class and in the assignment description in Goeller.
• Make sure that your Works Cited is single-spaced, with lines skipped between items, and that the items are listed in alphabetical order.
• Make sure that figures are numbered (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.).
• Make sure that there are no large gaps in your pages (e.g., due to figure placement or extraneous spacing between sections).
• Make sure that the CRAP principles are followed.
• Make sure that all refrences are accurate and that all quotes from paginated texts include page number(s) in the in-text citation.
• Make sure that Introduction, Research, and Plan sections (under whatever names you select) are clearly distinguished from each other.
• Make sure once again that our data is up to date. )E.g., using illness statistics from the 1990s to support your proposal for medical changes in 2008 is unconvincing at best.)
• Make sure that you have – and actually cite – at least 14 sources, at least half of which are scholarly or expert (journal articles, specialist books, interviews with experts, etc.).

It is strongly recommended that you quote from at least some of your sources and that you refer to major sources in your text multiple times.

Final Office Hour

There'll be a final office hour on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2.30-3.30 pm in Loree 010.

At that time you'll be able to learn your final grade, retrieve your final proposal, and get feedback from me.

After Dec. 17. you can pick up your graded final proposal from the Writing Program Office, 135 George St.

Tuesday, Dec. 2

Today we meet in the Loree 023 Computer Lab.

Work Due

Second Draft of Project Proposal (PP).

Note: This draft should inc. a cover letter and abstract. This can still be pretty rough (we'll discuss revising them on Thursday), but they should be complete. Limit the cover letter to three pargraphs and the abstract to one paragraph (150 words or less).

Include bibliography of 12 or more CITED works only on a separate page or pages. Single-space all items. Skip a line between items. Alphabetize items.

As with the midterm, your discussion of the problem and your literature review (i.e., paradigm section) should cite one or more sources per paragraph. Again, look at the examples in Goeller online.

As discussed in the last class: The graphic revision exercise can be turned in today with the 2nd PP or on Thursday.

Upcoming Schedule and Due Dates

In Class

My classes for Spring 2009.

Science graphic of the Week: Livestock's High Energy Costs (NY Times).

Project Presentations by Vicky, Mark, Steven, and Roberto.

Homework

Continue to work on project proposal, presentations. If you have not done so already, complete graphic revision exercise for Thursday (note modifications discusssed in class).

Bring a printed copy of your project proposal to class for peer-review workshop.

Thursday, Dec. 4

Today we meet back in Hickman Hall.

Work Due

Graphic Revision Exercise.

In Class

Revision strategies discussed.

Peer-review and meetings for PP draft 2.

Homework

Continue to work on project proposal, presentations.

Graphic revision exercises returned next class. We'll also review some final points for revision.

Tuesday, Nov. 18

Today we meet in the Loree 023 Computer Lab.

Work Due

First Draft of Project Proposal (PP). Basically, a revised and expanded version of the problem, paradigm, and plan, using 10+ good sources. Divide into "Introduction," "Literature Review," and "Plan" sections and, where helpful, sub-sections. Formatting should follow the guidelines for the midterm: single-spaced text in a 12-point serif font; one-inch margins; numbered pages.

Include bibliography of 10 or more CITED works only on a separate page or pages. Single-space all items. Skip a line between items.

As with the midterm, your discussion of the problem and your literature review (i.e., paradigm section) should cite one or more sources per paragraph. Again, look at the examples in Goeller online.

Upcoming Schedule and Due Dates

In Class

Project Presentations by Will and Joanna.

Note change to final due date in table above.

Example of Problematic PowerPoint presentation: Ouch!

Better: Okay!

Some bad visuals and some good:

• Sample 1
• Sample 2
• Bad Charts by Gary Klass
• Examples of Bad Charts by Carl J. Schwarz

Homework

Continue to work on project proposal and presentation.

Thursday, Nov. 20

Room Change: Today we meet in the Loree 027 Computer Lab.

Work Due

In Class

Project Presentation by Chris, Joni, Vicky, and Kelly.

In-class work on presentations, project proposal.

Homework

Browsing: More Tufte.

Complete (modified) graphic revision assignment: revise two graphics for second draft of PP. Attach both unrevised and revised graphics.

Complete second draft of PP for Dec. 2.

Tuesday, Nov. 11

Today we meet in the Loree 023 Computer Lab.

Work Due

Reading: Tufte, chaps. 6, & 7.

Schedule and Due Dates

In Class

A note on Using Graphics

Tufte on Links and Causal Arrows and Mapped Pictures/Annotated Images.

Some examples:

• Earth Quake Hazard Hunt
• Urban Assault
• Batman Uniform

Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop Live Trace Demo. This goes back to the three-part technical description assignment at the beginning of the semester.

To learn more about converting (photographic) bitmap images into (illustrational) vector graphics, see Adobe's Creating Vector Content Using Live Trace (.pdf).

Graphic Revision Assignment

Begin in class. Complete for next Tuesday. (postponed indefinitely)

• Using Tufte's discussion of data optimization in chaps. 5, 6, 7, and 9, revise two visuals for your presentation and/or final proposal.
• These visuals should be informative and can be of any format (graph, chart, table, diagram, labeled photograph or illustration, etc.)
• As part of your improvement process, you can change the visuals from one format into another better-suited format.
• Submit the unrevised visuals on one page and the revised visuals on a second page.
• The first page should contain a short text pointing to flaws in the unrevised visuals.
• The second page should contain a short text pointing to the specific change(s) / improvement(s) you made in each visual.
• Both short texts need to refer to and quote from Tufte (by page number) to support / explain / justify the changes you make.

Homework

Reading: Tufte, chaps. 8, & 9.

Continue to work on project proposal and presentation.

Thursday, Nov. 13

Room Change: Today we meet in the Loree 027 Computer Lab.

Work Due

In Class

Short presentation on Tufte, chaps. 6, 7, and 9.

Project Presentation by David.

In-class work on presentations, project proposal.

Example of Problematic PowerPoint presentation:

Tuesday, Nov. 4

Election Day. Class canceled.

Thursday, Nov. 6

Today we meet in the Loree 023 Computer Lab.

Work Due

Reading: Tufte, chaps. 5, 6, & 7.

Post-Midterm Questionaire (see HW for Tuesday).

Four new scholarly or expert sources for your project. These cannot be websites, although they may be journal articles accessed via online databases or documents published online (e.g., a PDF stored on a website). To qualify, these sources must have clearly identified authors (single, multiple, or organizational) and publication dates, and they must identify their own sources in footnotes, endnotes, or a bibliography.

For each source, list its bibliographical information in APA style. Write 2-3 sentences briefly summarizing the argument of the source and explaining its use/value for your proposal. Bring a printed copy to class.

In Class

Short presentation on Tufte, chap. 5.

Sign-up for formal presentations. Dates: Nov. 13, Nov. 18, Nov. 20, Dec. 2, and Dec. 9. Three-presentation limit for the middle three dates.

We'll also go over one or two sample proposals and discuss some of your midterms.

Homework

Reading: Tufte, chaps. 8 & 9.

Tuesday, Oct. 28

Today we meet in the Loree 023 Computer Lab.

In Class

Preview of the (big) presentation and proposal assignments. Note: Presentations will begin in about two weeks.

More on finding, evaluating, using, citing, and documenting sources. We'll look at a paragraph or two from the midterms and track down some examples of sources, weak and strong.

Things to discuss: APA format again; sources without authors; sources without dates.

Austin Kleon's "The Power of Captions: Words Added to Pictures".

• Table of Common Types of Graphics (1)
• Table of Common Types of Graphics (2)

Homework

Reading: Tufte, chap. 5; Goeller, chap. 7.

Informational Graphics For this Thursday (Oct. 30), find two informational graphics, take some notes on how they work, where they succeed, where they might fail; and bring the graphics and your notes to class. One of the graphics should be quantitative. One can be mixed.

Post-Midterm Questionaire: For next Thursday (Nov. 6), answer the following questions.

1. Why are you writing to this particular patron?
2. What are you asking for?
3. What is your central problem fact? What is its main cause? what is its main problematic effect?
4. Describe your paradigm?
5. What are three main steps in your plan?
6. Having read your letter, what are some things your patron wants to see more of?
7. What are some things he or she wants to see less of?

Thursday, Oct. 30

Meet in Hickman classroom

In Class

Presentations on Tufte, chaps. 3 & 4.

Show and Tell: On Showing and Telling.

Homework (for Thursday, Nov. 6)

Reading: Tufte, chaps. 5, 6, & 7.

Post-Midterm Questionaire (see HW for Tuesday).

Four new scholarly or expert sources for your project. These cannot be websites, although they may be journal articles accessed via online databases or documents published online (e.g., a PDF stored on a website). To qualify, these sources must have clearly identified authors (single, multiple, or organizational) and publication dates, and they must identify their own sources in footnotes, endnotes, or a bibliography.

For each source, list its bibliographical information in APA style. Write 2-3 sentences briefly summarizing the argument of the source and explaining its use/value for your proposal. Bring a printed copy to class.

Tuesday, Oct. 21

Today we meet in the Loree 023 Computer Lab.

In Class

Midterm RD review.

Here are the grading criteria for the midterm and the course in general.

APA in-text citation and bibliography review.

Tufte presentation sign-up.

Your Plan

Once again, what your proposal needs to be a project and not a policy (new or change in exsiting). According to Goeller: "Your plan might be a construction project, a training or education program, an experiment to test a hypothesis, a study to determine what course of action is best, or some other specific initiative" (4).

To succeed, your proposed project (i.e., research-supported plan of action) will need to have a certain complexity. One or two step plans are usually disguised policy changes and will satisfy the requirements.

The description of your plan should answer many, but not necessarily all, of these questions:

• Where will the project be implemented?
• Who will implement it (who are agents of this plan)?
• How many people will it take to implement?
• What materials, equipement, physical setting, and/or energy resources will be needed?
• When will it begin?
• When will it end (how long will it take)?
• Will the plan be monolinear or branching?
• Will the plan be finite or recursive?
• How many phases? how many steps?
• How will the agents implement the project (what steps will they take)?
• How will the agents know that the project is complete?
• How will the agents (or others) evaluate the success of the project?
• How will the results of the project (its data, evidence of its success) be recorded, stored, transmitted, etc?

Homework

Revise and complete midterm RD.

Thursday, Oct. 23

No official class meeting. Leave your midterm in my mailbox in the first-floor Murray Hall mail room (on College Ave) by TBA (we'll work this out in Tuesday's class).

Due: Midterm FD.

Homework

Reading: Tufte, chap. 3 & 4.

Tuesday, Oct. 14

Today we meet in the Loree 023 Computer Lab.

Revised Due Dates

In Class

Specific formatting requirements for the midterm:

• 1800-2200 words (include word count at top of all drafts)
• Single or 1.5 line-spacing; do not double-space
• Readable 12-point serif font, like Times New Roman
• Numbered and stapled pages
• Text divided into labeled sub-sections
• APA-style bibliography on separate page

Exercise: Evaluating Sample References.

Another look at the anatomy of the midterm:

• Sample midterm 1 (Goeller)
• Sample midterm 2 (Goeller)
• Sample midterm 3 (Goeller)

Homework

Complete rough draft of midterm.

Bring THREE printed copies to class. Copies of the RD can be double-sided. (Copies of the FD must be single-sided, however.)

Thursday, Oct. 16

We meet in Hickman.

In Class

Due: Midterm RD. Bring three copies to class (double- or single-sided).

Peer revision exercise.

Homework

Revise midterm RD (due next Thursday).

Tuesday, Oct. 7

Today we meet in the Loree 023 Computer Lab.

In Class

Review of quotation and APA-style in-text citation (Hacker). To help, we'll take a look at the remarks in Goeller and this sample final proposal (and this one too).

Copy and paste the text of your topic description in a reply to the Class Forum.

Helpful online refrence for technical writing style: Mary K. McCaskill, Grammar, Punctuation, and Capitalization: A Handbook for Technical Writers and Editors. Of particular interest for today is section 2.4.2., "Shortening Text" (p. 35).

You should use one, but no more than one, graphic (or related pair of graphics) in your midterm. The graphic should be either (1) of your own design and construction or (2) of your own reconstruction. If reconstructing a graphic, you'll need to cite its source in a caption and include its source in your list of references (e.g., Based on Kaplan, 2005, p.348). Here are some common types of graphics:

• Table of Common Types of Graphics (1)
• Table of Common Types of Graphics (2)

As noted, we'll be returning quite intensely to informational graphics after the midterm.

Is this reference in APA style? If not, what information needs to be changed or added?

Hogue, Cheryl. (2006). EPA’s Research Needs. Chemical and Engineering News. [electronic version.]

Homework

Complete five formal definitions for technical terms that may be used in your proposal. Bring three printed copies of your definitions to class.

Read the three sample midterms in Goeller. Make a note of at least one strength and one weakness in each. We'll discuss these in class, so make sure you write down (or commit to memory) what these are.

And take a second look at (links fixed):

• "Ten Rules for Writing Readably," Arn Tibbetts, IEEE Trans. Profess. Comm. PC-25, 10-13 (1982)(pdf).
• "How well do you inform?," Thomas P. Johnson, IEEE Trans. Profess. Comm. PC-25, 5-9 (1982)(pdf).

Thursday, Oct. 9

Location TBA. Unless otherwise posted by Thursday, assume that we'll be meeting in the classroom and not the computer lab.

Due: Five formal definitions. Bring a three printed copies of your definitions to class.

Defintions revision exercise.

Review of formatting, requirements, and organization for the midterm.

Homework

Midterm RD with 8-item APA bibliography. Bring both a printed copy and an electronic copy (e.g., email to self or on portable storage device) to class.

Here are specific formatting requirements for the midterm:

1. Business letter format
2. 1800-2200 words (include wordcount at top of all drafts)
3. Single line-spacing
4. Serif font like Times New Roman
5. Pages numbered and stapled

Remember: Articles from online encyclopedias like Wikipedia and About.com are NOT good sources (as discussed in class) and should not be quoted in your proposal or included in your references/bibliography. You may, however, use them as starting points to find good sources.

Thursday, Oct. 2

Today we meet in the Loree 023 Computer Lab.

We are meeting today, but class will START AT 7.45 PM.

Technical Writing Style

Basic Patterns and Elements of the Sentence

Common Grammar, Usage, and Spelling Problems

Problem Focus: Parallel Structure

Technical writing style exercise: Writing Formal (sentence) Definitions. For more on writng technical defintions, see Extended and Sentence Defintions.

Homework

1. Bring an electronic copy of your 300-word Topic Description to class.
2. "Ten Rules for Writing Readably," Arn Tibbetts, IEEE Trans. Profess. Comm. PC-25, 10-13 (1982)(pdf).
3. "How well do you inform?," Thomas P. Johnson, IEEE Trans. Profess. Comm. PC-25, 5-9 (1982)(pdf).
4. On writng technical defintions, see Extended and Sentence Defintions.

Tuesday, Sep. 30

Due to the instructor's contining jury duty, we will not meet on Tuesday.

Currently we are still meeting on Thursday, in the Loree 023 computer lab. However, you should check Wednesday evening/night for any changes.

As noted in the last class: The topic description is due Thursday.

And if you have any question, please email me.

Tuesday, Sep. 23

Today we meet in the Loree 023 Computer Lab.

Research your patron, problem, and plan; factor your problem

Use web (etc.) to find a likely patron for your project. If your patron has a website (and they really should), funding description, and/or online mission, what conditions for support does it specify or suggest? what are key words of importance to the patron?

Construct an audience profile for this patron.

Remember: Your patron will generally be an organization rather than an individual, but you'll be addressing your writing to a key figure with some determinate decision-making power in the organization

Begin to research and factor your problem. Use your patron description along with the keywords you found to help shape and factor your problem.

Funding Sources

Below is a list of some funding sources and funding research resources. The list is not comprehensive. It will help direct your research but will not meet the needs to every project.

• Fundraising & Grants Directory - http://www.fundsnetservices.com/
• Federal Grants Site - http://www.grants.gov/
• Research Corporation/Cottrell Scholars Awards - http:// www.rescorp.org/grants.php#CSA
• American Psychiatric Foundation - http://www.psychfoundation.org/call_for_proposals.cfm
• Social Science Research Council/Abe Fellowship - http://www.ssrc.org/fellowships/abe/
• American Educational Research Association - http://www.aera.net/grantsprogram/res_training/res_grants/RGFly.html
• Spinal Cord Research Foundation - http://www.pva.org/res/scrf/funding.htm
• Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Foundation - http://www.phrmafoundation.net/
• Floriculture Industry Research and Scholarship Trust - http://www.firstinfloriculture.org/research_grants.htm
• Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation - http://www.abmrf.org/grants.htm
• NAMM Foundation - http://www.music-research.org/Grants/guidelines.html
• Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation - http://www.preventcancer.org/research/guidelines.cfm
• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation/Sloan Research Fellowships - http://www.sloan.org/programs/fellowship_brochure.shtml
• Fats and Proteins Research Foundation - http://www.fprf.org/projects/proposals.htm
• Online Computer Library Center. Library and Information Science - http://www.alise.org/awards/oclcalise.html
• DARPA - http://www.darpa.mil/baa/
• Federal Business Opportunities - http://www.fedbizopps.gov/
• Commerce Business Daily - http://cbdnet.gpo.gov

Project Description

For next Tuesday write a 300-500 word short Project Description (1 printed copy plus an electronic copy).

Format: one-page, single-space, 12-pt serif font (e.g., Times New Roman), one-inch margins.

The description must refer to and quote from two GOOD sources (one an article; one open to choice).

Include an exact word count at the bottom of the page (use word processor for count).

Due with topic description: bibliography in APA format of the two sources you quote from in your description.

Your topic description should attempt to address each of these elements:

Your problem (or opportunity) should tries to justify your plan. If possible, factor your problem into a causal chain. As we discussed in class, break the problem down into causes and effects.

At this point your plan and paradigm should still be relatively vague. However, you might want to try to give at least some early detail. For instance, if possible, try to break your plan into stages or parts. Your paradigm might, at this point, could be a tenative model on which to base your plan. Try to describe it in two to three sentences. If your paradigm is more theoretical, you might try to quote a paragraph from a source which starts to give an idea of the theory.

A solid paradigm will have both a theoretical and a practical (model) component, but we can work on balancing these later. For now one or the other should be fine.

Homework

1. Work on your project description for Tuesday, Sep. 30.

Thursday, Sep. 25

Today we meet in the Loree 023 Computer Lab.

Research Continues

Midterm Assignment

We'll preview the midterm assignment. Then we'll continue researching.

Homework

1. Complete your Project Description for THURSDAY (note change of due date).

Tuesday, Sep. 16

Today we meet in the Loree 023 Computer Lab.

Work Due

1. Initial Topic Description in memo format (printed copy).
2. Rolex Awards research (printed copy).

Reading Presentation

Roberto and Larbi present a summary of the Waller article.

Technical Descriptions

If time, we've begin class by going over the technical description assignments. If not, we'll cover this on Thursday.

APA Style and Research Review

Review APA format for bibliography: Guidelines for Documenting Sources (Diana Hacker).

Factoring the problem

Sample patron: Rolex Awards for Enterprise

What does the patron want?

Sample problem 1: Skin cancer treatement

What are you proposing: Research? prevention? treatment?

What doesn't medical science know? what is not being done? where? for whom? why not?

Sample problem 2: Saving the koala bears

Keep the problem human-focused and patron-focused

Who's your patron: Save the Koalas Fund? a real-estate developer? PM John Howard? Cute Animal Toys, Inc. (whose celebrity "spokestoy" is Cuthbert the Extremely Personable Koala)?

Sample problem 3: Speeding cars on Central Ave

Sample problem 4: No One Sleeps Well on Angel Street

We'll use this problem to say more about causal chains.

Do we know the cause? If not, we can propose (1) to find the cause or (2) to counteract the effect(s).

Or if we know the cause, then we can attack the cause.

Exercise: Make a List of Preliminary References

Make a list of preliminary references for your project. Use this research to explore your initial idea, to learn more about the problem (and similar problems) and possible ways of addressing it.

Find at least four articles that expand on the problem and four that suggest ways of addressing the problem.

Document your findings in an APA format list of references. Complete as homework and bring four copies to the next class.

After your give the bibliographical information for each source, clearly indicate whether the source is very strong, strong, moderate, or weak.

Print and read one of your sources. This needs to be a full-length article with its own sources documented. Bring your printed copy to the next class.

Homework

1. Reading Tufte, chapter one (for next Tuesday).
2. Complete your list of preliminary references. Bring four copies to class (and, as noted above, a printed copy of one of the sources).

3. Print and bring this APA Style reference to class. You will need to have it in class in order to complete the in-class exercise.

Thursday, Sep. 18

Discuss Technical Description assignment.

APA Exercise

Homework

1. Finish reading Tufte, chapter one (for next Tuesday).

Tuesday, Sep. 9

Today we meet in the Loree 023 Computer Lab.

Work Due

Technical Description assignment

Sample Proposal Topics

Here are some sample proposal topics:

• To expand a town's website to offer public forum space, useful links, and crucial information about ongoing clean-up efforts of a well contamination plume
• To encourage and help people of a local town compost their organic waste in order to save on trash collection fees
• To study the effectiveness of a biological control agent on yellow jackets in a picnic area
• To set up a student service offering web-page design assistance to Rutgers professors
• To study the effect of insecticide use on the Puerto Rican Parrot
• To set up a nanotechnology program at Rutgers
• To produce a science (health, technology) focused educational television program

Sample Project: WP Website Web 2.0 Redesign

Take a look at the Rutgers Writing Program website.

Problems?

Plan: Redesign site as Web 2.0 style site.

Theoretical paradigm (= what the experts say): Current Web Style.

Concrete paradigm (= model, example): Net Squared website.

Alternate plan: redesign site as Flash-based website.

Rolex Awards

Take a look at the 2006 Rolex Awards Laureates.

The Rolex awards and the six Ps.

Researching the Rolex Award Laureates

This is the first of two research warm-up activities.

First, let's take a look at the APA format for bibliography: Guidelines for Documenting Sources (Diana Hacker).

For this exercise:

1. Research the patron (the Rolex Awards for Enterprise). Find and document three news stories on these awards.
2. Research two of the five award winners: who is he/she? what has he or she written/published? does he/she have a webiste? If so, give the URL.
4. Find and document three books or articles by each laureate.
5. Research at least two colleagues for each of the two winners you select (i.e., other scientists and activists working with them or working on similar problems in their filed; no one works alone in their field): who are they? what have they done?
6. Research the problem for each of the two winners you select: using the indexes and databases, as well as the internet, find at least four journal articles on this problem.
7. Research their solution: using the indexes and databases, find at least three articles that address the problem or a similar problem; or that offer background on their proposed solution or a similar solution. Here, in a way, you're filling in their paradigm.
8. Document each article you find completely in APA style. Again, refer to Diana Hacker’s website on APA-style documentation for guidelines and examples.

We'll begin this exercise in today's class. Complete the exercise during Thursday's virtual class and for homework. A printed copy of your finished research is due on Tuesday, Sep. 16.

Using Indexes and Databases

Again, to get started on library research (for journal articles and similar resources), follow these steps:

1. Go to the Rutgers University Libraries main page

Note: If you are off campus you need to log in to the RU Libraries website

2. Using the grey menu on the left, go to "Find Articles"
3. Review instructions for how to find an article
4. Using the grey side menu, return to the main Find Articles page and now go to Indexes and Databases
5. Under the "By Subject" menu, click on Science, Technology, and Math for a list of the science-related indexes and databases

To search beyond the sciences, try some of the other linked indexes and databases.

We'll continue practicing this type of research over the next few weeks in class, but the best way to learn it is to explore.

Homework

1. Take another look at Waller, "Making Connections: Typography, Layout, and Language" (.pdf). Waller will introduce us further to the key concept of genre as it applies to both scientific writing and information design.
2. Read "Researching Your Topic" (Goeller 92-104).
3. Read through the sample proposal on forming a sex education class (Goeller 265-83) to get a sense of what you'll be working toward.
4. Short Topic Description: Write a short statement in memo format, 150-200 words, describing a tentative project AREA, PROBLEM, and IDEA (for solution).
   • Give some reasons for your choice (e.g., how does it relate to your interests, your studies).
   • Don't worry about being too specific yet or too committed: you will be able to change your mind later.
   • Your project should try to be science and/or technology related or related to your (likely) major (but does not have to be; an interesting project outside of the wide range of the sciences or your major would be acceptable).
   • For some ideas, look to the Science Section of The New York Times or other newspapers or to the news and other resources of Science Online.

   Due: Tuesday, Sep.16.

5. Finish your Rolex Awards Laureates research. A printed copy of your findings (inc. bibliographical information in APA style) is due Tuesday, Sep.16.

Thursday, Sep. 11

Virtual class. Continue working on Tuesday's exercises and homework. As noted above, all work is due for the Sep. 16 class. Use the virtual class constructively. Late or missing work on Tuesday will count as a virtual-class absence.

Tuesday, Sep. 2

Introduction

In this class, we'll discuss the syllabus, class policies, and the role of visual design in both science and scientific writing. I'll also introduce the project proposal assignment that will occupy the majority of the semester.

Homework

1. Prepare for Newspaper Exercise (Goeller 8). Find an article in a newspaper or magazine that you find suitable for the exercise. For instance, you might take a look at the New York Times online. Do NOT use the Targum or any other campus periodical. Read the article and a copy of it to the next class.
2. Read two articles from the NY Times: "Google's Philanthropy Arm Leads Effort to Use Weather Data to Fight Disease" (very short) and "Gaming Evolves" (a bit longer, on the computer game Spore).
3. Read Robert Waller, "Making Connections: Typography, Layout, and Language" (.pdf). Waller will introduce us further to the key concept of genre as it applies to both scientific writing and information design.
4. Read Goeller, chaps. one and three; browse chap. eight (sample proposals)
5. Read online article on writing technical descriptions.
6. Start working on the Technical Description assignment (due Tue, Sep. 9).
7. Purchase the Tufte book from Student Co-op Bookstore.

Thursday, Sep. 4

Newspaper Exercise

In groups, complete and discuss the newspaper exercise.

Homework

1. Register for the Class Forum. Reply to the "Introduction" thread.
2. Complete the Technical Description assignment (due Tuesday, Sep. 9.)