1. Explore and analyze, in writing and reading, a variety of genres and rhetorical situations.
The purpose of an informative review is to summarize information from the findings of research and synthesize the information in a way that is comprehensible and accessible to the general public. Informative reviews help bring awareness to science topics that lack attention due to only specific populations being able to interpret most scientific research. The audience in the informative review is meant to target the general public who are not familiar with or deal with scientific research content regularly. The intended audience influences the language of informative reviews by emphasizing the need for simplifying terms in a way that everyone can understand. For example, my informative review focused on the drug thalidomide which I connected to HeLa cells that helped me to inform my audience of a medical advancement while still acknowledging the contribution of Henrietta Lacks, all while using language that was not biased towards any party or encouraged inequality to any group. The style of the informative review was meant to be informative but at a level that people outside the field of expertise on scientific research can comprehend.
Position papers were written for the purpose of taking a stance on where we stood in terms of the sustainability project that was done. The paper included the sustainability focus we were advocating for while maintaining the public awareness aspect of the PSA and why we should receive funding to support the cause. For example, my position paper focused on advocating for urban farming and how with the help of the government, many areas can improve from this sustainable way of farming while addressing food shortages. The intended audience included executives and nonspecialists as we aimed to attract the attention of a specific group to receive aid in the cause we were advocating for. The structure of the paper included explaining the sustainability issue and the plan to address the issues in a manner that will be beneficial to the environment and the people. The style of the paper was persuasive and consisted of formal language to convince the New York municipalities to provide funds for our specific sustainability cause.
The purpose of the research and the research presentation is to expose us to scientific writing that is commonly practiced in various college science courses. The research proposal was written to propose a part of the research that has not been addressed, also known as the gap. The research presentation was conducted to portray the aspects of research, the methods that will be utilized, and what is to be expected from the outcomes. For example, my research addressed the correlation between maternal age and birth defects of babies from which the outcomes were expected to display an increase in birth defects in mothers as maternal age increased and using the results to help inform expectant mothers of precautions that can be taken. Additionally, I also provided statistics to help convey the relevancy of my research to help my audience relate to and thoroughly understand my intended proposal. The intended audience was based on the research topic as it addressed a specific population of mothers and expectant parents. The structure of the research consisted of the hypothesis, methods, niche, background, outcomes, and sources. The style of the research was very formal whilst also being a bit persuasive to inform on the research topic while convincing the importance of my research topic.
2. Valuing and applying linguistic differences to inform and educate audiences of various language varieties.
Linguistic differences impact science and science communication by altering interpretation for many and can be quite difficult for translations to remain clear and concise. When information is translated from one language to another, many terms may not be preserved in meaning. This can serve as a language barrier but scientific writers can apply linguistic differences to inform and educate audiences of various language varieties by incorporating vocabulary that can easily be adapted by other languages and utilizing a structure that can help with the accuracy when translating. Language barriers can result in misinterpretation of information and cause many to lack trust in healthcare providers, however, I presented my informative review paper to people unfamiliar with scientific concepts and language by simplifying terms and being very careful with word choice to maintain a concise interpretation. I believe that people who speak other languages can resonate with my PSA video to a certain extent due to the images provided which can help people build an image as to what my PSA video is directed towards.
3. Develop strategies for reading science articles, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing.
Language differences and institutionalized racism are crucial to consider when writing about science because this allows the information to be inclusive, accessible, and sensitive to cultures which are important to ensure the health of all people is addressed and considered. By being more considerate and inclusive of other groups and language barriers, scientific writers help society by helping address a broader community rather than creating inequality in the scientific field. Furthermore, the trust and credibility of researchers are also built from how they address specific groups and how they approach distributing information that can benefit humanity overall. I addressed these issues in my informative review paper by being very cautious of my word choice to be inclusive and respectful of all cultures without the implication of any bias or inequality to any party. In my informative review paper, I also addressed institutionalized racism in a neutral manner that helped to advocate for the inclusivity and sensitivity of minorities whilst informing others of why being sensitive and cautious is needed.
For the position paper and PSA paper, I learned the most in terms of social inequality, sustainability, and environmental injustice. Social inequality is so prevalent in the areas near me, but I have not been exposed to the reality of their struggles as such issues usually go unaddressed and unacknowledged by the general public based on the areas of residence. It was observed that in communities in which there was low income, the environment was in harsher conditions with limited access to resources, creating an endless cycle of people being stuck in poor conditions and facing the consequences of it through their health. Additionally, the importance of environmental injustice was also brought to my attention and the PSA video and position paper helped me to further delve into the issue while also looking for solutions to help the world we live in be better for us and future generations. In my position paper, I used statistics of how urban farming has been very beneficial and how it can help to improve and address food shortages in many communities. This led to a set approach when looking for an organization that could help address increasing urban farming. The challenge of collaborating on the group SPSA was organizing and presenting the information cohesively and aesthetically that would inform people while appealing to their interests. This challenge was addressed by narrowing down information to the most important aspects to prevent confusion and finding images that all fit one theme. For the research proposal, to identify the niche, I observed various previous research that had been conducted and found a gap that was not addressed or briefly acknowledged in the research pieces. Databases such as Gale databases and Google Scholar were the most helpful in finding resources for my research. Aside from the various assignments and projects, during peer reviews, I found it very helpful to gain feedback as it helped me to redirect my pieces and enhance my writing, receiving feedback gave me insight on how to improve my writing for those assignments and future assignments.
4. Negotiate your own writing goals and audience expectations regarding conventions of genre, medium, and rhetorical situation.
By using neutral vocabulary that is not insensitive or displays any form of bias, I maintained a neutral tone to adapt the audience to understand my topic while acknowledging structural racism in my informative review paper. In my position paper and the SPSA, I use a simple structure to help my audience easily comprehend the sustainability issue whilst also including facts to emphasize relevancy to the general public. I supported my position paper thesis by using the statistics I have gathered to emphasize the importance of my sustainability issue and provide a solution to the issue addressed. Additionally, the choice of the color green and earthy colors was important in attracting our audiences’ interest in the importance of urban farming and its ability to transform many areas while helping social inequalities and environmental injustices. The design of our SPSA video made it more desirable to the eye and impacted people’s interest in wanting to further follow up on the information provided and get involved with urban farming. For the research proposal, simplifying terms and elaborating on subtopics helped me to portray my research with the additional use of statistics to further support the points I made in my proposal. Images were also a vital part of my research presentation as they helped to connect and create a visual for the research I was proposing and helped further develop the topic while maintaining my audience’s attention and interest. I have realized that presenting research orally has a significant difference from that of writing as tone can be very helpful in portraying and explaining various scientific aspects. I had to negotiate my writing strategies differently compared to my written essay as addressing an audience orally requires certain tones for expressing certain messages to reach the effectiveness of a presentation.
5. Review your Letter of Introduction from the first week of class and see if your response from questions 7 and 9 have changed since taking the course.
Based on my letter of introduction from the first week of class, my responses to some questions have changed as I have overcome what I had interpreted as a flaw in the beginning of the course and have expanded my understanding of sustainability since taking this course. I am grateful for the skills I have improved and learned that have helped me address the concerns I had when starting this course. I was also able to comprehend a deeper understanding of sustainability’s direct impact on me and those around me making me much more conscious of my approach to many things in life. Thus, this course has helped me develop my writing skills whilst also making me socially more aware of the world around me.
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