Course Descriptions

This course introduces students to foundational concepts, genres, and strategies in science communication by examining how scientific ideas are shared, interpreted, and used across diverse public and professional contexts. Students will analyze a range of contemporary science communication genres, both traditional and emerging, to understand the narrative, rhetorical, ethical, and engagement principles that shape effective communication. Building on this foundation, students will develop two major public-facing projects: a written column on a current or relevant science communication issue and an audiovisual piece that translates a scientific topic for non-expert audiences. Throughout the course, students will experiment with storytelling techniques, explore the evolving role of generative AI in science communication, and consider approaches for making science communication accessible and audience-centered. Projects are created in multiple stages, with opportunities for peer and instructor feedback, culminating in polished additions to students’ science communication portfolios.

This course introduces students to effective strategies for communicating scientific research to non-expert audiences through storytelling and plain-language translation. Students will explore multiple genres of public-facing science communication, such as including lay summaries, blogs, social media posts, and other narrative formats, while learning how to distill complex scientific ideas into accessible, engaging, and accurate messages. To support this work, students will also examine the IMRaD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) structure of scientific articles in order to understand how research narratives are constructed and how to identify the key elements that matter most for public communication. Through close reading, guided analysis, and iterative practice, students will develop a portfolio of revised work that translates scientific evidence into compelling narratives tailored for diverse audiences. The course emphasizes accessibility, accuracy, ethical communication, and attention to the social contexts of science.

This course is designed to support students in developing basic proficiencies in communicating with cross-disciplinary and diverse public audiences and tell compelling stories about science and research. Students will read and critique various styles and genres of science communication and public engagement for diverse public audiences, including plain language summaries of scientific publications, opinion editorials, magazine and newspaper articles, blog entries, excerpts from popular science books, video content, podcasts, social media, and other digital communication. An emphasis will be placed on learning specific strategies of science communication that leads to accessible and engaging science communication, as well as on how to build a case for why scientific research matters to researchers in other fields and to non-career scientists. In addition, students will learn to identify and practice effective communication strategies to engage and communicate with diverse public audiences. The course provides students ample opportunities to practice various strategies, revise their communication products and strategies based on feedback, and to provide feedback to their peers. At the end of the course, students will have created communication products for diverse public audiences that are ready to submit for publication.

Funding is persuasive storytelling: building a compelling research or project story that reviewers want to champion. This introductory course is designed to help students develop basic competencies in the grant application process for a broad range of funding agencies and support them in telling their stories effectively. Students will select a project (proposal topic and possible funder) that aligns with their professional interests relating to science or science communication. Students will read and critique examples of previous grant applications and identify key characteristics of effective and compelling proposals. Students will prepare drafts for several crucial components of a grant application. They will also be introduced to the technical aspects of grant writing, such as how to communicate through graphics and how to generate and justify a budget. Students will write a complete grant application in this course and will acquire the basic skills to assist in grant preparation with their peers or workplace organizations.