This track teaches students to communicate science to a range of audiences in a variety of genres. This track of the minor will be of particular benefit to two groups of students:
- STEM and non-STEM majors seeking to enter careers in which communicating science to the public is vital (e.g. environmental non-profits, health professions, tech start-ups, etc.)
- STEM majors looking to improve communication skills before attending medical/graduate school or entering research positions.
Visit the Science Communication Website
RECOMMENDED PREPARATION COURSES FOR THE SCIENCE COMMUNICATION TRACK:
These are the recommended courses for the Science Communication track to fulfill the three required prerequisites from the Writing 105AA-ZZ, Writing 107AA-ZZ, or Writing 109AA-ZZ series:
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WRIT 107EP: Writing for Environmental Professions
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WRIT 109HP: Writing for Health Professionals
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WRIT 105SW: Science Writing for the Public
About the Capstones for this Track
WRIT 159A: SCIENCE LITERACY (Winter)
The first minor course focuses on the skills necessary to understand and critically examine scientific research in a wider social context. Students will learn how to evaluate the quality of scientific information and explore why the public sometimes resists scientific consensus. Assignments may include a range of texts -- such as academic essays, presentations, short videos, and podcasts -- that examine the historical, ethical, and sociocultural dimensions of science. Recent classes have focused on storytelling and combating misinformation.
WRIT 159B: SCIENCE COMMUNICATION FOR THE PUBLIC (Spring)
The second minor course teaches students to communicate with nonspecialist audiences in genres ranging from websites to social media. Students learn about techniques for engaging audiences and then design a substantial capstone project targeting an audience of their choice. See the 2024 Graduation Slide Deck for recent capstone projects.
Students will leave 159A & B with an e-portfolio that demonstrates their writing expertise in science communication. See the Science Communication Track Website for sample portfolios from past years.
About the Internship for this Track
WRIT 150: INTERNSHIP (Spring) and/or WRIT 162: ADVANCED PUBLIC SPEAKING or WRIT 161: DIGITAL STORY (Spring - depending on which course is offered that year)
Magazines and newspapers, such as The Independent and UCSB Current; businesses, such as Citrix Online and Deckers Outdoor; UCSB organizations, such as the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) and Coal Oil Point; environmental organizations, such as the Community Environmental Council, Tetra Tech, Green2Gold, Kids in Nature, and the Center for Urban Agriculture; local museums such as The Sea Center; SciComm non-profits, including SciFund and Compass; Professional societies such as IEEE and STC.
Interest in this Track? Email the Track Director
We recommend expressing your interest to the director(s) of the track or tracks you are interested in. They will know more in depth details regarding their specific track.
Director
- Amanda Stansell, astansell@writing.ucsb.edu