Audit Course: Modern Science Writing

Modern Science Writing & Journalism

Objective:

1.Students must be familiarized with  the area of modern science writing.

2.To hold discussions with students on great entrepreneurial and engineering ventures that have used science.

3.To explore frontier areas in science and technology and to evoke unresolved problems in these areas.

4.Students are taught to write interesting science features of their won.

L    T          P                                                                      I.A./Practical: 25 Marks

3    0          0                                                                      Theory: 75 Marks

Time Allowed: 3 Hours                                                     Max. Marks: 100

Unit-1: Science Journalism: Introduction; aim and objective of science journalism; ethics of science journalism;  popularizing science and technology, inculcating scientific temper: truth, relativity, end of grand narratives, encouraging scientific outlook; Philosophical background: positivism, rationalism, binary opposition, scientific method and approach, impact on literature and literary criticism of Darwin’s theory of evolution and Einsteins’s theory of relativity; public awareness campaigns.

Unit-2:Modern Science writing & Popular science :science fiction versus futurism; Gedanken experiments/thought-experiments; value of uncertainty and paradox; Use of analogies and parallels;structure of a scientific essay; hypothesis-evidence-thesis; from essay to feature; learning discussing state-of-the-art; fantasy; Biographies of eminent scientists.

Unit-3: Frontiers of Science: science in news; ideas adopted for practical use; entrepreneurial skills with scientific ideas; Entrepreneur’s stories that made use of science; World War I and II and development of science &technology;Frontiers of Science; Breakthrough technologies; great debates raging in science.

Unit 4: Neologisms and Advanced vocabulary-builder: Neologisms; Popular science; Jargon and avoiding jargon; Blackholes, Higgs-Boson; Quarks; Anti-matter, Quasars, DNA; Mutations, Hybrids, BT seeds, cyborgs, cybernetics; humanoids;  Bitcoins, Reverse Engineering,  Robotics &AI; IPR& Patents.

Outcome:

1. Students understand objective and aim of science journalism

2. Students are conversant with great entrepreneurial ventures that have used science.

3.The students are conversant with lives and ground-breaking works of eminent scientists .

4.Students are able to write science features of their own.   

References:

Angler, Martin W. Science Journalism: An Introduction. Routledge 2017

Hayden,Thomas.The Science Writers' Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Pitch, Publish, and Prosper in the Digital Age Paperback

Blum, Deborah (Editor), Mary Knudson (Editor), Robin Marantz Henig (Editor) A Field Guide for Science Writers: The Official Guide of the National Association of Science Writers 2nd Edition. 

Skloot Rebecca (Editor) andTim Folger (Editor).The Best American Science and Nature Writing2015  ed. Edition

Carol L. Rogers, Sharon M. Friedman(1999). Communicating Uncertainty: Media Coverage of New and Controversial Science

Martin W. Bauer and MassimianoBucchi .Journalism, Science and Society Science Communication between News and Public Relations . Routledge: NY and London

Sharon Dunwoody, Carol L. Rogers, Sharon M. Friedman Scientists and Journalists: Reporting Science as News : American Association for the Advancement of Science.(December 1988)

Richard Dawkins . The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing (Oxford Landmark Science) Paperback – 21 Oct 2009. Oxford; Reprint edition (21 October 2009)

Dorothy Nelkin .Selling Science: How the Press Covers Science and Technology (Revised) Revised Edition. Publisher: W.H. Freeman & Company; Revised edition (February 1995)

Michael Alley  (Author)The Craft of Scientific Presentations: Critical Steps to Succeed and Critical Errors to Avoid Paperback – 30 Apr 2013

Carl Sagan Cosmos: The Story of Cosmic Evolution, Science and Civilisation11 August 1983. Little, Brown Book Group; Latest Edition edition (11 August 1983)

Recommended:

Carl Sagan.TheDragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence Mass Market Paperback – 12 Dec 1986RHUS; Reprint edition (12 December 1986) ISBN-10: 0345346297

Stephen Hawking.A Brief History of Time: From Big Bang to Black Holes. Bantam; Latest Edition edition (1 April 1995)

Richard Dawkins: River Out of Eden (Science Masters) Paperback. Orion Publishing Group (29 April 2015)

Richard Dawkins .An Appetite for Wonder: The Making of a Scientist Paperback. Bantam Press (7 October 2013)

Richard Dawkins. The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True.  RHUK