Writing for Health ProfessionalsWriting 109HP
University of California, Santa Barbara

Course Syllabus

Course name: Writing for Health Professionals
Designator: Writing 109HP
Instructor: Doug Bradley
Enrollment Code: #46987
Course website: http://www.dougbradley.net/courses/writ109hp
Term: Spring Quarter, 2009 (30 March – 5 June 2009
Meeting times/locations: MW, 11:00–12:15 (Girvetz 1112)

Instructor Office: South Hall 1523
Office Hours: Mondays, 1:00 – 3:00 pm, and by appointment.
Cell phone: 805.680.2333
E-mail: bradley@writing.ucsb.edu
IM screen name: Writing Instr
Mail box: Please use blue drop box outside South Hall 1520.

Course Texts
Course reader available from AS Publications under the instructor's name.

A Writer's Reference, Diana Hacker
ISBN: 0-312-45025-7 (spiral bound version)

Course Readings
Readings are located in the course reader, or linked electronically through the schedule page of this course website.

Recommended
English dictionary. Webster’s New International Dictionary, or equiv.

IMPORTANT NOTICES!!!

Deadline to drop Writing 109HP is Friday, 03 April 2009 by 11:45 PM (via GOLD).

If you are a student with a disability and would like to discuss special academic accommodations, please contact me during office hours.

For enrollment questions regarding adding and dropping of Writing 109HP, credit, units, prerequisites, etc., contact Haley Orton (horton@writing.ucsb.edu), Undergraduate Advisor, at the Writing Program. Phone: 805.893.2613.

Writing 109HP Requirements, Grading and Schedule

Attendance and Punctuality
You are required to attend all course classes and arrive prepared. Excess absences and tardiness will adversely impact the class participation portion of your grade. As a courtesy to others in the classroom, please arrive on time at the start of each instruction period. You are responsible for obtaining all missed handouts and assignments. (Support your classmates!)

Participation and Civility
Writing 109HP involves a good deal of reading and class discussion. To get the maximum benefit from our class discussions, we must all read the assigned materials beforehand. (Don't assume that someone else will do the readings for you and "keep things interesting" during discussions.) Stay prepared to introduce your own ideas to the class as well as listen and respond courteously to others.

During lectures, if you wish to converse with your classmates about personal matters, or read/compose lengthy text messages, please go outside the classroom as a courtesy to others. This is perfectly okay, and much better than being distracted by you. If you feel drowsy and are having trouble staying awake in class, please feel free to stand at the rear or side of the classroom. (It really works!) Finally, please turn your cell phones and pagers off before class begins.

Assignments
There will be a number of assignments in Writing 109HP covering various medical issues and writing forms such as e-mail, application statements, resumes and cover letters, health histories, educational materials, reviews of literature, analyses and critiques, reflective responses, oral presentations, etc. These are individual assignments that every student is expected to complete in Writing 109HP.

Journal Club
Beginning the second week, we will begin each class with a brief (5–7 minute) presentation of a journal article by a student. (A sign-up sheet for scheduling will be circulated during the second class meeting.) For your presentation, select a journal article from a reputable (i.e., peer-reviewed) medical-scientific journal on ANY topic relating to medicine, nursing, dentistry, optometry/opthalmology, alternative medicine, etc. Bring an extra hardcopy of your journal article to class so that we may circulate it and add it to your portfolio. For your presentation, explain the background and history of the topic, its relavance to medicine, and then lead a Q&A with the class.

Medical Report Paper and Presentation
This is the largest assignment given in Writing 109HP and consists of a 12–20 page report on a specific disease/disorder. Each student will report on a unique disease, disorder, or some other topic relating to medical issues; we will not cover the same topic twice. Among other things, your report will encompass the disease's history, etiology, symptoms, treatment and new developments.The paper will culminate in a fifteen-minute PowerPoint presentation.

Grading
The grading breakdown for Writing 109HP is as follows:

Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the copying of a part or whole of another person’s work while representing the work as your own; it is an extremely serious academic offense. Avoid plagiarism by properly citing the sources of ideas, text and graphics used in your work. Students caught plagiarizing will receive an “F” grade in Writing 109HP and be dropped from the course. Period....no exceptions!

Emergencies
If you experience or anticipate any emergency during the term bearing upon your course work or attendance in Writing 109HP, it is your responsibility to contact me as soon as possible (preferably via email). In lieu of contacting me directly, you may leave a message with the Writing Program office, located in South Hall 1520 (805.893.2613).

Special Activities
Career Services Center
Instructional computing lab
Guest speaker(s)

Special Areas of Study
APT writing (audience, purpose, tone)
Medical writing conventions for correspondence, reports and educational materials
Psycholinguistics; body language and non-verbal behavior
Data visualization: charts; graphs; tables; etc.
Public speaking

Copyright © 2009 N. D. Bradley