SP1451 Exploring Science Communication Through Popular Science

This was a faculty requirement so I was forced to take it. Initially, I was quite sian to take this module. You see I got a D for GP and had to sit for the QET test. So I almost had to take an English module, but I didn't. I was sooo happy. So when I got to know that I still had to take an essay writing module, it was like pouring cold water. So my initial mood was siannnnn.

Then I decided that for some reason, it would be a good idea to have an 8am class. What even. Sian + wake up early = Recipe for disaster.

But here comes the plot twist. I actually enjoyed this module. WHATTTT??!!

I think I had a really good teacher (shoutout to Prof Shamala Ramakresinin) and classmates. Like if your classmates are the sian sian ones, then the lesson will not be fun. But my classmates were very proactive, this really enriched my learning experience. The teacher used to be a school teacher, so she had this motherly vibes to her, something I miss since graduating from secondary school and JC.

This motivated me to try to get an A for this module. So I worked really hard. 

There is no lecture for this module. Instead, you will have 2 two-hours tutorial session. There are weekly readings to do before the lesson, some of which are boring, but there are some really interesting ones. You will be taught the different techniques to convey technical scientific theories to laymen's term. Then you will write two news articles based on academic papers. Finding an interesting academic paper was really challenging, not only that, I had to make sure that understand what the heck was going on in the academic paper. I got both my articles from Nature (the articles are usually quite significant thus I found the articles more suitable than the others).

Then, you will have to give a presentation for either news article and you will be recorded. This was quite stressful but fun at the same time. Seeing my other classmates interesting presentations was very entertaining and educational. A tip will be to have fun while you present. Choose a topic that you are interested in or passionate about, naturally, your audience will feel the passion. This will make your presentation interesting. 

Assessment:
News Article 1 (20% - your major)
News Article 2 (30% - outside your major)
Oral Presentation (25%) 
Reflective commentary (10% - about 250 words after each news article)
Interaction and Engagement (15% - attendance, class participation...)

Expected Grade: A
Actual Grade: A 

Comments

  1. Unknown27 September 2019 at 05:26

    Hi! How did you do so well for your Science News articles? Do you mind sharing your articles so that we can get an idea of what a good article is?

    ReplyDelete

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