Course Details

Course offered Spring 2022

HONORS 222 C: Calderwood Seminar in Public Writing: Science and society in a changing climate (NSc, W)

HONORS 222 C: Calderwood Seminar in Public Writing: Science and society in a changing climate (NSc, W)

SLN 15315 (View UW registration info »)

Michelle Koutnik (Earth and Space Sciences)
Phone: 206-221-5041
Email: mkoutnik@uw.edu

Credits: 5
Limit: 8 students

Honors Credit Type

In this course students will read and think about Arctic and Antarctic ice loss due to climate change and then distill these scientific articles, reports, films, or books into pieces of writing for non-scientists. This is a critical practice for scientists, but also for anyone who wants to write for the public and communicate broadly. Effective communication of science is vital to society. We all need to understand the implications of declines in snowpack, coastal erosion, Arctic sea-ice loss, Greenland ice melting and instability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The goal of this course is for students to gain experience writing in styles read by the public and on scientific topics that matter to everyone. Following the model of the Calderwood seminars, students will read, write, edit, and share perspectives about ice and climate change.

This is offered jointly through Honors and Earth and Space Sciences (ESS option is not limited to Honors students).

Juniors and seniors preferred, interested sophomores should contact instructor; contact instructor to be put on waitlist if course is full

Students from majors and minors in the College of the Environment will be able to apply their scientific background to this process, but all motivated students are eligible to enroll.