ENGL 281A is designed as an interdisciplinary writing class. In this class, if you are a student who majors in the humanities, you will have a taste of scientific publication and practice; if you are a student who majors in science, you will learn the ways in which humanists think, debate, and write about science. The theme of the course is the discovery of the double helix, or more precisely, various genres surrounding the controversy of the discovery of the double helix, the symbol of hereditary material. The discovery that the material determining heredity has the structure of a double helix is arguably the most significant scientific discovery of the twentieth century. Thus, the writings about the controversy represent the power and gender struggle, as well as the social effects of modern scientific practice. Through the comparisons among the writings, you will advance your knowledge of grammar and syntax in relation with genre and rhetoric. Furthermore, you will be trained to analyze texts by rhetoric, logic and disciplines in order to understand how and in what ideologies/perspectives the various arguments are generated. You will practice writing in various genres, and furthermore, developing flexible strategies for revising, editing and proofreading.

*While 281 has no formal prerequisite, this is an intermediate writing course, and instructors expect entering students to know how to formulate claims, integrate evidence, demonstrate awareness of audience, and structure coherent sentences, paragraphs and essays. Thus we strongly encourage students to complete an introductory writing course before enrolling in English 281.*