EFS 698C - STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Writing and Presenting Research
EFS 698C - STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Writing and Presenting Research
EFS 698C: Writing and Presenting Research
Winter 2013
Tuesdays 2:15-5:05; Encina W 101
Instructor: Phil Hubbard
260-302G
(650) 725-1557
efs@stanford.edu
www.stanford.edu/~efs/698c
Introduction. This course is intended as a followup to EFS 698B, Advanced Graduate Writing, and EFS 691, Oral Presentation. It aims to help you become more comfortable and competent at presenting your research in both oral and written forms appropriate for your own field of study. Students who have not completed 691 and 698B may request a waiver from these prerequisites and are welcome provided they can demonstrate a sufficient level of proficiency.
Course content. The course will have two parts, focusing on writing up research for publication and presenting research. However, there will also be work on making your research comprehensible in both oral and written formats to a wider audience. The course content will include work in both of these areas, analyzing model papers and presentations for strengths and weaknesses as well as those of you and your classmates. In terms of language, we will be looking to identify aspects of your spoken and written work that may interfere with your intended meaning or fall outside the conventions of academic English and the specific expectations of your field. We will also look at correcting persistent patterned errors. Note that most language issues will be handled in the individual meetings.
There is no textbook required for the course. Materials will be drawn from online sources for writing and presentations as well as the work of you and your classmates.
Requirements. The major requirement for receiving credit in this course is to show clear improvement in your writing and presentation performance. There are several more specific requirements for a grade of S (Satisfactory).
1) Attendance. You must attend at least 90% of the scheduled classes and all of the scheduled individual meetings. Please contact me by phone or email if you have to cancel a scheduled meeting for some reason or if you know you are going to be absent from class.
2) Homework. You must complete all the course assignments completely and in time for class discussion of them. I expect you to be able to work on the assignments independently, but if you are having problems be sure to let me know ahead of time so that I can help. If you miss class, you should bring your homework to our next meeting.
3) Individual assignments. You will meet with me individually to go over your writing or videos of your presentations. Depending on your specific needs, you may want to focus more on either writing or presentation. Meetings will be offered weekly, but you must sign up for and attend at least five to receive class credit, with a minimum of two in each skill area. All of your individual assignments should relate to work you are doing for other academic or professional purposes. I assume that in most cases this is research aimed at professional publication and presentation at conferences or other settings such as job talks. However, if you are submitting a paper or making a presentation for credit in another class, it is your responsibility to get the professor’s approval to receive my assistance to avoid the possibility of an Honor Code violation. See me individually if you have questions about this point.
Please note the following with respect to the individual meetings:
• If turning in a printed paper, turn it in no later than noon the day before our meeting. Drop it off in the slot on my office door: 260-302G.
• I will also accept your paper by email. Please send it as an attachment to efs@stanford.edu by 6:00 PM the day before the meeting. Note that I cannot read any formats besides MS-Word and PDF. Please do not send LaTex or Postscript files.
• Remember that my job is to be your writing instructor, not your editor. Any work you turn into me should represent the best you can do on your own. That way, we can focus on what you really need help with and you can make the greatest progress.
• I will normally review a maximum of 10 double-spaced pages per session. If you submit more than that, please indicate what is most important, as the rest will not get read closely. There is no set minimum, but I normally expect at least two pages.
• In general, I will review all aspects of the paper (organization, style, grammar, word choice, etc.). If you want me to ignore certain parts and focus more closely on others, please let me know and I'll try to accommodate your request.
DISABILITY NOTICE: Students who have a disability which may necessitate an academic accommodation or the use of auxiliary aids and services in a class, must initiate the request with the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC), located within the Office of Accessible Education (OAE). The SDRC will evaluate the request with required documentation, recommend appropriate accommodations, and prepare a verification letter dated in the current academic term in which the request is being made. Please contact the SDRC as soon as possible; timely notice is needed to arrange for appropriate accommodations. The Office of Accessible Education is located at 563 Salvatierra Walk (phone: 723-1066; TDD: 725-1067).