STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) are often perceived to be objective, yet at the same time it is necessary to describe ideas, methods, findings as accurate or inaccurate, strong or problematic, reliable or inconsistent. These forms of objective evaluation tend to follow patterns according to discipline, topic, and type of text. This workshop will present a linguistic framework for understanding the various ways we use language to position something as positive or negative, and how we grade that evaluation to more strongly or weakly emphasize it. Through an emphasis on objective forms of evaluation, and the various ways that evaluation can be expressed, the STEM student will gain strategies to make their writing both persuasive and scientifically appropriate.

Participants should bring two texts to the workshop: a published article or other text that they aspire to emulate, and a piece of their own writing in an editable form, preferably a work-in-progress.

Facilitator: Dr Jodie Martin is an educational linguist specializing in academic writing, who currently works as an Academic English lecturer in the Science stream at Vantage College. Her experience includes researching and teaching language and communication in disciplines ranging from music to education to management to health sciences to social media. She draws on systemic functional linguistics and Legitimation Code Theory to unlock the secrets of language and knowledge practices.

Date & Time: Tuesday, November 23, 2021: 10am – 12pm PT

Location: Zoom    Registrants receive the Zoom link the day before the workshop.

The Centre for Writing and Scholarly Communication does not record workshops or share workshop slides.

Questions about this event? Please contact the Centre for Writing and Scholarly Communication: cwsc.info@ubc.ca.