This course focusses specifically on communication related to medical research; it may be of interest to researchers in the health and life sciences more broadly.
Using scientific jargon in spoken and written texts, like communicating professionally with colleagues and non-scientists, demand special skills beyond everyday language use. In this course you train your scientific communication skills, using current authentic publications and presentations from academic and professional contexts related to medical research. You build vocabulary and develop the analytic reading, listening, speaking and writing skills necessary to actively participate in university courses and research related to health as well as interact effectively with others in the workplace. The course offers you plenty opportunity to develop confidence and fluency when speaking to others about current scientific topics. It also offers you ample training in turning what you read, hear and think into scientific writing that is correct, clear and convincing.
Some of the oral and written skills we will cover include:
- presenting a problem and how it could be addressed
- interpreting, describing and summarizing data
- describing complex cause-and-effect relations
- recounting processes and methods clearly and accurately
- analyzing, discussing and presenting results in a persuasive but rigorous manner.
This course is offered in the spring semester only.