Rhetoric and Science

FAIN: AKA-285806-22

Delaware Valley University (Doylestown, PA 18901-2607)
Brian Lutz (Project Director: September 2021 to present)
Jessica McCall (Co Project Director: April 2022 to present)

The development of a One Health Communications minor, a set of five interdisciplinary courses focused on how ideas and meanings are produced and delivered, connecting humanities training with scientific thinking.

When and where the STEM fields have failed, it has often been as much a communication as a scientific issue. These fields struggle to translate knowledge both for public consumption and for the purpose of intellectual collaboration. The humanities have long been overlooked as a resource for improving the communication of scientific knowledge. The creation of a One Health Communications minor, the main outcome of this proposal, will elevate the role of the humanities, particularly English and rhetorical studies, within Delaware Valley University’s very popular One Health initiative which offers programming designed to better connect the various pre-vet, pre-health and other STEM programs. In addition to a new minor, the project outcomes will include a professional development workshop focused on integrating lessons from the field of rhetoric into the sciences; and campus-wide presentations that will address topics related to rhetoric and science as part of the One Health speaker series.

Associated Products

Popular Science Writing (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Popular Science Writing
Author: Wilbert Turner
Author: Brian Lutz
Abstract: Misinformation spread in the media can have significant, and sometimes even catastrophic, consequences. As scientists, discovering and understanding truths about complex concepts is rendered useless if you cannot accurately and effectively communicate this information to the public. This course is designed to teach students effective communication skills in the format of popular science writing. Students will explore the rhetorical techniques specific to science writing. This course will be key to understanding the gaps between communication, reading literacy, and scientific literacy. Students taking this course will learn the cues and miscues of writing scientific arguments for a broad audience. Students will be tasked in writing their own popular science articles, based on information they gather from primary research journals. This course will also explore the ethical, social, and political issues that arise when the press covers crucial issues such as climate change, disease outbreaks, genetic engineering, and pollutants such as microplastics.
Year: 2023
Audience: Undergraduate

Storytelling (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Storytelling
Author: Wilbert Turner
Abstract: Interdisciplinary to its core, this course provides hands experience in telling the story of, well, everything. The goal of this course is to begin to understand the significance of storytelling for all majors and all humans. Every assignment, every job skill can be improved if you understand how to tell the story of your role, the task, what’s needed, what’s been accomplished.
Year: 2023
Audience: Undergraduate

Understanding Knowledge: Science vs. Humanities (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Understanding Knowledge: Science vs. Humanities
Author: Jennifer Shelly
Author: Jessica McCall
Abstract: Understanding Knowledge: Science vs. Humanities is a Capstone course which will focus specifically on the interactions of scientific disciplines and humanistic thinking. This course focuses on where human knowledge comes from and the dangers of confusing or ignoring different types of knowledge.
Year: 2023
Audience: Undergraduate

Theory of Writing (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Theory of Writing
Author: Brian Lutz
Abstract: This course examines competing theories of the writing process and of the methods used to teach writing. Students will study the rise of expressivism in the 1960s, and the influence of cognitive, social constructionist, feminist and post-colonial theories on language and learning, including an overview of how college writing centers have been shaped by these movements. Through a series of scholarly readings, both theoretical and practical, students gain a richer understanding of their own writing processes; explore shifting perceptions of the relationship between the writer, the subject, and the audience; develop a greater understanding of writing as a mode of thinking and learning; and recognize the collaborative nature of writing and knowledge-making.
Year: 2023
Audience: Undergraduate

History and Science (renamed fom Invention and Technology in the USA) (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: History and Science (renamed fom Invention and Technology in the USA)
Author: Craig Stutman
Abstract: The class examines the influence of agricultural, mechanical, technological, and scientific change upon the United States from colonial times to the present. In keeping with the school’s experiential learning approach to education, students in the course will be required to participate in fieldwork at DelVal’s Roth Farm and Living Museum.
Year: 2023
Audience: Undergraduate

Best Selling Author, Raj Patel, Will Speak on Latest Book at Delaware Valley University as Part of One Health Initiative (Web Resource)
Title: Best Selling Author, Raj Patel, Will Speak on Latest Book at Delaware Valley University as Part of One Health Initiative
Author: Marketing and Communications Department
Abstract: Delaware Valley University (DelVal) is pleased to welcome award-winning author, filmmaker and academic, Raj Patel, as a speaker for the University’s spring 2023 One Health Seminar Series. The seminar, “Food System Meet Health System,” will take place on Wednesday, March 29 at 6 p.m. in the Life Sciences Building auditorium on DelVal’s campus and will discuss his latest book, co-authored with Rupa Marya, Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice. The presentation is open to the public at no cost. Patel’s presentation at DelVal is funded by the Connections Planning grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), which was awarded to the English Department at the University in the spring of 2022. As part of the NEH grant, DelVal is in the process of creating a minor in One Health Communication.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: http://delval.edu/news/bestselling-author-raj-patel-will-speak-latestbook-delaware-valley-university-part-one-health
Primary URL Description: This post is on DelVal's webpage.

One Health Communication Minor (Web Resource)
Title: One Health Communication Minor
Author: Marketing and Communications Department
Abstract: This webpage provides a description of the One HEalth Communication minor program.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: http://delval.edu/one-health-communication-minor
Primary URL Description: The URL links to a description of the One Health Communication minor webpage.

One Health Communication Video (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: One Health Communication Video
Writer: Jessica McCall
Writer: Brian Lutz
Director: Douglas McCambrdige
Producer: Douglas McCambridge
Abstract: This video provides a compelling audio-visual about One Health Communication.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://youtu.be/-1p7DFI1FwQ
Primary URL Description: The above link is accessible through the One Health Communication minor website.
Format: Video

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