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2013
A Look into
Environmental Science: The Major and Beyond
Taylor Magnus
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Taylor Magnus
University of Denver
5/28/2013
Introduction of Work You will soon be delving into an in depth investigation
and exploration of the Environmental Science major and field
of study at the University of Denver. The purpose of this
portfolio is first and foremost to educate any and all readers
who may be knowingly or unknowingly intrigued by the topics
discussed in a visually and mentally pleasing but also formal
work. The primary audience more specifically in mind while
this portfolio was created was the incoming or perspective
student to the university who may be interested in the
Environmental Science field, but I hope that this portfolio is
useful to others as well.
A great deal of research, both primary and secondary,
went into this work. Between interviewing and talking directly
with a professor and upperclassman in this field of study, first
hand documents related to the following discussions, and
personal research through online websites and databases, I
have collected a large amount of information on the intended
subject and I believe it will be very useful to my readers.
There are four main entities included in the following
pages that guide and form this portfolio. They are as follows:
Field Guide: This portion of my work includes a number of
short written and visual pieces that provide both useful
information on the major and research within the field, as well
as interesting facts and discoveries related to Environmental
Science.
Genre Investigation: This is by far the longest section of the
portfolio. This section is an in-depth examination of genre
theory, how it is useful in writing in this field, and supporting
examples of genres in Environmental Science. If this
terminology is new to you, read on as it is all described in
detail in this section of the portfolio.
Proposal for Change: This is a fairly short section in which an
aspect of the Environmental Science program at the University
of Denver is identified as problematic and a solution is
proposed for this issue.
Interviews/Summaries: This is also the appendix section and
includes a full transcript of an interview I conducted with a
professor at the university and a brief summary of the
interview.
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Table of Contents
FIELD GUIDE
Overview………………………………………… 4
Solar Envergy News…………………………… 5
Top 10: Careers………………………………… 6
Major Options at DU…………………………… 7-8
Research Resources…………………………… 9-10
GENRE INVESTIGATION…………………………….. 11-21
Visualizing Genres……………………………… 18
PROPOSAL FOR CHANGE…………………………… 22-23
APPENDIX……………………………………………… 24-27
Works Cited…………………………………………….. 28-29
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The following ten pages make up the field guide
section of this portfolio. The purpose of this field
guide is to provide concise and visually appealing
information about writing and other useful
information in the Environmental Science field of
study. There are a number of short pieces included
in the guide here:
Solar Energy News – this section is a
summary of an article on new discoveries in
solar energy from the Science Daily website.
Top 10: Careers – this section gives a brief
look into common “green” careers, both with
a degree in Environmental Science and with
a degree in Engineering.
Major Options at DU – this section is an
advisory piece written from the perspective
of a current student. It outlines 3 of the main
options for majors in Environmental Science
Overview
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at DU and gives advice on scheduling
to new students.
Research Resources – this section
provides a number of helpful resources
that can be used to find information and
articles in Environmental Science, each
with a short description of its pros and
cons.
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Solar Energy News: Solar Panels as Inexpensive
as Paint?
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Solar energy is far and away the best option
for solving the present day energy issues.
The amount of potential energy from solar
rays that hit the Earth even for just one year
is more than all other forms of energy
currently in use combined. However, the
problem has always been harnessing and
converting those rays into usable energy.
And the solar cells that currently exist for that
purpose are so expensive to produce that
they are simply out of the question for many
people and businesses. But that all might be
changing with recent discoveries in solar
energy.
New groundbreaking discoveries are being made
around solar energy by researchers such as
Qiaoqiang Gan, University at Buffalo assistant
professor of electrical engineering. This research
has led to new forms of photovoltaic cells, which
are used to convert sunlight to usable energy, that
are significantly more cost efficient than what is
currently in use – so much so that future predictions
compare it to applying paint to your home!
These efforts involve the use of plasmonic-
enhanced organic photovoltaic materials and
although this new form of solar cells does not have
the same energy production rate as its inorganic,
silicon based counterpart, its liquid form is able to
be applied to much greater and varied areas thus
capturing and converting more sunlight.
Research is also being made to increase the power
conversion efficiency in these new types of cells, so
that they are both efficient and inexpensive.
These new discoveries are promising for our future,
but there is still much to be found and researched
in this field. For more information on this article,
click here.
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Top 10: Careers
Top Green Careers in Engineering
One of the largest sectors in the green
movement is engineering because new
technology relating to the environment needs
to be constantly developed and designed.
Those with an engineering degree provide
the link between environmental scientists’
discoveries and the consumer by creating
products, machines, and equipment that will
push America towards a greener society.
1. Chemical Engineers: Annual median is
$88,280
2. Electrical Engineers: Annual median is
$83,110
3. Mechanical Engineers: Annual median
is $77,020
4. Civil Engineers: Annual median is
$76,590
5. Industrial Engineers: Annual median is
$75,110
Top Green Careers in Environmental Science
An environmental science degree is one of the
most common degrees needed to kick start your
green career. Many who obtain their degree in
environmental science are most interested in
regulating plant and animal production to adhere
to government set environmental laws and
policies. Others prefer to collect and analyze data
on the elements of the Earth such as rocks and
water, which helps to keep our ecosystem clean.
1. Geoscientists: Annual median is $81,220
2. Hydrologists: Annual median is $73,670
3. Conservation Scientists: Annual median is
$60,160
4. Food Scientists: Annual median is $59,630
5. Wildlife Biologists: Annual median is
$56,500
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Major Options at DU
START PLANNING OUT
YOUR SCHEDULE EARLY!
For anybody planning on, or even thinking
about, pursuing an Environmental Science
major at the University of Denver there are a
few different options or routs to go about it.
The first decision to be made is specifically
what major/minor(s) you are planning to get.
In terms of majors, there are three that are
most common.
The first, which is not actually an
environmental science major but requires
many similar classes, is the Geography:
Bachelor of Arts major. This major requires
the least number of credit hours to complete,
at 45 hours. It is often paired with a
substantial minor or even double major, such
as international studies. The majority of the
courses in this major, obviously, are in the
geography field and less about hard
sciences, such as chemistry and physics, or
mathematics. This major can be much more
appealing to students interested in the
general studies of the earth, but less
interested in very intricate scientific studies
and want more flexibility in their schedule.
The next common major is the Environmental
Science: Bachelor of Arts major. This is now one of
the majors that are specific to environmental science,
and involves required courses across various
scientific disciplines, such as biology and chemistry.
This major has significantly more required credit
hours than the Geography major at 75 hours,
however it is still middle of the road in terms of core
requirements and requires a minor. This major still
allows for some decent flexibility of schedule
throughout the four undergraduate years at the
university, however there are some sequences that
really must be taken at certain times. An example of
this is the three part Biology sequence, starting with
the Evolution Heredity & Heredity course which is
only offered in the winter and is a prerequisite for the
other two courses in the sequence. This major is best
suited for students looking to major specifically in the
environmental science field, but on a more broad,
general level. Without some of the requirements of
some of the more mathematical sciences such as
physics, this major option may appeal to those less
inclined towards those more technical areas and
students looking to also receive a minor, such as
business.
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The final option most often looked at in the
environmental science field is the
Environmental Science: Bachelor of Sciences
major. This is the big fish in the field, so to
speak, in that it has 102 required credit hours
and includes those more technical and
mathematical areas that the B.A. does not.
This major has much less flexibility, with four
required three-part sequences: one each in
Geography, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.
It also requires math through Calculus II as
well as Environmental Law. However, any
student who is declared in this major is not
required to pursue a minor since the B.S. has
such a large core of requirements. This major
is geared towards students who are
interested/affluent in more technical math and
sciences in the environmental science field
and who are willing to put in the hard work to
get through the substantial core requirements.
Although this major seems daunting, and does
require a significant amount of work and
scheduling, it is generally much more
recognized in the professional world and can
lead to and open up many more, higher paying
professions after college.
*Below are three links to the
University of Denver website with
specific requirements for each of the
three respective majors:
Geography: B.A.
Environmental Science: B.A.
Environmental Science: B.S.
Overall, particularly with the Environmental Science:
B.A./B.S. majors, it is very important for students to
begin thinking about and planning their schedules for
their four undergraduate years early on. With the
required sequences, especially for the B.S, it can be
tricky to work all of the required courses into your
schedule if they are not planned for in advance.
Specifically, the three-part Environmental Systems
geography course must be taken freshman year as
that is a prerequisite for many other courses in the
major. Along those lines, it is extremely helpful to
start the Biology sequence in the winter of freshman
year since the sections are only offered one quarter
each year. It is also important to knock out the
common curriculum courses as soon as possible
because that opens up your schedule later for more
flexibility with major electives and required courses.
The final suggestion here is that probably the
best thing to do in terms of figuring out schedules
and courses to take is to talk to an academic advisor,
preferably the environmental science major advisor
(currently Dr. Michael Kerwin). They will be able to
quickly and efficiently layout and guide you in your
course choices and future schedule while pursuing
your undergraduate degree at the University of
Denver.
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PLACE PHOTO HERE,
OTHERWISE DELETE BOX
Research Resources
Science Daily: http://www.sciencedaily.com/
The Science Daily online website has a large
selection of articles pertaining to many
different scientific studies, journals written by
scientists, and other works of writing across a
variety of fields in the sciences, including
Environmental Sciences. One downside to
this research source in regard to the
Environmental Science major is that it does
have such a broad archive of writing across
the various science disciplines that may make
it more difficult to single out those specifically
pertaining to a single discipline. However, this
is a very valuable research source
nonetheless. It has many different styles and
perspectives of writing and is a well-known,
trustworthy source.
DePaul Online Writing Center: http://condor.depaul.edu/writing/writers/T
ypes_of_Writing/envsci.html
This website is the DePaul online Writing center
and has a ton of useful information regarding
academic writing, and specifically has a section
dedicated to Environmental Science. This section
talks about techniques in writing lab reports,
scientific journals, and more. The website also
includes helpful tips and information for general
writing, including research and writing, citations
and style guides, grammar and mechanics,
revising your writing, working with other writers,
and publishing your writing.
The value of this source is that it will provide a
very solid basis and guide for writing from
students in all fields, but specifically
Environmental Science, as well as an idea of
what to look for in others’ writing. The main short
coming of this source is that it does not have any
specific articles for research directly on the site,
although it does have some helpful links to further
investigate.
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Environmental Research Web: http://environmentalresearchweb.
org/
The EnvironmentalResearchWeb website has
an extensive selection of scientific journals,
as well as news and other related resources.
This site is a very good one for research in
the Environmental Science field because it is
very specific to this discipline in the sciences
and has good examples of writing in the
Environmental Science field by other
researchers. The downside to this resource is
that it is a fairly new website and the
credibility may not be as good as some other
sources.
National Science Foundation (NSF): http://www.nsf.gov/
The National Science Foundation official
website offers a wide collection of all the
latest in science. It includes scholarly articles,
news, and other relevant publications. It also
has a section for research grants and funding
that may be applied for through the website.
This is particularly useful for those in a
professional setting who are looking for an
organization to fund their research. There is a
lot of information on this site and it might be
overwhelming and difficult to navigate at first,
but in the end there are not many weak
points to this resource and it can be very
valuable for different levels of research and
interest.
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GENRE INVESTIGATION: A Look into
Environmental Science
There can be a lot of information found
about a subject by looking at it through its various
genres, or categories that address different
situations. The focus of this investigation is on the
Environmental Science major provided by many
universities in the United States and around the
world, but specifically at the University of Denver.
This paper will analyze research and writing in the
major by discussing a few of the different genres in
this field and comparing them.
To start out, there are a few terms that will
be used throughout this paper that need to be
defined and explained. The first term to be defined
is rhetorical situation. The rhetorical situation is the
context that a piece of writing is written in, or
written for. It is generally the reasoning and setting
for a given genre, and involves problems or issues
to be addressed and the surrounding situation. A
rhetorical situation is identified by factors such as
kairos, or rhetoric timing, the type of problem or
issue being addressed, or other aspects that
contribute to a particular context. Related to
rhetorical situation is rhetorical audience. The
rhetorical audience is to whom an argument is
being made based on the rhetorical situation and
purpose of a given genre.
The next term to be defined here is
discourse. Discourse is the way or style in which
any piece of writing is written. Different discourses
are used for different rhetorical situations or to fulfill
various purposes of genres. For example, an
informal email message to a friend would have a
significantly different discourse than a formal
resume for work.
The last and most relevant term, as it is
the means by which everything else in this
paper will be examined, is genre in terms of
writing and research. A genre of a given
subject, in this case the Environmental
Science major, is a form of writing which first
and foremost has a very specific purpose to
address a specific rhetorical situation. Genre
cannot simply be defined as category of
writing, but goes further to include any writing
that has a given purpose. Genres can be
identified by the social actions they perform,
or their motives and what they attempt to
achieve. Along with this, writing within the
same genre often has similar expectations
which are important but do not define a given
genre. Expectations for a genre are what is
assumed to be included in that genre in terms
of the more technical aspects of writing and
discourse, such as content details, style, and
structure, and can vary from more strict to
more flexible expectations depending on the
genre. Sometimes these expectations can be
broken, meaning that a particular piece within
a genre does not follow the common
standards or expectations, which may cause it
to be more or less effective in fulfilling its
purpose for that genre. Related to
expectations, works of writing within a given
genre also have specific typified features.
These are pieces of content
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or style of writing that can be found and identified
in many examples within a genre.
Now that the main points of genre theory
have been explained, it is imperative to understand
why genre theory is important and useful to use,
and why specifically it will be used in this paper.
Genres are very helpful in breaking down a broad
subject, such as Environmental Science, into the
areas of writing within that subject and their
specific purposes, and then allow us to connect
and analyze those in a coherent investigation such
as this. Genre theory is a valuable lens through
which to look at these broad topics because it
looks at how and why people communicate, and in
doing so can be used to actively examine a large
variety of social situations and actions. This paper
will be using genre theory to investigate three
distinct genres within the Environmental Science
field and they will be named as follows: Course
Syllabus, Research Lab Reports and Articles, and
Formal Research Proposals. Using these three
genres, the how’s and why’s of various writing in
the Environmental Science field will be studied.
The first genre to be examined in this
investigation is the Course Syllabus genre, specific
to the Environmental Science field. The name of
this genre is fairly self-explanatory, as it refers to
the specific document, the syllabus, given to
students by their teachers or professors at the
beginning of a class. To begin, the rhetorical
situation of the Course Syllabus genre must be
examined. It is fairly straightforward and standard
with an obvious purpose to be fulfilled. The
context for this genre involves the beginning
of a course in an academic setting at which
point students who are enrolled in the course
require information about what is expected of
them and details for them to refer to as they
complete the class. This requirement is the
purpose that is fulfilled by the Course Syllabus
genre. Another part to this rhetorical situation
is the necessity for clear discourse that makes
it easy to understand by the rhetorical
audience, or the students. The power in this
genre is very obviously held by the professor
of the course, as they are both providing the
required information about the class to the
students while also setting their authority as
the person running the class with their rules
and expectations.
More specifically, the purpose of this
genre is to give a detailed overview of the
expectations, grading standards, and
information for a particular class and its
instructor. A syllabus is the best piece of
writing to fulfill this social action because of its
particular characteristics and format that allow
it to fully accomplish its required purpose.
After receiving a syllabus, students are able to
read it and know what is expected of them as
well as refer to this document for important
information for the remainder of that class.
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In a syllabus for a class in the Environmental
Sciences, there are a number of typified features
that appear in just about every syllabus for an
Environmental Science class. The first, and
possibly most obvious of these features is the full
name of the course, professor teaching the course,
and any teaching assistants. The next feature
present in every case of the syllabus genre is
logistical details about the professor and location of
the class, such as room number, time of the class,
the professor’s and teachers assistants’ email,
phone number, office location, and office hours, as
well as a separate room number if there is a lab
portion of the course in another location. Another
very important feature that is often at the beginning
of a course syllabus is an overall description of the
course and general goals and expectations that the
professor has of the students. An example of this
from a syllabus of the 1203: Environmental
Systems course at the University of Denver reads,
My goals for this class include: creating
a stimulating and engaging learning
environment; providing you with basic
concepts and terminology that you need
to understand the Earth processes,
environmental features and natural
systems around you, and making these
processes, features and systems tangible
and interesting; and giving you the tools
of landscape and biosphere interpretation
that will allow you to “read” the natural
landscape and understand its history, and
the human and natural processes acting
on it. I will try to incorporate a variety of
approaches to accommodate different
learning styles, but I encourage you to
talk with me if you wish to suggest
additional approaches or materials, or if
you are having any difficulties with the
course material.
These general expectations give students a
general idea of what is to come and what they
are required to do throughout the course right
off the bat. From there, the syllabi can vary
with the order and format of what follows, but
often the next piece is a more detailed
breakdown of how the student will be graded,
in points and percentages for letter grades.
This gives the students a very concrete,
quantitative look at what everything in the
course will count for and how that translates
into grades.
There are generally two other features
in a syllabus for an Environmental Science
course. They are examination expectations
and a class by class schedule for the duration
of the course. The examination expectations
is usually very standard and in regulation with
the expectations of the University, including
an Academic Honor Code. The schedule of
classes the one feature that is not always
there depending on the professor, but this
piece generally gives a detailed layout of what
material will be covered in each class and
what work is expected to be completed by
specific predetermined dates. Dates of
significant examinations are also usually
stated in one of these last two sections.
The expectations that surround the
Syllabus genre are that they very clearly and
concisely explain the requirements,
expectations, specific information, and
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description of the course they are for. It is important
for a course syllabus to state exactly what the
professor of the course has to say about the class
they are teaching so that students have a full
understanding of what they must do throughout the
course and what information they will need. It is
also very important that a course syllabus is given
out to the students at the very beginning of the
class so that they have that understanding right
away.
The expectations for the Course Syllabus
genre are rarely ever broken, and if so in very small
ways. The main reasoning for this is because
syllabi are very standard documents with fairly rigid
expectations for the content and layout. A syllabus
simply must fulfill certain requirements to fully
accomplish its purpose and so across classes in
the Environmental Sciences and classes in other
disciplines, this genre is very consistent in its
typified features.
This genre is highly connected to some of
the other genres in the Environmental Science
field. For example, any time a student in an
Environmental Science course is required to write a
paper, lab report, proposal, article or really any
type of writing for a given class they must consider
the overall guidelines and expectations given in the
course syllabus. It is less connected to other
genres in the Environmental Science field outside
of courses at a university as it is specific to that
rhetorical situation; however there is a slight
connection because those general guidelines of a
course setting are often echoed to some
extent in expectations for later, more
professional genres such as personal
research reports and publications.
The Course Syllabus genre is a very
standard piece of writing that has a clear
purpose and expectations as explained above.
Syllabi are somewhat of a preliminary genre
that precedes many others and contributes in
setting up the rhetorical situation of other
writing in classes for the Environmental
Science major.
_____________________________________ The next genre that will be discussed in this
investigation is the Research Lab Reports and
Articles genre. The name of this one is fairly
long, but it is because although some may
think of lab reports and articles as two
separate genres, in the Environmental
Science field they tend to be one in the same.
That is to say, it is less common to see them
as separate, raw entities but rather they are
more commonly seen as joint written pieces.
However for the sake of simplicity, we will
refer to this genre in the remainder of this
paper as simply the Lab Report genre. The
purpose of this genre is to explain numerically
and with detailed description what research
has been done, how it has been done, and
what has resulted from that research.
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The rhetorical situation of the Lab Report
genre comes in a variety of forms, but has some
common factors of which it is comprised. The most
significant of these is that there must be a problem,
issue, or need which can be satisfied by the given
research. For example, if research was done to find
more efficient ways of converting solar energy to
electricity, then the rhetorical situation would be the
problem of inefficient solar energy. Beyond that
overall context for research, a more concrete factor
of the rhetorical situation for the Lab Report genre
comes from the Formal Research Proposal genre –
which will be discussed later in this investigation –
in which everything needed for the research, such
as time and resources, are proposed for and either
accepted or declined. This sets up some limitations
of what research can be done, which consequently
affects the report based on that research. In terms
of power within the rhetorical situation, the Lab
Report genre is fairly objective in that it is purely
informative and there is not much question of who
is in control. However, it could be argued that the
researcher and author of the report is the one with
the power for this genre simply because it is their
work which stems from their own research, giving
them full rights to their writing and also setting them
in the position of providing their knowledge.
Unlike the Course Syllabus genre, this genre
is much more varied throughout the written pieces
that fulfill its purpose. However there are some
typified features that appear in nearly every
instance of the Lab Report genre. The first feature
is a title, author, and date (current date and
date of research) at the beginning of the
report. Next is a generally short abstract, or
summary, of the research that was done and
why it was done. In a sense, this abstract is
describing the particular rhetorical situation for
the report and research, and how the report
fulfills its purpose in that situation. This section
also generally includes an overall thesis for
what was being researched and a brief
paragraph of what was found.
The next feature is almost always a long and
detailed methods section. This portion of the
report describes in depth how the research
was conducted, what materials and resources
were used to complete the research, and
gives a step by step procedure. It includes
exactly how the data was collected and
recorded. This section is essential for any
report, as it defines what research was
actually done for the report and how. The
following is a selected passage from the
methods section of a lab report done by
upperclassman and Environmental Science
major at the University of Denver Chris Chang
for his Conservation Biology class, “These
data were collected with a stratified random
sampling method. The path was used as the
established transect in each environment.
Starting at the transect 10 samples were
taken at random points along that transect.
Samples were taken by placing a 2 foot
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diameter hoop on the side of the path and
calculating percent cover of each type of species
within the hoop.” He then goes on to describe how
the data that was collected was processed and
analyzed.
Directly following the methods section is
generally the specific data collected through the
methods just given. This can take a number of
different forms. Occasionally the raw lists of
numeric values or observations found will be given
in a cohesive layout of tables and graphs. However
more commonly, this section will be comprised of
an assortment of statistical visualizations produced
from the numbers that were found in the research.
Now there are generally two pieces that can
be interchanged in terms of which comes next.
These are the recorded errors section and the
results and conclusion section. The recorded errors
piece is a scientific explanation of imperfections or
flaws in the methods that could have caused error
in the data, along with a calculated percent of error
whenever possible. The results and conclusions
section is an analysis and synthesis by the writer of
their collected data and what it means in a larger
picture.
The expectations surrounding the Lab
Report genre are less strict than some other
genres, but there are still some requirements for a
written piece to qualify for this genre. To start, the
report must be well organized into each piece for
the research and results to be able to be
understood by anyone looking at the report. The
purpose of the research and the methods and
results of how that purpose was fulfilled are
essential pieces to any Environmental Science
research report. This in turn fulfills the overall
purpose of the genre by clearly explaining
what research was carried out and what was
found through that research.
As stated, although the Lab Report
genre has its universal expectations it is a
much less standard genre and can have
significantly more variety in its content and
layout while still fulfilling its purpose. However,
there are definitely instances when the genre
is broken and a piece of writing does not meet
the general expectations. For example, if a
report begins by introducing its data and
results but fails to fully explain the methods
and means by which the research was done, it
would not meet those expectations but still
mostly fulfill the purpose by giving what was
found and what those results mean.
As stated above, the main genre which
this one is connected to is the Formal
Research Proposal genre, which always
precedes the Lab Report genre and
contributes in setting up the rhetorical
situation. Outside of that there may be
separate genres that stem from written
reports, such as responses or news articles
featuring information from the report. It may
also relate back to genres in the classroom
setting, such as essays or assigned reports
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based on secondary research for which the Lab
Report genre is used.
The Lab Report genre is more flexible in
terms of its expectations and format than some
other genres, including the Course Syllabus genre,
but it also has a clear purpose of explaining and
synthesizing research which must be done for a
piece to fit this genre. It also connects heavily with
the next genre to be discussed, the Formal
Research Proposal, which is a precedent to the
report and sets up the rhetorical situation.
_________________________________________
The following are a couple of example images from the previously mentioned academic lab
report done by Chris Chang for his Conservation Biology class
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Formal Research Lab
The crust represents the title, questions, thesis, hypotheses, and general information about the lab and researcher. This section essentially introduces and explains the purpose of the lab. May be in the
form of a short abstract.
The mantle represents the ways and means section. This is the main body of the report, or
article, and includes materials and procedures used to carry out the lab.
The outer core represents the results and found data, whether that is the raw data or a cohesive
representation of the findings.
Finally the inner core represents the analysis, conclusion, and discussion of error. This section
provides an overall discussion of what was found and what it means as it relates to the purpose of
the lab, tying together and synthesizing the report.
Visualizing Genres: Lab Report
The figure to the left is a visual representation of the most common layout for a research lab report. Each section of the report is represented by a different layer of the Earth.
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GENRE INVESTIGATION: Continued
The final genre we will be looking at in this
investigation of Environmental Science is the
Formal Research Proposal genre. This genre is
seen most often in the professional world, as it is a
precedent to almost any professional research. A
research proposal is a document written by a
person attempting to conduct research on a
particular topic but lacking the money or resources.
The proposal is generally intended for a scientific
organization so as to convince them to provide the
necessary resources to carry out the intended
research.
The rhetorical situation for this genre is
similar to that of the Lab Report genre, in that it
originally stems from a problem needing to be
solved through research. However the Research
Proposal genre is the first stage in the process
before the actual research can be carried out and
report can be written. Without the research
proposal, it is very difficult to move to the next part
of the research process and the next genre in that
process. So the more immediate rhetorical situation
for the Research Proposal genre is the need for
necessary resources and then the need to convince
the organization by which the proposal is being
reviewed to accept it and provide those resources.
Therefore, the rhetorical audience for this genre is
definitely those in the organization who are
reviewing the proposal and deciding whether or not
to provide what is needed for the subsequent
research. As such, they also have the power in this
genre as they ultimately decide the outcome of the
proposal.
The purpose of this genre undoubtedly
comes out of its rhetorical situation. Because
of its need to appeal to a formal organization,
a research proposal must clearly explain the
intended research in terms of what will be
accomplished, how it will be accomplished,
and what specific money or resources will be
needed in order to complete the research.
There are a number of typified features
that are, and must be, present in almost every
formal research proposal. The first of these is
an overall abstract or summary of the intended
research. This section includes what will
actually be done in the research process and
what is hoped to be discovered, or what
questions will be answered. This section also
generally gives an in-depth background of why
the research is needed or the context behind
it. In a sense, this is the specific rhetorical
situation for each case and what problem has
caused need for the intended research.
The next typified feature is a detailed
description of what resources, money,
instruments, etc. is needed for the research.
This is essentially what the proposal is asking
for of the organization, so it is crucial that this
section is very thorough and clearly explains
exactly what is needed and for what purpose.
After this often comes a methods section,
similar to that found in a research lab report. It
explains the exact process of how the
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research will be conducted to give the organization
a better understanding of what will be done and
specifically how.
Finally, the last feature that appears in most
examples of a Formal Research Proposal genre is
the conclusion. This is where the previous points of
why the research is needed and how it will be
carried out are reinforced and any additional
information is added. It also includes any further
discussion or information that is thought to be
important or will help the proposal to be persuasive
and accepted.
This genre is again less structured as the
Course Syllabus genre, as it may vary with different
research and contexts. However there are some
common expectations that guide writing in this
genre. First and foremost, it must completely
outline the intended research and persuasively give
reasoning of why it is necessary. This includes
giving the specific rhetorical situation and
background behind the research. Related to that, it
is expected that each proposal includes detailed
ways and means by which the research will be
completed. Finally, it must be specified what
everything – resources, money, etc. – that is asked
for is needed for in the research. Without this, the
organization reviewing the proposal is unlikely to
provide for the research since they will not know
exactly why what they are providing is needed.
There can be times where this genre is
broken, when the expectations are not met,
since it is a less structured genre. For
example, if the explanation for why the
research is needed is incomplete or not
persuasive then this may lead to the overall
proposal not being accepted. Breaking this
genre often has a negative outcome in such a
way since its success is so dependent on how
it is received by the rhetorical audience.
To reiterate a former point, this genre
connects very directly with the Lab Report
genre since in most professional situations
the formal research proposal is a prerequisite
to any subsequent research and therefore
report. This genre also connects with previous
written pieces in various genres that set up
the rhetorical situation for which a proposal is
written. For example, there may be a news
article or other publication about a current
problem that has arisen and needs a solution,
creating a context for which research and
therefore a research proposal are needed.
The Formal Research Proposal genre
is also a more flexible genre than the course
syllabus, in that it can vary with different
contexts and writers. It is also very connected
with other professional genres in the field,
such as the Lab Report genre or other
publications that may set up the rhetorical
situation for a proposal. However, all three of
these genres are related to some extent
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because they are all fit into the overall field of
Environmental Science.
_________________________________________
To conclude this discussion, the results of
examining the Environmental Science major
through these three genres will be assessed. The
Course Syllabus genre has the most standardized
and regular written pieces of the three due mainly
to its rhetorical situation. The other two genres,
which are heavily connected, do not have quite as
rigid a structure but are also significantly defined by
their rhetorical situations. It can then be concluded
that before entering into the process of writing in
any of these genres, the first thing to consider and
recognize is the rhetorical situation. This is because
it is that which gives each genre its purpose, and
without purpose there is no need for a given piece
of writing. For example, when looking to write a
formal scientific research proposal the first thing
that is required is to understand what problem there
is that needs to be addressed and what research
must be done to fulfill the purpose of solving that
problem.
The next thing to then consider would be the
expectations and common typified features of any
writing within the given genre. Even if a piece of
writing is able to fulfill its purpose in the rhetorical
situation, it may turn out to be a very poor
representation if it does not meet the expectations
of the given genre with consequences such as the
denial of a research proposal.
In summation, it is important in any
field, specifically Environmental Science in
this case, to consider and evaluate all factors
that make up a genre before beginning the
task of writing in that genre. Using the genre
theory in this way can be incredibly helpful in
creating very well thought out and well put
together writing, which in turn will benefit the
writer in the future. The importance of
outstanding writing was stated in an interview
by Dr. Mike Kerwin, Associate Professor in
the Environmental Science field at the
University of Denver, “In any profession that
you get into writing is absolutely critical. And
the more comfortable, the more practiced that
you can be the better your situation is going to
be as a professional. And what I’ve learned is
that the great writers easily rise to the top of
their professions, it’s really kind of incredible.”
Environmental Science is a new and
rapidly growing field, and there is an
abundance of opportunity to be had by those
pursuing an Environmental Science major.
However as has been made clear, good
writing is essential in any field of study or
profession and Environmental Science is no
exception. So be a great writer, rise to the top,
and reap the benefits of success.
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Proposal for Change
The sciences have always had a fairly
straightforward and rigid teaching style from most
professors in the various scientific fields, and
Environmental Science is no exception. They
generally stick to research and lab reports and
other structured work that is expected of the
students. However, some feel that more often than
not work in a science field, specifically
Environmental Science in this case, is graded
much more heavily if not completely on content as
opposed to the actual quality of writing for the
work. This idea is stated by Dr. Mike Kerwin,
Associate Professor in Environmental Sciences at
the University of Denver, in an interview about
writing in his field, “I assign writing in all my
classes but I’ve always looked at the content. I
have not looked at the actual writing as much. And
I think that sometimes that can be a
disadvantage to students who are still learning
writing. And it continues for a lifetime, I can tell
you I’m still learning; I get better at writing
every year and I’ve been at this for a while.”
It has already been shown earlier in this
portfolio in the Genre Investigation piece that
writing is essential in any field or major,
including Environmental Science. So the
problem is that students in Environmental
Science specific courses, who are still in the
process of building their skills as writers, are
not critiqued or reviewed in their quality of
writing so they are unable to build upon and
improve those skills in the context of those
classes.
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This problem directly affects the students
who are taking courses in the Environmental
Science field, as they are not evaluated on their
quality of writing and so are not able to fully
advance their skill as writers. This problem is also
relevant to the professors teaching these courses
as they are the people in the position of setting
those expectations for work in their classes and
affecting what is learned in their classes. If this
problem were to be fixed, another group that would
most likely be involved would be the writing center
at the University of Denver, as they would have to
work with teachers and students to create the close
review of writing quality a significant factor in the
Environmental Science program at the school.
There are a number of ways that a change to
resolve this issue could take place. However, I
propose a specific course of action that I believe is
the best, most direct solution. To solve this
problem, the University of Denver must encourage,
or even require, professors in the Environmental
Science field and other science fields to implement
quality of written work into their expectations of
students and overall revision and grading. This
would be best done by first bringing attention
to this change for all those who would be
affected by this change, as listed above, and
explaining the context and reasoning behind
the change. The next step would be to set up
collaboration between the writing center and
professors of the courses in question,
possibly even creating workshops to find the
most effective ways of integrating this change.
Finally, the execution of this plan among
teachers, and consequently students, is the
most important part. Teachers have to
actually work at including quality of writing into
the primary factors they evaluate in a given
piece of work, which then requires the
students to pay close attention to the way in
which they write.
This change will no doubt take time
and effort on the parts of the University of
Denver professors and writing center staff, but
it will ultimately create a significant benefit to
the writing skills of students in the
Environmental Science field who will no
longer be evaluated solely on what they write,
but also how it is written.
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Appendix
Interview Transcript: Dr. Michael
Kerwin
Me: So how long have you been involved in the
Environmental Science field?
Mike: That’s actually a good question. I had never
been in an Environmental Science program until I got
here, which was 12 years ago. Environmental
Science programs are relatively new, uh, this
university has the oldest in about a 5 state region
which dates back to 1974. So actually not that old. So
I guess 12 years for me, but I’m a geologist. In a
sense all of us who are coming from biology,
chemistry, geology, geography have kind of been into
that Environmental Science field.
Me: And what is or has been your favorite part of
being in the Environmental Science field?
Mike: That one’s pretty easy. It’s getting to teach and
research and think in a multi-disciplinary way. I loved
that. You know I was a geologist so I was very
much… not restricted, because I didn’t feel restricted,
but I was thinking an awful lot about plate tectonics
and rocks and earth system processes and I realized
that actually plants are my favorite thing to think
about, so to speak, and it’s an absolute pleasure to
get to think about rocks and earth science in the
context of plants and animals and people, and
weather and just the whole thing.
Me: What types of professional writing do you most often do and what is most challenging about these types of writing. Mike: That’s a really funny question, um, by far the
most type of writing that I do is email. And literally
business email probably 80-100 a day back
and forth you know just communication. And
it’s funny because one of my brothers is a
lawyer and that’s most of the writing that he
does. Now beyond that publishing papers and
writing in a very specific science style is very
much part of this job. Conductive research,
documenting your results, that kind of thing.
But, I’ve done a couple of these interviews
before and it would be inaccurate to not talk
about email writing because it’s just constant.
Me: So do you do a lot of lab reports, or
formal lab reports, or more journal articles or
things like that?
Mike: In a sense they’re one in the same in
that a journal article is, to some extent, a very
long lab report. So I would say for a
professional scientist there’s really two types
of writing that you do, and they’re different.
One is the proposal phase. So writing a
scientific proposal. And that’s where you are
trying to get money to take on research, or
trying to get money to continue research that
you’ve already started. And so with that type
of writing you need to demonstrate very
clearly what the scientific community knows
about some sort of a project, and then explain
how you’re going to go beyond that
knowledge. How you’re going to do it, how
much money you’re going to need, how much
time you think it’s going to take. And then the
second type of writing we do, I like the way
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you said it, it’s kind of a big lab write up, where it’s:
Introduction, methods, results, reflection,
conclusion. And there’s no reason not to think of it
as a lab report.
Me: What kinds of research are most valued in your
field and why do you think that is.
Mike: That’s a good question; I like that one a lot.
You know I have to say, and I’m proud of this, that
any research is valued as long as it is scientifically
conducted, as long as it is peer reviewed. I don’t
think one is valued over another, I really don’t. It’s
not, and I’m just sort of brainstorming here it’s not
like in the biological field where maybe research on
regional species is more valued than research on
arctic bodies or something like that. In the
Environmental Science the research topics are
varied, almost anything goes. And as long as it’s
good science they’re all valued, they’re all included.
It’s a good question though, I’ve never thought
about that.
Me: What types of writing do you assign when you
teach a class to Environmental Science majors?
Mike: Another very interesting question. I’ve tried
almost every style and length… technique and all
the rest. Very recently, actually in the current class
that I’m teaching which is an upper level class on
using tree rings to reconstruct various things, I’m
challenging the students to write and summarize
key papers in 300 words. Exactly 300 words. And
it’s very very valuable because, as you well know,
we’re turning into a society that communicates by
text messages, and with twitter. And you don’t get
all that many readers who are going to read
pages and pages of your work. So I’m really
trying to get them to be able to lead a paper, in
the first sentence, and say what the paper is
for and why it’s important and then use the
remaining 250 words to flesh it out. And I think
that can be valuable. Another thing about a
300 word assignment is that I mean 300
words; I don’t mean 350, I don’t mean 200…
it’s 300. And so what that means is I want the
students to go back 2 or 3 times and edit and
change and check the word count. But I’ve
tried everything, from that to a 20 page paper.
Me: So technology has changed it?
Mike: For sure, my sister who’s a journalist…
she was telling me more that twitter and email
are honestly so important because it’s the way
they communicate their stories right off the
bat. And you know there’s still writing beyond
that, but it’s amazing how important it is to be
able to clearly and concisely communicate. I
mean do you even use email anymore or is it
all text messaging, how do you keep in touch?
Me: I mean I have all my school related,
professional stuff on my email and the rest is
text messaging. I even have my email on my
phone.
Mike: Yea, right for me too. It’s very
interesting.
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Me: Ok, so you sort of talked about this but what do
you look for when you evaluate these different
types of writing?
Mike: Well it would depend on the assignment, but
I think one thing that’s important is that I don’t
teach writing. And that might be… you know I’m a
science teacher and so I assign writing in all my
classes but I’ve always looked at the content. I
have not looked at the actual writing as much. And
I think that sometimes that can be a disadvantage
to students who are still learning writing. And it
continues for a lifetime, I can tell you I’m still
learning; I get better at writing every year and I’ve
been at this for a while. But I would say that I’m still
grading based on content, not sentence structure
and not the overall design. And maybe I should be
working more on the writing. And if I didn’t answer
that enough just let me know.
Me: No that’s fine, it’s definitely different with
different fields.
Mike: It is, yea it really is. And I think with writing,
this is something else that I don’t do but if I had
time, I wish I did… but drafts of papers. Turning in
a rough draft, getting feedback, redoing it. That’s
really one way that you learn writing. And I think
maybe that’s my intention with these very short
assignments: is to give students the challenge to
edit themselves and go back over and over and
really look at it again.
Me: I guess I really just have one big question to
wrap it up. If there were just a few things that you
would say to an incoming student or incoming
freshman who is looking into the
Environmental Science field what would those
be and how would you give a big picture of
what they’re looking into for the future?
Mike: Yea, good question. And only because
you and I are talking about writing right now
that’s sort of where my thought is with that
question. Normally I think if someone wanted
me to talk about the Environmental Science
program I’m sure I would not think of writing.
But because we’re having this conversation, if
that came up and I was responding with
writing I would try to make the case that in
any profession that you get into writing is
absolutely critical. And the more comfortable,
the more practiced that you can be the better
your situation is going to be as a professional.
And what I’ve actually learned is that the
great writers easily rise to the top of their
professions, it’s really kind of incredible. And I
have a big family here in Denver, I have a lot
of siblings in different professions, and
everybody writes the same. It’s just a critical
part of any job, whether you’re a doctor,
lawyer, journalist obviously. But I think if I was
not thinking about writing… I think it’s a pretty
exciting time to be a scientist that is looking at
the relationship between humans and the
environment because we have challenges
that are pretty significant. And part of the
reason is because we have so many people
competing for the same resources and food,
P a g e | 27
money and comfort, and all those things that we all
want. And the reason I think it is very exciting is
that humans tend to be pretty creative with
solutions, and smart and often complex issues. And
I think your generation, if I was talking to you as a
new student, is really going to have the opportunity
to come up with creative ways that continue with
the quality of life that all of us want and all of us
need to figure out. And the other thing that comes
with that is that there is going to be a lot of money
put into scientists who can solve problems that
relate to the human-environment connection, and
there’s going to be a lot of money put into people
who can communicate scientific findings, to
politicians or to the general public. And so I think
that makes it an exciting field.
Me: Yea, and I’m excited haha.
Mike: Yea, good!
Me: Still a little unsure about where I’m going in a
few years, but…
Mike: You know I think it’s always sort of
worrisome to think about the unknown and
sometimes it’s best to just do the best you can. And
somehow the future gets there as well.
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Interview Summary
This interview was with Dr. Michael W.
Kerwin, Associate Professor, Department of
Geography Director, Environmental Science
Program at the University of Denver.
A main theme that came up very early in the
interview while discussing writing in the
Environmental Science field was how writing
has changed within the professional world,
particularly with the introduction of new
technologies such as email.
Dr. Kerwin also explains other professional
writing he does with lab reports from
conductive research and journal articles,
describing how in fact they tend to be one in
the same as opposed to separate pieces. He
also discusses grant proposals as the other
primary type of professional writing he does.
The interview then transitions into how Dr.
Kerwin assigns and evaluates writing in an
academic setting and he explains how he
tends to focus more on the content of writing
rather than quality of writing, though he
explains how this may be a mistake since it
seems that the best writers in any field are
often the most successful.
Overall, the interview with Dr. Kerwin gives a
great deal of insight from his direct
perspective on writing in the Environmental
Science field and may be useful for those
wanting to further understand writing in this
discipline.
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2013
Taylor Magnus University of Denver
5/28/2013
“Here is your country. Cherish
these natural wonders, cherish the
natural resources, cherish the
history and romance as a sacred
heritage, for your children and
your children’s children. Do not
let selfish men or greedy interests
skin your country of its beauty, its
riches or its romance.”
– Theodore Roosevelt