Preliminary Syllabus
The instructor is a practicing scientist who happens to have a lifelong "love affair" with the English language. The course will cover three main subjects:
1. ASPECTS OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (EFL)
English is an easy language to learn, but a difficult one to master. This follows directly from its nature:
- weak grammar, which eases initial learning but makes word order crucially important
- an enormous vocabulary from multiple rootstocks (both Romance and Germanic)
- highly idiomatic character: English probably has more idioms (fixed expressions) than any other language
We will focus especially on some aspects of English grammar, syntax, and usage that tend to present difficulties to native speakers of Hebrew and Russian.
2. THE CHEMIST'S ENGLISH
Formal scientific communication has its own conventions. Loosely following the textbook "The Chemist's English" by longtime Australian Journal of Chemistry editor Robert W. Schoenfeld, we will address some that are specific to the natural sciences in general and to chemistry in particular.
3. SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION
In this section, we will cover topics such as
* general types of scientific papers (rapid communication, full paper, note, comment, mini-review, full review, popular science article,...) and how to approach writing them
* how (not) to approach a referee's comments
* preparing scientific lectures
* common fallacies (logical errors)
* some suggestions for coping with "writer's block" and "stage fright"
* emerging scientific publishing media
ADDENDUM: SCIENTIFIC AND PUBLISHING ETHICS
Last but not least, we will devote some time to these subjects, which are (to the best of the lecturer's knowledge) not presently covered in any other course.