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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P a g e | 21

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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P a g e | 23

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