The Rhetoric of Science

Catalog description

This course will examine the rhetoric of science in an effort to see how science has used language and various text types to answer questions, resolve disputes, and legitimize the knowledge contained within its disciplinary borders, and conversely how language and communication have guided scientific discovery throughout history. Reading texts from ancient and contemporary scientists, philosophers, historians, and literary authors, we will identify the key linguistic and rhetorical traits employed within the discourse communities of modern science, and consider consequences of—and the scientific developments enabled by—such language and textual practices. These concepts will be emphasized and elucidated vis-à-vis some of the most significant scientific and medical discoveries impacting the modern world.