Writing in Health and Medicine, Spring 2022

Welcome to ENGL 105i, Section 027, Writing in Health and Medicine!

This course section is designed specifically for undergraduate students at UNC-Chapel Hill interested in pursuing careers in the health sciences such as public health, pharmacy, nursing, and medicine. However, the writing students do in this class helps to prepare them for the various types of academic and professional writing challenges they will encounter as students at UNC and beyond.

In this interdisciplinary English composition course, students analyze the rhetorical and stylistic conventions of various discourse communities, especially those related to health and medicine, and they learn how to use these standards to effectively communicate their ideas. They discover how different disciplines frame research questions, evaluate evidence, and make knowledge claims. Their assignments encourage them to view health or medical writing as a response to realistic rhetorical situations, and they develop writing skills that are employed within the fields of health and medicine and that are transferable to other disciplines as well. Their writing will become dynamic by actively responding to practical situations common to academic communities and engaging with those communities.

In this class, we work to develop strong writing and research skills, which will serve students well in college and beyond, regardless of the major or career they ultimately decide to pursue. Students are encouraged to view their writing—and themselves as writers—as works in progress. This course is more than a series of essays for grades; it is a progression of encounters with rhetorical situations and genres that prepares students to be effective writers and communicators in college and in their professional lives after college.

This site is designed for Section 027 of English 105i for the spring 2022 semester, taught by Paul Blom at UNC-Chapel Hill. The site is intended to showcase students’ final drafts of each of their unit projects from across the semester. Additionally, at least one student will post to our course blog each week, reflecting on the week’s material and work.

Please explore the site, visit the course’s online syllabus, read about the students, and contact me if you have additional questions.

Be sure to check out the students’ work! To see their work in a specific unit (Medical Sciences, Social Health Sciences, or Health Humanities), choose the appropriate category in the “Categories” drop-down menu or visit that particular page on the site. Be sure to check back regularly for the latest posts showcasing the students’ work.

For other information, you are also encouraged to view the Course Blog Post Assignment Prompt or the extra credit assignment prompt for writing in business (application materials for health/medical opportunities).

Thank you for your time and consideration and for supporting the important work these students are doing!

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