Technical Communication for Medicine and Public Health OpenCourseWare: A Free Bachelor Level Technical Communication Class by MIT

Published Feb 06, 2009

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Explore technical and narrative medical writing in this online course from MIT. In 'Introduction to Technical Communication: Perspectives on Medicine and Public Health,' students read a broad range of writings by established health professionals that may inform their own writing on topics in medicine and public health. Students studying Biology or Public Health will benefit from this undergraduate-level OpenCourseWare.

Introduction to Technical Communication: Perspectives on Medicine and Public Health: Course Specifics

Degree Level Free Audio Video Downloads
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Lectures/Notes Study Materials Tests/Quizzes
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Introduction to Technical Communication: Perspectives on Medicine and Public Health: Course Description

In addition to technical writing, many health professionals engage in narrative essay writing to reflect on the social and philosophical issues that arise in their field. In 'Introduction to Technical Communication: Perspectives on Medicine and Public Health,' students read a wide variety of writings by medical authors, including Atul Gawande, Danielle Ofri, Richard Seizer and William Carlos Williams. Students incorporate the techniques they learn from these authors into the development of their own unique writing style. Public health issues covered in the readings include the AIDS epidemic, obesity and infectious disease control. Students are expected to experiment with writing a diverse range of documents, including critical reviews, autobiographical narratives and job applications. A medical background is not required for this course. This undergraduate-level course is taught by Professor Cynthia Taft through MIT's Writing and Humanistic Studies Department.

Readings and major writing assignments are offered on the course website in addition to a collection of useful reference links. If you're curious about this free online course, visit the introduction to technical writing in medicine and public health course page.

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