English Courses

LANG 1409 equips science students with three essential career skills: presenting complex ideas to diverse audiences, producing clear and impactful writing, and synthesizing information responsibly in the era of AI. Through hands-on practice, rehearsal, and feedback, students build the critical thinking, creativity and confidence to communicate effectively with target audiences—transferable skills for careers both within and beyond science.

Collaborative and Supported Learning
Structured checkpoints throughout the course guide students in practicing and applying new skills, ensuring they build confidence and are fully prepared for major assignments.

Leveraging AI for Smarter Communication
Students learn to use AI tools critically and effectively at every stage of research and communication—finding and synthesizing sources, enhancing scientific writing, and refining spoken English. 

Skill Building for Any Career
By synthesizing complex ideas and mastering clear, impactful communication, students develop transferable skills that empower them to thrive in any career, not just in science.

• Assessment 1: Inspire the public with a science concept through a short science talk
• Assessment 2: Interest the public in your science research through a scientific blog post
• Other tasks: in-class checkpoints and end-of-course language test

Required course for all science students

Student testimonials

• “Every scientist needs to be able to engage other people in science. This course made me understand how I can have more impact as a scientist.”
• “I learned how to make science interesting to other people!”
• “As I'm planning to work in the science field or in science communication, this course has been extremely useful to me. I learnt how to cite and find sources properly and this course aroused my interest in communicating science to the public and debunking their misunderstandings.”
• "This course has not only improved my English ability but also taught me precious teaching concepts and the courage to break through myself. The topic I prepared for LANG1409 could be applied to SCIE3110. It’s so interesting to connect knowledge from two courses and apply what I’ve learned in your class. The confidence I built in your English class has helped me a lot in teaching middle school students in my SCIE3110 workshop."
• “It has been a valuable and memorable part of my university experience. I have gained a lot from the learning materials you provided, especially in understanding and applying synthesis techniques.”
• “All the explanations were very clear and all the in-class activities helped acquire and consolidate the course content. As a result, I feel like I have learnt a lot of useful knowledge and skills that I am certain to use in subsequent language courses and my life in general.”
• "I have learned that high-quality research is not just about finding facts, but about critically evaluating the authority and limitations of sources. This module taught me to move beyond simple summary and instead focus on synthesis—identifying how different studies build on, complement, or contradict each other."