Amber Dance

Instructor Biography:

Award-winning freelance science journalist based in Southern California. She is a contributor at Knowable Magazine, directs the New Horizons in Science program at the Sciencewriters annual conference for the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing, and co-authors the “Health Divide” newsletter for the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism.

Instructor Statement:

A UCSD Extension course back in 2006 changed the course of my career, and I hope to inspire UCLA Extension students in the same way. Writing is a form of mental telepathy: You’re attempting to communicate something to another brain, separated from you in both time and space. That means thinking carefully about the intended audience of anything you write: What do they know already? What do they want or need to learn from what you’re writing? I teach key writing structures and self-editing skills so students can perform this telepathy to the best of their abilities, in their own unique voices. Because everyone learns differently, I present class materials in a variety of styles, including reading, lectures, discussions and hands-on activities. In addition, guest instructors will present material that I know less about. Most importantly, you’ll practice by writing, receiving feedback, and re-writing assignments.