English CMOW. Opinion Writing for Science and Medicine

Instructor: Jason Silverstein
Monday, 9:45-11:45am | Location: Countway Library 403 (HMS)
Enrollment: Limited to 12 students

This course is a practicum in writing publishable op-eds on health, science, and injustice. Week by week we dissect how writers use investigations and essays to break through public and institutional indifference - on Medicaid privatization, racist terror, psychiatric abuse, homelessness, and the failures of child welfare. Students will reverse-engineer these pieces to understand not just what was said, but how. Then, through an iterative process of pitch-writing, peer critique, and rewriting, each student will develop a portfolio-ready op-ed on a topic of their choosing. They will also work with a small group on developing a group op-ed in parallel. Students will leave with a revised op-ed and a polished pitch suitable for submission. 

This is a Fall 1 Course ending October 16th on the Longwood campus.

Supplemental Application Information: This is a core course in the Media, Medicine, and Health program; students in the MMH program do not need to apply. A maximum of 8 students from beyond the MMH program will be selected to join the course.

To apply, please complete this application by August 17, 2026. The application requires a 250-word maximum writing sample about an event in the previous seven days (the event does not need to be science or medicine but may be technology, education, pop culture, politics, or music) and a 250-word maximum reflection on why this course appeals to you. We will follow up with everyone who applies for the course by email once decisions are made. 

This course is also offered through the Harvard Medical School as MMH 725.