Graduate Student Writing Workshops
The University Writing Center, in partnership with the Graduate School, offers workshops about academic writing. All graduate students are welcome. If you are interested in attending any of these workshops, please visit the Graduate School website to register. All workshops will take place online.
Workshops scheduled for 2023-24
Fall 2023
Reading and Responding to Graduate Level Writing
Monday, September 25, 3:00-4:00pm, Houchens 105, Belknap Campus
This workshop will focus on the distinctive demands of reading and responding to writing for graduate-level courses and research. We will cover concepts such as the genre conventions of scholarly writing and how understanding those can help you navigate your way through scholarly work, strategies for reading and responding to unfamiliar or difficult scholarly texts, and expectations of professors for how graduate students are expected to use the scholarship they read in class discussions and in the students' writing.
Managing & Sustaining Large Writing Projects
Monday, November 6, 3:00-4:30pm, Houchens 105, Belknap Campus
Writing a dissertation or thesis can seem a daunting prospect that raises questions about structure, organization, as well as simply how best to get started. This workshop will offer strategies for how to approach a large-scale writing project such as a dissertation or thesis. We will discuss the genre and rhetorical conventions expected in dissertations and where those may differ from other academic writing experiences of graduate students. We will also offer suggestions and tips for getting started on your project, making consistent progress, working with committee member comments, and staying motivated.
Spring 2023
Cover Letters
Monday, February 22, 3:00-4:30pm, Houchens 105, Belknap Campus
Whether you're going on the market next year or in four years, it's not too early to start thinking about your cover letter. The cover letter must provide a compelling narrative as to why your past experiences and successes make you a good fit for this specific job at this particular institution. This workshop will introduce you to the basics of effective cover letters and provide you with an opportunity to receive feedback on your documents. If you have already begun drafting a cover letter, have it ready to share with others and get feedback. And if you haven't yet begun, no worries - now is a great time to start! Bring whatever you have and take advantage of this supportive context to get your materials on the right track.
Writing a Literature Review
Monday, February 19, 3:00-4:30pm, Houchens 105, Belknap Campus
The literature review is one of the most common genres of scholarly writing, yet one that can be frustrating if you're not used to producing them. In this workshop we will cover the purpose the literature review serves in scholarly writing, some of the important conventions of the genre, and strategies for how to approach writing the strongest literature review possible. As a result of this session, participants will be able to gain a greater understanding of the purposes of a literature review; gain a greater understanding of the genre conventions, particularly in terms of structure and organization, of a literature review; and learn strategies for how to approach writing the various parts of a literature review.
Approaches to Successful Grant Writing
Monday, March 25, 3:00-4:30pm, Houchens 105, Belknap Campus
This workshop will focus on the distinctive demands of successful grant writing. We will cover the overall genre conventions of grant writing, focus on specific sections of a grant proposal such as the examination of need or problem and the project proposal narrative, and discuss strategies for making a persuasive argument for funding. We will also talk about reviewer expectations for what they will find in the written proposal, as well as tips for how to make sure you respond to the specific needs of individual funding agencies. Use this as an opportunity to get feedback on any proposal drafts and bring materials for a short workshop.