鈥淎 blank page is terrifying鈥︹��
鈥淭he last time I wrote a paper, the year started with a 19 not a 20鈥︹��
鈥淔riends often ask me to proofread their papers; I love helping people鈥檚 ideas come through the written word鈥︹��
鈥淎m I supposed to already know what Chicago Style means?鈥�
Are any of these thoughts familiar? Entering a graduate program involves a lot of transition and for many students, academic writing can feel like a daunting hill to ascend or a muscle that hasn鈥檛 been worked in a long time. Maybe you鈥檙e a confident writer but would like some help navigating the integrative type of assignments you鈥檒l be asked to write at 天美视频. However you鈥檙e feeling as the fall term approaches, I invite you to consider being a part of the first-year Writing Workshop.
My name is Kelsey Wallace – I am the Registrar and I work closely with Mac Martin, who handles academic advising for all of our students, as well as our Writing Center Consultants. As a student you will receive emails from me often! I love journeying with students throughout their time at 天美视频. I have more than 10 years of teaching experience, and love working with students as a writing and academic skills coach.
The Writing Workshop is recommended for all, regardless of your confidence level as an academic writer. While all the writing you will do at 天美视频 requires technical competence, much of it asks for a high level of personal engagement and research synthesis as well. The workshop is designed to familiarize you with the rhythms of research, writing, and editing that you鈥檒l do in your time as a student here. And more than that, the workshop provides space to experiment with and explore study methods and sustainable work habits to help you re-calibrate your previous academic experience towards the often unexpected dynamics that come with graduate-level study. The purpose of the workshop is as much about adjusting to graduate school as it is about refreshing your memory on thesis statements.
Details
We offer two sections of Writing Workshops: Section 1 before classes begin, and Section 2 during the fall term, both offered synchronously online. While both workshops cover the same material, the Fall Weekly Workshop provides space to discuss and peer review assignments for your classes while they are happening; the Pre-Fall Workshop often appeals to folks who want a reorientation towards academic work before classes begin.听
Whichever section you join, you will be challenged, have fun, and leave with tools, techniques, and the confidence to overcome the glorious mountain of writing ahead! You can also learn more about the Writing Center here.
Section 1: Pre-Fall Workshop
Sample Schedule: 9am-12 pm, 4 days over 2 weeks in August
Section 2: Weekly Fall-Term Workshop
Sample Schedule: Fridays, 12-1 pm
What to Expect
- Brainstorming exercises to generate paper topics or help you see what you鈥檙e saying between the lines.
- Self-guided modules on citation styles, essay structure, etc., that you can return to and reference throughout your Fall term, in addition to workshop time together.
- Discussion around your methods of writing and how what you鈥檙e doing now may help or hinder your process at 天美视频 (i.e. Do you make outlines? How much time do you give yourself to write? How do you give yourself breaks from writing?). A word to the wise: taking breaks for restorative, creative activity is the best way to avoid the dreaded 鈥渨riter鈥檚 block.鈥�
- Approaches and opportunities for Peer Review. Hopefully the work you do sharing your words and hearing the words of others will go with you as part of your process here. It is vulnerable to let others into your writing, and a layered beauty often comes if you will take the risk.听
鈥淭he Writing Workshop was an immensely helpful space to refresh on academic writing and meet peers from my cohort before the term started. I still reference my notes from the workshop every time I am forming thesis statements for papers. Also, I met a great writing partner and we have been peer reviewing/editing each other鈥檚 work all throughout our first year.鈥�听
鈥擟arson Taylor, MATC 2024