Spring 2017 Workshops

 

All graduate students, regardless of disciplinary affiliation or English fluency, are welcome to enroll.

Welcome Back: Beginning the New Year in Style, Thursday, February 16, 2017, 4:00 – 6:00 PM, 117 Henderson

Instructor: Michelle Kaczmarek

Registration for this workshop ends 02/15/2017 at 12:00 PM.

This workshop will provide a refresher on academic style through practice with the grammatical forms and stylistic possibilities of the English language. Therein, it will introduce participants to new methods for achieving clarity in their academic writing at the sentence level. The workshop will be divided into two parts: 1) a discussion of general style principles and the tools necessary for expanding stylistic repertoires, and 2) a peer review session where participants will practice the strategies outlined in the lecture. Participants are encouraged to bring two copies of one of their own works to workshop.


Revising for Publication: Introducing your Research, Friday, March 24, 2017, 12:00 – 2:00 PM, Osmond Lab 112

Instructor: Michelle Kaczmarek

Registration for this workshop ends 03/23/2017 at 12:00 PM.

A strong introduction creates interest and convinces editors and reviewers that your manuscript is worth publishing. This workshop will introduce methods for revising graduate work for academic publication by focusing on the beginning of any manuscript – the Introduction. It will present the necessary components for crafting a strong Introduction as well as provide different methods for achieving this goal. The latter half of the workshop will be devoted to peer review in which participants will practice general revision and editing skills with a current Introduction that they are working on. Accordingly, participants are encouraged to bring a draft to the workshop of an Introduction for a manuscript they are revising for publication.


Strategies for Writing Literature Reviews, Tuesday, April 4, 2017, 2:00 – 4:00 PM, Osmond Lab 110

Instructor: Mckenzie Eggers

Registration for this workshop ends 04/03/2017 at 12:00 PM.

Just in time for seminar paper season, this workshop will cover the basics of writing a literature review from start to finish. Material will be applicable both to literature reviews that exist as part of a larger introduction and to more extensive literature reviews that stand on their own. This workshop will address how to narrow your search for sources, how to read sources critically, and how to effectively critique, analyze, and organize those sources in your literature review. The workshop will suggest a variety of organizational patterns for literature reviews and address some major revision concerns. It will end with a peer review exercise in which participants will apply new knowledge to one another’s literature reviews. Accordingly, participants are encouraged to bring drafts of introductions or literature reviews (in-progress or complete).


Fall 2016 Workshops

Welcome Back: A Review of Writing Principles for Graduate Students

Instructor: Mckenzie Eggers

This workshop will address the needs of students who are returning to school after a period of time away and of anyone who desires a review of academic writing practices. It will be organized in three sections: (1) a review of core writing principles (e.g., how to structure an argument effectively at the paper, paragraph, and sentence level; how to transition smoothly; how to incorporate evidence; how to write a strong thesis statement and clear topic sentences); (2) a Q and A during which the instructor will address concerns of workshop attendees; (3) a peer review session in which participants will work together to apply workshop principles and discussion to a work-in-progress.

Date: September 19 Time: 3:00–5:00 PM | Place: 105 Wartik Lab

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Drafting Professional Documents Part I: Résumés and Cover Letters

Instructor: Mckenzie Eggers

What is the difference between academic and non-academic job documents? How do you create a rhetorically effective and aesthetically pleasing résumé? How might you use a cover letter to emphasize and enhance your résumé instead of simply repeating its content? How do you alter your materials to target individual audiences? This workshop is the first of a two-part series intended to help students compose effective job documents. It will focus on strategies for drafting neat, concise, and unique materials for your non-academic job hunt. Information provided here will be supplemented in part II of the workshop series on the following day which will focus on the academic job hunt. Please bring two copies of your current résumé and cover letter to review with your peers.

Date: October 11 | Time: 3:00–5:00 PM | Place: 112 Kern Building

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Drafting Professional Documents Part II: CVs and Personal Statements

Instructor: Michelle Kaczmarek

How do search committees use CVs and personal statements to decide on academic job candidates? How do these documents vary between disciplines, and how might you use these documents to stand out from the crowd? This workshop will teach strategies for creating a professionally written—yet unique— CV and personal statement that will appeal to an academic admissions or hiring committee. Participants will focus on genre conventions, organization, and word choice. This workshop will extend the discussion begun in part I, focusing on academic rather than non-academic documents, and touching on the similarities and differences between them. Please bring two copies of your current CV and/or personal statement to the workshop.

Date: October 12 | Time: 3:00–5:00 PM | Place: 124 Business Building

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All graduate students, regardless of disciplinary affiliation or English fluency, are welcome to enroll. We hope you can join us!

To sign up: https://secure.gradsch.psu.edu/registrations/writing/

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