Graduate Writing Support
NEW for SPRING 2021!
To support graduate student writers across the three graduate schools at Brandeis, the University Writing Center offers several programs in addition to our consultations. These programs aim to help meet the unique writing needs of graduate students but also support the development of strong writing habits and professional skills. This programming additionally aims to build community between students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, and the International Business School through shared writing experiences. The Writing Center’s Spring 2021 graduate programming consists of the following:
- Bi-weekly Graduate Write-in Studio
- Graduate Workshop and Events Series
- Peer-exchange Groups
- Monthly Reading Group
Information on how to participate in each of these programs is listed below. If you have any questions about our graduate writing support programs, please reach out to us at writingcenter@brandeis.edu.
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The Write-in Studio offers graduate students a structured time and space to work on their long-term writing projects (for instance, dissertations, theses, job/grant application, articles, or other writing projects) and develop good writing habits like time-blocking and goal setting, while also connecting with other Brandeis graduate students.
Each Write-in is held over Zoom and lasts three hours.The first 10-15 minutes of each session is dedicated to reviewing weekly progress and setting and sharing daily writing goals. Between goal setting and a mid-way break, writers turn off their cameras and mics to work individually to meet the goal they set. Each session ends with goal setting for the upcoming week. A Writing Center staff member and a Brandeis Librarian will be available every Write-in for writing, research, and citation questions that come up.
By signing up, writers pledge to stay for as much of the session as possible, discuss their writing goals and progress with other graduate students, focus solely on their own writing projects, and to spend as much time as they can actively writing or working on tasks directly related to writing (research, brainstorming, reviewing feedback, analyzing or organizing data, etc.). For more information about the Write-ins, check out these Frequently Asked Questions.
The Graduate Write-in Studio is scheduled on Mondays from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm (EST) and Wednesdays from 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm (EST). To sign up for a Write-in, visit our calendar.
The Writing Center hosts a series of workshops and events for graduate students. Workshops in this series are tailored to the specific needs of graduate students in their various roles as students, writers, instructors, graders, and peers.
The schedule for the Spring 2021 semester will include:
- Getting Started with your Dissertation or Thesis (Collaboration with the Brandeis Library)
- Graduate Instructors Workshop: Writing Effective Feedback and Engaging Course Materials
- Graduate Term Papers: An Introduction to Writing at the Graduate Level
- Captivating your Audience: Writing for Academic Presentations and Posters
- How They Did It: a Q&A panel with recent MA/PhD graduates.
To sign up for a workshop/event, visit our calendar.
The Writing Center also facilitates graduate student peer exchange groups. The aim of these groups is to provide a centralized way for graduate writers to connect with other graduate students, receive peer feedback and support with their writing, and maintain a shared sense of accountability with their work. Each group consists of 3-4 graduate students. The Writing Center offers training on providing effective peer feedback at the beginning of the semester and is also available throughout the semester for continuing guidance and facilitation, if desired. Please note that being part of a peer exchange group is a semester-long commitment.
Sign up here using our peer-exchange registration form (if you have trouble accessing the form, please email writingcenter@brandeis.edu). Sign-ups for the Spring semester close February 1, 2021.
Reading Group
Are you looking to connect with other Brandeis graduate students in a low-stakes setting? Interested in learning more about what scholarship looks like in other disciplines? This low-pressure reading and discussion group is here for you!
Grab yourself your favorite tea-time beverage and snacks, and join us for our Friday afternoon reading and discussion group on our Spring 2021 reading and discussion topic: "Writing Across the Disciplines" Spring 2021 Reading List.
Meeting Dates & Registration Links (All sessions will meet over Zoom)
Check out our shared Zotero library which contains citations for several guides on Writing, Research, and Time Management for graduate writers as well as links to several helpful apps.
https://www.zotero.org/groups/2462120/brandeis_graduate_writers/library
If you have any suggestions for our resource library, please email us at writingcenter@brandeis.edu
Want to stay in the loop and connect with other graduate student writers? Join our listserv!
- Send a message to sympa@lists.brandeis.edu from your brandeis.edu email address
- In the subject line of your message, type in: subscribe wc-gradwrite Firstname Name (indicate your own first name and name).
- Leave the message body blank.
Part resource, part learning hub, and part community, the Writing Center’s Graduate Writing Support programming aims to meet the following objectives:
- Instruct graduate students in the genres and conventions of writing projects common to graduate coursework and requirements
- Instruct graduate students in the genres, conventions, and timelines of writing projects common to professional life in higher education and academia
- Provide individualized feedback for graduate students working on their graduate and professional writing projects
- Foster effective peer-to-peer writing exchange, accountability, and writing groups
- Cultivate a space of retreat from other graduate responsibilities and power networks where graduate students can put their writing and research first
- Cultivate graduate community through shared writing experiences
