Writing Studio News & Notes – Faculty Edition
We hope you had an enjoyable, relaxing fall break!
As we all move into the second half of the Fall 2024 semester, we at the Writing Studio invite you to collaborate with us through pedagogy workshops, in-class workshops, individual pedagogy consultations, and more!
This week, we’ll offer the first of two workshops in the Teaching Writing Workshop Series: please plan to join us for Writing About Visual Texts. The Teaching Writing Workshop Series is a resource designed to support the teaching of writing across the disciplines at Vanderbilt and to encourage interdisciplinary conversations about writing pedagogy.
Workshops provide participants with current research, strategies for best practices, and a forum for discussing how these approaches might be adapted to teaching writing in their disciplines. The Teaching Writing Workshop Series is open to all writing instructors. Read more about the workshop below!
In this newsletter:
- Teaching Writing Workshop Series
- Resource Spotlight: New Handouts
- Core Services for Faculty
- Celebration Corner: Fall 2024 Dissertation Writers’ Retreat
Teaching Writing Workshop Series – Fall 2024
Our first workshop is coming up this week!
Writing About Visual Texts
Thursday 17 October, 2:30-4 p.m.
While some disciplines have traditionally relied upon writing about visual texts, others are continuing to incorporate such writing into their classrooms and assignments. Workshop participants will learn about common student essay genres in art history and film studies, hear faculty and student writing advice, and examine sample assignments and student essays in order to develop familiarity with these types of writing assignments as well as ideas for adapting these assignments to other disciplines. Let us know you’re coming!
Scaffolding Writing Across the Semester
Monday 9 December, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
Participants will learn how to use backward design to scaffold writing projects and assignments throughout the semester. In preparation for Spring 2025, they will also have the opportunity to workshop syllabi for courses with writing components. Participants should bring a draft of a spring course syllabus or another syllabus they wish to redesign. Let us know you’re coming!
Fall 2024 in-person workshops will be facilitated by Dr. Megan Minarich, Associate Director, Vanderbilt Writing Studio & Tutoring Services.
Questions? Please email megan.l.minarich@vanderbilt.edu.
Resource Spotlight: New Writing Studio Handouts
We are excited to share two new handouts, “Topic Sentences” and “Structure of an Analytical Paragraph,” which were developed by undergraduate writing consultant Paige Elliott, class of 2024, as her Immersion project.
Both handouts cover topics Paige found she frequently discussed during her writing consultation sessions, and each handout offers clear advice grounded in reference to carefully-selected examples.
On the Handouts page of the Writing Studio’s website, you and your students can find a wide-ranging collection of handouts, which are accessible either as web text or downloadable PDFs.
Core Services for Faculty
The following services and support are available for faculty each semester, all semester. We’d love to work with you!
Brief Introductions to the Writing Studio
Giving your students a friendly face to associate with the Writing Studio can make scheduling a writing consultation much less intimidating.
Inviting us to send a writing consultant to offer a 10-minute Brief Introduction to the Writing Studio presentation will do just that, while also leaving students informed about how to take advantage of our services. It’s a high-yield use of your valuable class time!
In-Class Writing Workshops
Graduate writing consultants and Writing Studio administrators are available to lead workshops on specific elements of the academic writing process. Our standard workshops cover a variety of essential topics:
We can also work with you to develop a workshop tailored to your course’s specific needs. Past custom topics have included case studies, literature reviews, film analyses, podcasts, op-eds, and more.
Complete our In-Class Writing Workshop Request form to start the process of booking an in-class workshop.
Writing Pedagogy Consultations
The Writing Studio’s Director, Associate and Assistant Directors, and Academic Support Coordinators are available to discuss writing pedagogy: syllabus construction and development, writing assignment design, resources for student writing support, and more.
To schedule an appointment, please contact our Administrative Specialist by emailing writing.studio@vanderbilt.edu.
Visit the Writing Studio’s Faculty page for additional information and resources available for instructors.
Celebration Corner: Fall 2024 Dissertation Writers’ Retreat
With the generous support of the Graduate College, the College of Arts and Science Dean’s Office, and our newest sponsor, the BRET Office of Career Development ASPIRE Program, the Writing Studio hosts a two-day retreat for dissertating writers each fall.
The first of our three-part series, our fall retreat brought together twenty-nine students from seventeen programs, ranging from Anthropology to Chemical and Physical Biology to Teaching and Learning. We also welcomed Ramona Romero, Assistant College Librarian for Arts and Science, who lead her workshop, “Digital Reference Management Tools,” for retreat participants. Practically every horizontal surface in our office was occupied by a grad student putting a dent in a significant piece of scholarship.
The Writing Studio is proud to offer this support to Vanderbilt’s graduate community. If you—or one of your graduate students—would like to participate, watch this space. Our next retreat will be held during spring break, and we’re eager to help you move your major projects forward!
Share and Subscribe!
We have begun distributing our monthly newsletter to faculty teaching first-year writing seminars and W courses and asking departments to forward it on to their faculty, but you can also sign up to receive it directly.
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Questions?
Contact us at writing.studio@vanderbilt.edu.
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