The Thompson Writing Program‘s Writing in the Disciplines program has announced their schedule of Spring 2019 workshops for Duke faculty. For more information about the workshops or Writing in the Disciplines, contact Cary Moskovitz.
Wed, Jan 9
Designing an Effective and Manageable Writing-Intensive Course
What’s expected in a course coded as “writing intensive”? How can I meet those expectations in your course? This session explores a variety of approaches to teaching a writing-intensive course—from multiple, smaller writing tasks to semester-long research projects. Topics include choosing writing assignments that fit the course structure, helping students learn about writing in your discipline, using peer feedback, deciding whether to assign multiple drafts, balancing course content and attention to writing.
1-2:30pm, Classroom Building (formerly Carr Hall) Rm 106 (East Campus). Registration.
Mon, Jan 21
Rethinking the Library Research Paper
Research can be an exciting and important part of the undergraduate experience. Yet the “research papers” we assign in our courses are often intellectually uninteresting tasks without a clear sense of purpose, bearing little resemblance to any of the meaningful kinds of research people do beyond the classroom. This workshop considers ways to intellectually invigorate library research projects by rethinking what we mean by “research” in the classroom context. We will discuss how to frame intellectually and rhetorically meaningful library research projects and consider alternative approaches—including setting up seminar courses as a whole-class, collaborative research project.
3-4:30pm LINK 085: Seminar 2 (West Campus). Registration.
Wed, Feb 6
Helping Students Write Well-Structured Papers
Many of our student writers struggle to organize their ideas and express them in a coherently structured way. Participants in this workshop will learn (and practice) approaches to helping students review and revise their writing to improve organization and make it easier for readers to see the logical relationships between the parts of their papers.
3:30-5pm, Social Psych 248 (West Campus). Registration.
Wed, Feb 27
Assigning Oral Presentations
Oral presentations can be a meaningful and valuable part of a course, and many students need practice to develop their public speaking skills. Yet students may have misguided ideas about what makes for an effective presentation. This workshop addresses issues such as articulating the presentation task, setting expectations, using models, and helping students prepare appropriately.
1-2:30pm, Classroom Building (formerly Carr Hall) Rm 106 (East Campus). Registration.
Mon, March 18
Crafting Effective Writing Assignments I: The Writing Task
How you articulate a writing task can have a large impact on what your students do and what they learn. Topics for this session include setting expectations, selecting an appropriate form and audience for student writing, helping students identify a meaningful and manageable writing project.
3-4:30pm, LINK 065: Classroom #2 (West Campus). Registration.
Wed, April 17
Crafting Effective Writing Assignments II: The Writing Process
Left to their own devices, students will often wait until a writing assignment is nearly due—cheating themselves out of much the learning the assignment was designed to support. This session explores a range of options for staging the writing process in ways that can maximize learning, without overburdening the instructor.
10:30-12, LOCATION TBD on West Campus. Registration.