Course Description: This two-week intensive pass/fail workshop is for doctoral students in any discipline. It is premised on three basic ideas: writers benefit from being in an environment in which writing is prioritized; sustained motivation and consistent progress can be helped by peer accountability; a structured schedule and set of flexible writing strategies can together contribute to successful writing sessions.
Goals
- To produce a portion of writing for the dissertation or dissertation proposal.
- To nurture productive writing habits for completing a timely dissertation.
- To establish reasonable short- and long-term writing goals.
- To create a community of writers who keep one another motivated and accountable to goals, and who serve as empathic listeners during discussion of writing issues.
- To develop awareness of successful and unsuccessful writing strategies and to adjust in light of that awareness.
- To cultivate a relation to writing that will serve participants well in their future careers.
Required Materials
- Laptop computer or equivalent
- Research materials (if relevant)
- Irene Clarkâs Writing the Successful Thesis and Dissertation
- Lunch each day; plenty of water
- Noise-cancelling headphones (optional)
Assessment: This course is pass/fail. You will be assessed through a written reflection in which you describe progress made during the workshop, strategies learned that will affect subsequent writing activities, and projected writing goals during the next three months. Format: 350-650 words.
Interdisciplinary Dissertation Workshop 