Writing Center Workshop Series

Writing Center Workshops through the PASS Program - Spring 2008

Time Management for the Academic Essay
Tuesday, February 12th
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Rhode Island Hall, Room 001
Click here to register for this workshop.

Do you struggle with deadlines? Come to this session to learn simple ways to make it easier to write essays within a given time frame. We'll cover time management strategies that you can put into effect from the first day of class to help finish papers on time. We'll also go over methods of note taking, active reading, and coping with writer's block that can help speed up the writing process. This session will run approximately 1 hour with time for questions afterwards.

For more information contact Sophia_Beal@brown.edu

Book Publishing 101
Wednesday, February 20th
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Salomon Center, Room 203
Click here to register for this workshop.

Are you considering a career in book publishing, interested in publishing a nonfiction or fiction book with a major trade publisher, or simply curious about how books are acquired, edited, published, and promoted? A former editor at a New York publishing house explains the arcane ways of trade publishing and takes questions from prospective authors and those interested in entering the industry.

For more information contact Amanda_Katz@brown.edu

Writing a Philosophy Paper
Wednesday, February 20th
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Metcalf Chemistry, Room 305
Click here to register for this workshop.

In philosophy, the argument is everything. This means that the rigor and cogency (or lack thereof) of a paper are more evident, and that philosophers are explicitly self-conscious about this. (Unfortunately, that they are conscious of style isn’t always so apparent.) In this seminar we will look at how to structure a paper, and at different ways of presenting and defending a claim, including some basic logical forms, as well as the types of strategies that underpin any successful argument, from the appropriate use of definition, distinction and analysis, to the formulation of dilemmas, counterexamples, reductios ad absurdum, and dialectical reasoning.

For more information contact Simon_Leen@brown.edu

Pretend They’re in Their Underwear: How to Write and Deliver a Great Presentation
Tuesday, February 26th
6:30 - 8:00 pm
Barus & Holley, Room 190
Click here to register for this workshop.

No matter the field, the ability to deliver a good oral presentation is key to success, yet many shy away from it, missing opportunities to advance their grades and careers. This session will break down how to plan and write a presentation, and tips on how to deliver it, including basic presentation etiquette. Undergraduates, graduates and staff are all welcome as we discuss the differences between a five-minute course presentation, a twenty-minute conference talk, and the dreaded thesis defense, dispelling myths and building confidence along the way.

For more information contact Jillian_Goldfarb@brown.edu

Outlining an Academic Essay in the Humanities
Tuesday, February 26th
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Rhode Island Hall, Room 001
Click here to register for this workshop.

This session is aimed at undergraduate humanities concentrators. Outlines can strengthen, speed up, and demystify the sometimes intimidating process of writing an academic essay. We'll cover the basics of outlining an essay, including what to put in an outline and how to organize your essay to best support your argument. Please come prepared to talk about the types of writing assignments you'll need to complete this semester and bring an essay that you wrote for a course in the humanities. This session will run approximately 1 hour with time for questions afterwards.

For more information contact Sophia_Beal@brown.edu

The Buck Starts Here: How to sell your ideas with a business plan
Tuesday, March 4th
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Barus & Holley, Room 190
Click here to register for this workshop.

Students in Brown’s various entrepreneurship courses will appreciate this seminar. We will go over a general business plan outline, discussing pitfalls and problems with conveying information to potential investors. Also, we’ll look briefly at how to give a business presentation – you’re never selling just a product – you’re selling the person behind the business. How do you tailor your business pitch towards a specific audience? This session will run approximately 1 hour with time for questions.

For more information contact Jillian_Goldfarb@brown.edu

Writing About Media
Tuesday, March 4th
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Rhode Island Hall, Room 001
Click here to register for this workshop.

Because film and television are so familiar to us, we are used to watching them for entertainment instead of with a critical eye, and we run the risk of writing reviews instead of the analytical pieces required for Brown courses. This class is aimed at undergraduate students in media studies classes, especially those who are new to writing about visual media. We’ll start with an exercise designed to help you take the sorts of notes during a film or television screening that will be helpful when writing analytical essays. Then, we’ll talk about the different writing forms with which you may be asked to work (close analysis, historical or generic studies, ideological explorations, etc.). We’ll talk about working with visual artifacts and the necessary translation of visual media to written language. Finally, we’ll look at some common media studies writing errors and their solutions. This interactive session will run for 90 minutes.

For more information contact Eugenie_Brinkema@brown.edu

Writing the Religious Studies Essay
Thursday, March 6
6:00 - 7:30pm
Metcalf Research Lab, Room 129
Click here to register for this workshop.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to write about Jesus multiplying fish and he will do well in Brown Religious Studies courses. With this maxim in mind, this session covers the basic Thou Shalt" and "Though Shalt Not" approaches to writing a Religious Studies paper in a secular, academic institution. Covering short exegesis essays and long seminar papers, students will learn how o choose a topic, develop a thesis, structure a paper, and limit the amount of professor comments written in red pen. This session will run approximately 1 hour with time for questions both during and afterwards.

For more information contact Jordan_Rosenblum@brown.edu

Me Write Good: Science writing and publishing at the graduate level
Tuesday, March 18th
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Barus & Holley, Room 190
Click here to register for this workshop.

The spoken word is fleeting; it lacks precision and depth for profound scientific observation and deduction. The written record provides the foundation upon which today’s science is built. It enables intense critical evaluation and lends legitimacy to a scientific concept or finding – be it social science, physical science or engineering. In this publish-or-perish world, it’s imperative to know how to complete a literature review, convince a reader of your methodology, present results in a clear and concise manner, and to question so-called “accepted” truths - to ultimately contribute to the foundation of scientific knowledge. This session targets students at the graduate level looking to publish results in peer-reviewed journals and will also assist in general dissertation outlining. This session will run approximately 1 hour with time for questions afterwards.

For more information contact Jillian_Goldfarb@brown.edu