The Ph.D. Program in History

at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York

GC Events

Spring 2020 Writing Center Services

Writing consultations for Spring 2020 are now open. To learn about our services, click here.

You can make an appointment two weeks in advance. Consultations are available in person and remotely.

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 SPRING Events

Writing GoalsTues, February 4, 2:30-4:00 pm, room 3317

In this workshop, we will discuss how to schedule time and keep oneself accountable to academic research and writing goals and deadlines. Each participant will make a plan for completing their writing goals, breaking down long-term goals into manageable short-term goals. Writing Center Fellows will follow up with students’ progress via scheduled check-in emails throughout the semester.

Writing a Conference AbstractThurs, February 20, 4:30-6:30 pm, room 3317

This workshop details some of the best practices of composing an abstract to answer a  Call For Papers (CFP). Participants will have a chance to give and get feedback on their CFP abstracts in peer editing groups. We ask that students bring a paper copy of the CFP and the abstract they’d like to workshop.

Active Reading SkillsFri, March 13, 2-4 pm, room 3317

Academic writing requires reading and digesting a large amount of published writing by other scholars. In this workshop, participants will review a range of active reading techniques that make it easier to effectively and efficiently identify the argument, evidence, and analysis of published academic scholarship. We will also cover techniques for identifying the most quotation-worthy sentences in another person’s article.

Research Management ToolsTues March 24 – 2:30-4 pm, room 3317

In this workshop we will go over software and other techniques for organizing and managing the materials that you collect in the course of your research.  This workshop is particularly designed for researchers involved in archival work, but also for those seeking to create a system for managing other types of materials that are part of their writing process and need to be easily accessed. We recommend bringing a laptop.

Structuring Argument-Based WritingThurs, April 02, 4:30-6:30 pm, room 3317 

Sustaining a clear argument over the course of a seminar paper is one of the most difficult tasks in long-form academic writing. In this workshop, we’ll review a series of techniques and strategies for structuring an argument throughout your essay. The strategies proposed in this workshop are intended to illuminate the organizational principles behind seminar-length argumentative research papers, dissertation chapters, and theses.

Self-Editing Strategies for English Language LearnersThurs, April 23, 4:30-6 pm, room 3317

Editing one’s own writing for grammatical correctness and clarity of meaning can be especially intimidating for people who aren’t writing in their native language. In this workshop, English language learners will be introduced to self-editing strategies that will help them identify the high-priority moments in an academic paper, article, or dissertation chapter where focusing one’s efforts on grammatical correctness will matter the most.

Advanced OutliningTues May 5, 12:30-2 pm

This workshop will consider the various ways in which outlining can be used to do more substantive planning and rethinking, not only at the beginning of the writing process, but also when you’re solidly in the middle of it. Come to this workshop to learn outlining techniques that work better for you.

RSVP for our Spring Events