Soliciting Effective Feedback

April 9 @ 11 AM; register here.

Experienced academics know that good final drafts are rarely produced through a solitary process. Instead, scholars achieve high-level writing through a process that involves sharing earlier drafts of their work with others and getting feedback that helps them revise more effectively. That being said, sharing work that is unfinished and that may well be unclear and confusing to other readers can be tricky. How can a writer help someone to read their unfinished work in a way that will result in a productive exchange? This webinar considers some guiding principles that will help students to prepare their chosen readers for a productive encounter with their work-in-progress.

 

The Anatomy of a Good Hook

April 15 @ 10 AM; register here

When drafting a seminar paper, dissertation chapter, or article, many graduate students know that they want to start with “a good hook.” (This is typically a less academic-sounding, more descriptive opening, sometimes called an anecdote or a vignette.) Writers often know that they want to start their piece with a good hook, but how is this accomplished? What makes a hook “good?” What makes it “hook” the reader? In this webinar, students will consider a range of examples in order to unpack the core elements of a good hook. By the end of the session, participants will have a clear understanding of a good hook’s elements and organizing structure.

 

Structuring Argument-Based Writing

April 16 @ 1pm; register here.

Writing a long paper can be challenging, especially when it comes to organizing all the reading and thinking one has done into a coherent progression of paragraphs and sections. This webinar introduces participants to some of the fundamental principles that help guide decisions about structuring a longer academic essay.