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Writers at the Center W.L. Adams Center for Writing Texas
Christian University
Meet &Greet Out and About What’s New?
Volume19,Number1 Fall2016-Spring2017
WE LITERALLY OUTDID OURSELVES:10,000 TUTORIALS
Peer Consultants...............Page 2
Graduating Seniors...........Page 3
Writing Associates............Page 6
An Interview with Dr. Carrie Leverenz
............................Page 4
Staff Activities.................Page 5 Dissertation and Thesis
Boot Camp..................................Page 6
Director’s Notes................Page 8
People sometimes say, "You'veoutdoneyourself"just to be nice,
but this year we had the
uniqueexperienceofliterallyoutdoingourselves.Itwasn'tsomething we
planned; it just happened:
wetopped10,000writingtutorialsinasingleacademicyear, a first in TCU
history. How does it feel?
It'shumbling,yetatthesametime,itmakesusproud.
WemakecontactwithTCUstudentsinmanyways:privatetutorialsinourMainCenterinReedHallorevenings
in our Library Annex or in Tom
Brown-PeteWrightResidenceHall.We'reseeinganuptickin TCU students
submitting papers online to
getfeedback,andwecontinuetoofferthemadviceonanythingfromgrammartoissuesofAPAorChicagodocumentationstyles.
Sometimeswemake contactwith studentswhenour Writing Associates
are assigned to
theirparticularclasses,orwhenweconductworkshopsforvariousgroupsaroundcampus.
Ourclientscomefromalldisciplines andallnichesof the TCU
community. This year, our "frequent
flyer"disciplineswereEnglish(1,752tutorials),Nursing(959),Business(842),andEducation(774).Alsothisyear,thenumberofgraduatestudentsseekingwritingconsultationedgedpastthenumberoffirst-yearstudentswhosought
us out, and that shift is reflected in our new administrative home
under the Office of Research
andGraduateStudies.Whetheryou'reafirst-yearstudentwithashort"This
IBelieve"assignmentoragradstudentcomingintothehomestretchwithadissertation,we'rereadytohelp.
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Peer & Graduate Writing Consultants 2016-2017
The consultants at TCU’s Center for Writing believe that the
best writing instruction occurs in an atmosphere of honesty,
consideration, trust, and confidentiality. We respect and
appreciate each student’s individual learning style and learning
needs. If we can help you accommodate your unique needs, please let
us know. We seek to help our clients learn, understand, and meet
the American English writing norms and standards appropriate to
their academic disciplines and writing needs, and to do so in an
ethical and responsible manner.
We are looking formature, responsible TCU studentswith
strongwriting skills towork as peerwriting consultants at
theWilliamL.AdamsWritingCenterin419ReedHallorinourLibraryAnnex.Peerconsultantstypicallyworktenhoursperweekand
earn at least minimum wage. We are actively seeking graduate
students to serve as peer writing consultants in
ourGraduateWritingCenter.
AllTCUstudentswhoareinterestedinapplyingshouldemailDr.SteveSherwoodats.sherwood@tcu.edu.Qualifiedapplicantswillbeaskedtoprovideawritingsampleandatleastonefacultyrecommendation.Ifwedon’thaveanyimmediateopenings,wewillbehappytoaddqualifiedapplicantstoourlistofpotentialfuturepeerwritingconsultants.
AmandaAguilar
AmandaAnderson*
MalcolmBaker
SandyBallou
AshleyDargai*
PhatDo
AndrewErickson
ParkerHerren
JongkeyongKim*
McKenzieMarciante
WellingtonOwen
MelissaPatterson*
JustinPollard
LutieRodriguez
WillRudnicki
RonSerino*
ChaseShanafelt*
DarianaSlater
AmandaSmiley
BenTaylor*
LaurenWard-Reed*
PrincessWashington
AnnetteWren*
JamieYoung
*graduatestudent
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Continued…
If youwitness the thousands of students
comingthroughourdoorinanygivensemester,you'dbestruckwiththesheervolumeoftraffic,buthereisan
inside secret youmaynot know: brief as theyare, these tutorials can
be pivotal moments
inwhichstudentsunderstandthepowerandagencythatwriting canbringto
them.Wehavesomeofthebestwritersoncampusworkingforus,andwewould like
tosaysomewordsofgratitudeto
theseniorwritingconsultantswhoworkedwithus
inthe2016-2017academicyear:
ltor:WillRudnicki,JustinPollard,MalcolmBakerBelow:AmandaAguilar
MalcolmBaker,aFrench/biologymajorfromLafayette,Louisiana,withaninterestinmedicalanthropology,cametobeknownasthedeanofpeerwriting
consultantsafter four years of tutoring forus.Malcolmwillbe
spending thenext twoyearsparticipating in
theselectiveTeachforAmericaprogram."I'llbeteachingchemistryatEastHighSchoolinKansasCity,"Malcolmsays."Thepremiseoftheprogramistoalleviatetheissuesofeducationalinequitiesbyreallocatingpeopleinvestedinprovidingunderprivilegedareaswithqualityeducation."
Malcolm's considerable experiences working with TCU faculty as a
Writing Associate embedded in specific
coursesfamilarizedhimwiththebasiccircumstanceofpedagogy."Thejobtaughtmetheimportanceofbalancingagencyinanyrelationship,andtobeopentobi-directional
learning,"hesays.Wealwaysaskgraduatingseniors
ifwritingcenterworkchangestheirownwriting,andMalcolmanswered,"MycapacitiesinwritingandformattinghavegreatlyimprovedasIhaveworkedwithotherpeople'swritingforsolong.IdefinitelyrealizedthisinacademicexamsthatrequiredmetowriteanessayontheflyduringaclassperiodandIwasalwaysverysurprisedwiththeoutcomes."WethinkthestudentsofEastHighwillbefortunateindeedtohaveateacherwithMalcolm'sexperienceandprofessionalism.
JustinPollard,apoliticalscienceandEnglishmajorwhoworkedwithusthispastyear,willbemovingsoontoattendgraduateschoolatGeorgeWashingtonUniversityinWashington,D.C.Heplanstospecializeinadvancedpublicpolicyanalysis.Hiscurrentresearchinterestishumantrafficking,andheaspirestoworkforanon-profitinthefuture.JustintoldusthatthebiggestsurpriseheexperiencedworkingfortheCenterforWritingwashowmanyTCUdisciplinesemphasizewriting,andhow"applicable"thetenetsoftheEnglishmajorare.Thoughhecametousasasenior,Justinwasaquickstudy,learning"howtoapplywhatIknowandhowtomakeitrelevanttowhatthestudentneeded."Justinsayshewasalsostruckwithhowthewritingtutorialsareaboutmorethancorrectgrammar;henotedthereisadevelopmentaleditingaspecttotutorials."Ihadregulars,"henotes,andhisexperiencehelpingotherstudents"madeiteasierformetowritemyownpapers."WeappreciatethetimeJustincontributedhisskillstotheCenterforWriting,andjustreadingthetealeaves,weseesomewell-writtenpapersinhisfuture.
Will Rudnicki, a biology/anthropology major from Ruston,
Louisiana, worked with us for three years, twice serving as a
WritingAssociate.AftergraduationinMay2017,heplanstomovetoDallasandsettleinbeforeenrollingintheTexasA&MUniversityCollegeofDentistry
inAugust. Oneof the strongest tutorswehavehadworking
forus,Will'sprofessionalismandagilitywith
languagequicklydistinguished him with students seeking help with
papers. One of the surprises about tutoring students, Will says,
was a
deeperappreciationofthe"immenseworkethic"heencounteredinELLstudents,andhowexplainingEnglishtonon-nativespeakersforcedhimtoquestionsomeofourEnglishlanguagehabitsandrules."Iaskalotofquestions,"Willsaysofhistutoringstyle,mentioninghepickeduptheSocraticmethodintutoringfromfellowpeertutors.Will'sownformidableworkethicwillservehimwellingradschool,weknow.
AmandaAguilar,acommunications/journalismmajorfromChinoHills,California,graduatedinDecemberandbeganworkingasanaccountco-ordinatorforSimpli.fi.Duringherthreeandahalfyearswithus,Amandawas
one of the mainstays of the peer writing consultant corps and
aWritingAssociate.ShecitesthefriendshipssheforgedwithothertutorsasoneofthebigsurprisesabouttutoringattheCenterforWriting."Thefriends
I made there are still some of my closest friends aftergraduation,"
she says, "and I know I will always have the support ofevery person
who worked alongside me.I had been writing creativelyand on a
journalism staff before TCU, but I never thought my writingwould
grow as much as it did at the WC." As an advertising
accountmanager, Amanda builds, analyzes, and optimizes ad campaigns
for
clients."Ithasbeensointerestingtoseehowtheadvertisingindustryworks,"shesays,"sinceIhadnoideabeforeIstartedworkinghere!
Icommunicatewithclientsviaemailevery singleday. Isendmoreemails
inadaythan Icancount." Whenshementions
thenecessityofprofessionalismanda calmdemeanoronhernewjob,wesmilea
little, rememberingher significant
contributionsandcalmpresencehere.
HAPPY TRAILS, SENIORS...
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Dr. Carrie Leverenz is Professor of English at TCU, and Director
of Composition. She was
kindenoughtograntusaninterviewthisspring.
At what point in your life did you understand that your life's
work was going to be
deeplyconnectedtowriting?Likelotsoffolkswhoendupteachingwritingforaliving,Irememberhavinganearlyloveforreadingandwriting.Ihaveveryfondmemoriesofwaitingforthebuswithmymotherandbrotherssowe
couldgo tothe local public library,whichwas in anoldVictorianhouse
and thenmoved to
anoldpostofficerightnextdoortotheduplexwheremygrandparentslived.Myfirstpaidjobwasworkinginthatlibrary(the
children’s department) when I was 15. I took creative writing
courses in high school and with
theencouragementofteachers,submittedtovariouscontests.ButIalsowasveryinterestedinthevisualartsandimaginedbeingafashionillustratororaninteriordesignerorevenahairdresser.Infact,itwasmyjuniorhighart
teacherwhopersuadedmeNOT to switch tovocational educationbecauseshe
said Iwas toosmartforthat.Asaworkingclassgirl,
Ihadnosenseofwhatwaspossible.Theonly
college-educatedwomenIknewweremyteachersandthelibrarians
Iworkedwith.
Ieditedtheschoolnewspaperandmighthavebecomeajournalistbutendedupinacademe,probablybecauseIdidn’tknowhowtobecomeajournalistbutIdidknowhowtodoschool.
Did you have a particular teacher orwritingmentorwho shaped your
professional
focusonwriting?MydissertationdirectorAndreaLunsfordhasbeenmymostimportantmentor.ShewasinchargeoftheRhetoric
andCompositionprogramatOhio State; Iworkedasher assistant for three
years. It’s hard todescribe all the things I learned fromher about
being amentor, a teacher, a leader, and a feminist
deeplycommittedtomakingtheuniversityaplacewheredifferencecanthrive.ShesupportedmewhenIhadmyfirst
sonasaPhDstudent;shesupportedmeinmyjobsearch;shehelpedmewritetheconclusionofthefirstarticleIpublishedwhenIjusthadnowordsleft;shesupportedmewhenIwasdeniedtenureatFloridaStateandwasonthejobmarketasecondtime.Sheshowedmetheimportanceofsupportingstudentsasindividuals.I
rememberhersaying,“Sometimesgradstudentsjustneedahug.”Sheactuallydidn’tintervenethatmuchinmywriting.WhatIrememberisherscrawlingattheendofachapter,“justkeepgoing...”AndsoIdid.
AsthenewDirectorofCompositionforTCU’sDepartmentofEnglish,you’llbeoverseeingoneofTCU’slargest,mostimportantprograms.Whatisthephilosophythatunderpinsthisprogram,andwhat’sthemain“takeaway”forstudents?IcametoTCUin2000tobecomeDirectorofComposition,andatthattime,therewasn’tmuchofaprograminplace,nosharedcurriculum,notrainingforgraduateinstructors.Iwasluckyinthattherewasnomandatetodoanythingspecificotherthantodevelopagoodprogram.Soearlyon,Isettledontheidea
that the first course, ENGL 10803,would be an introduction
towritingwrit large. Charlotte
Hogg,whenshetookoverasDirectorofComposition,subtitledthecourseWritingasInquiryandIverymuchlikethat
idea. I’vealwaysresistedthe
ideathatafirst-yearwritingcourseteachesstudentstowriteonlyforthe
university or for other courses. Given the range of writing that
goes on at TCU, that’s just animpossibletask.Andthoughteachers
inothercourseswould
likeallstudentstowritecogent,error-freesentences,thatisnotsomethingwecanmakehappenina15-weekcourse.Thisisallstuffwritingcentersknowwell(andIranawritingcenteratFloridaStatefor6yearssoIhavethatlargerperspective,too.)Soourgoalistoteachwritingasavaluablemeansoflearningandexpandingone’sthinkingandengagingwiththeworld.InENGL20803,WritingasArgument,wedecidedtofocusthecourseonargument.TheTCUEnglishdepartmenthasastrongrhetoricfacultyandgraduaterhetoricprogramsowehavetheresourcestosupportsuchacourse.Wealsoincludeprimaryresearch,collaborativewriting,andmultimodalwritinginthatsecondwritingcourse.Thetakeawayforstudents,Ithink,isthatwritingandrhetoricareameansofdoingworkintheworld,whethertheworldofschooloronthelargerglobalstage.
YouteachareallypopularcourseatTCU,WritingforPublication.Canyoutellusabitaboutyourphilosophyforthatcourse,andhowittranslatesintovariouswritingprojects?I’vealwayslovedmagazinewriting,andhavesubscribedtoTheNewYorkerformorethan30years.SowhenIsawthatwehadacourseonmagazinewritingatTCU,IthoughtI’dgiveitago.Ilovetheblendofresearchedfactsandcompellingnarrativestylethatcharacterizesgoodmagazinewriting.Toomanystudentswhowanttobewritersunderestimatetheimportanceofresearch.Theywanttositattheircomputersandmakethingsup.Sooneofmygoalsistoexposestudentstothepowerofstoriesthataretrue.Onthelastdayofclass,Ialwaysaskstudentstoshareonethingthey’velearnedthatwillstaywiththem.I’llneverforgetthewomanwhosaid,“I’velearnedthepowerofatruestorywelltold.”That’skindofthemantrafortheclass.Students
learn some of themajor genresofmagazinewriting—feature stories,
profiles, commentaries—aswell as techniques for conducting research
andediting formagazine style. I draw on the biggies
inmagazinewriting like JohnMcPheeand Susan Orlean, and I like to
use themost recentBest
AmericanMagazineWritingtoillustratetheimportanceofrespondingtocurrentevents.Intheearlydaysofthecourse(andbeforetheNewMediaWritingStudioexisted),studentseditedanddesignedtheirownonlinemagazine,
basedontheirwork intheclass.Morerecently, I’veaskedstudents
tostarttheirownblogs,sincethat’sanecessityforanywriterwhowantstogetpublishedthesedays.Sothecoursebringstogethersomanyofmyinterests—livelywriting,currenteventsandculture,visualdesign,digitalcomposing.I’velongwantedtodomoreresearchonthehistoryofmagazinewriting.
Whattopicsandresearchinterestyouatthemoment?I’vebeenstudyingthejobmarketinRhetoricandCompositionforthelast4years,surveyingjobseekersandanalyzingthejobads.I’mgettingreadytostartwritinguptheresults.MygoalistofindoutwhetherRhet/Compgradprogramsareadequatelypreparingstudentsforthejobsthatexist.I’veplayedwiththeideaofresearchingthehistoryofthePhDinRhet/Comp,sinceitonlydatesbacktothe1970s,andasfarasIcantell,thathistoryhasnotyetbeenwritten.Itwouldbeabigproject.I’vealsodonesomeworkonstorytellingasaknowledge-makingstrategy.I’vetrackeddownalotoffascinatingresearch—feministepistemology,psychotherapy,cognitivepsychology,rhetoric—onnarrativethinking.I’minterestedinstorytellingasameansofmakingknowledgeaboutteaching.Ofcourse,theassessmentofthecompositionprogramandanysubsequentrevisionsthathappenwilllikelyturnintoanarticleortwo.That’sjustwherevirtuallyallmyresearcharticlescomefrom—realproblemsthatI’mtryingtosolve.Andfinally,I’mtryingtofindawaytoturnmyextra-curricularinterestsintoresearch.I’mcontemplatingteachingacourse,probablya20803course,on“ArguingaboutStuff”thatwillcriticallyinterrogateourrelationshiptomaterialgoods.Itmightbesubtitled,“FromHoarderstoTinyHouses.”Irecentlyboughtastackofwomen’smagazinesfromthe1950sinajunkstoreandIwouldlovetousetheminaclassoraresearchproject.Onelastthing—I’dlovetolearnhowtodomemoirwritingmyself,purelyformyownpleasure.IalreadyknowthetitleofwhatIwouldwrite:MyLifeasaHouse.
continued on Page 6...
"One of my goals is to expose students to the power of stories
that are true."
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Some Questions for Dr. Carrie Leverenz
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At the Center W.L. Adams Center
for
Writing Phone:817.257.7221
Email:[email protected]
Main Center:
(419 Reed)
8:00a.m.–5p.m.
Monday–Friday
Phone817.257.7221
Library Annex:
(Room 1202)
6:00p.m.–9:00p.m.
Sunday-Thursday
817.257.6520
To Make An Appointment via
Our Website:
http://wrt.tcu.edu
Online Help:
Email and attach your document:
[email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WlAdams
CenterForWriting
Dr.StevenSherwood
(Director)recentlypublishedashortstorytitled“GrandLake”intheAdelaideLiterary
Magazine and a memoir titled “The Summer of Working Dangerously” in
Writing Texas. Inaddition tomakinganumberofconferencepresentations
thisyear,hespokeonApril28, 2017, to theFriends of the UTA Library
about his novel No Asylum.Sherwood continues to serve as
outgoingpresidentoftheConferenceofCollegeTeachersofEnglishandassecretaryoftheTexasAssociationofCreative
Writing Teachers. In addition to directing the center, Sherwood
teaches courses for TCU’sMaster of Liberal Arts program on humor,
the literature of survival, novel writing, and
creativenonfictionwriting.Thisyearishisfifteenthasdirectorandhistwenty-ninthasaTCUemployee.
[email protected] Phone:817-257-6536
Ms. CherylCarithers
(AssistantDirector)organizesPeerTutorTrainingandcoordinatestheWritingAssociatesProgram.Inadditiontoliteratureandcompositioncourses,Ms.CarithersteachescoursesfortheMLAprogram.InFall2016,shetaughtacoursetitledSuperheroes:MythsorCulturalIcons?Another,War
Stories: A Study Through Literature and Film is planned for Fall
2017. Also scheduled for thisupcoming fall semester is a newly
developed Introduction to Fiction course, which will focus
onDystopian and Post-Apocalyptic literature. In March 2017, Ms.
Carithers gave a presentation
onsuperherostudiesattheSouthwestPopular/AmericanCultureConferenceinAlbuquerque,NewMexico.
[email protected] Phone:817-257-6534
Dr. Lindsay Dunn continues to present at academic conferences as
sheworks on article and
bookpublicationsthatdrawfromherworkonthevisualrhetoricofMarie-Louise,HouseofHabsburg-Lorraineandaristocraticwomenartists.
InApril2017,sheco-organizedaconferencesessiononAmateurismintheEighteenthCenturyat
theannualmeetingoftheAmericanSocietyofEighteenthCenturyStudies,andwelcomedhersecondsonintotheworld.In2016,shepresentedpapersattheAmericanSocietyofEighteenth
Century Studies and the Southeastern American Society of Eighteenth
Century Studiesannualconferences.
InFall2016,shetaughtArtHistoricalMethodsandIntroductiontoArtHistory,andco-taughtSex,GenderandDisciplines.InFall2017,shewillteachArtofAfrica.
[email protected] Phone:817-257-6537
Ms.CynthiaShearer(AssistantDirector)coordinatesthecenter'swebpagecontent,documentarystyleguides,andsocialmedia;editsthenewsletter;andassistsfacultywithgrantproposalwriting.Hertwo
novels are The Wonder Book of the Air, and The Celestial Jukebox.
Her essay on
legendaryblueswomanWillieMaeThornton,"TheThinningofBigMama,"appearedinthe2016musicissueofTheOxford
American. In the 2016-2017 academic year, Shearer taught multiple
sections of a
themedintermediatecompositioncourse,ProofandPersuasion:TheRhetoricofScientific
Integrity.
InFall2017,shewillbeofferingIntroductiontoFictioncourses.
[email protected] Phone:817-257-6539
Dr. Sidney Thompson has completedhis
thirdyearasaWritingConsultantandthecenter’s
liaisonwithBriteDivinity.Dr.ThompsonholdsaPh.D.fromtheUniversityofNorthTexasinAmericanfiction,withasecondaryspecializationinAfrican-Americannarratives,andanM.F.A.increativewriting(fiction)fromtheUniversityofArkansas.HeistheauthoroftheshortstorycollectionSideshow.Hisfictionandpoetryhaveappeared
in theCarolinaQuarterly, The CortlandReview,Grey Sparrow Journal,
Rhino, TheSouthern Review, storySouth, and recently in 2River View,
Flock, andWaxwing Literary Journal. In Fall2016,he
taughttwosectionsofReadingAsaWriter; inSpring2017,he taught
Introductionto CreativeWriting andtwosectionsof Introductionto
Composition:WritingAs Inquiry. In
the2017-2018academicyear,hewillbeofferingcoursesintheMasterofLiberalArtsprogram:BlackSkin/WhiteLawinAmericanLiterature(Fall2017)andBlackSkintoSilverScreen:TranscendingGenreandRace(Spring2018).
[email protected] Phone:817-257-6535
SpecialcongratulationstograduatepeerwritingconsultantandCollegeofEducationteachingassistantAmandaAnderson,winnerofthe2017MaryNellKivikkoExcellenceinScholarshipAwardfromtheNorthTexas
Writing Centers Association. The Kivikko award recognizes
outstanding scholarship in
writingcentertheoryandpractice;Anderson'swinningsubmissionwasanessayconsideringtheapplicationsofsolution-focused
brief therapy to individualwriting tutorials. Anderson has
alsoworked as a
researchanalyst/assistantfortheFortWorthIndependentSchoolDistrictandrecentlybroughtoutherfirstbook.
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Leverenzinterview,continued...ArethereanynewdevelopmentsorchangesintheworksforTCU’scompositionprogram?NextyearbothENGL10803and20803areupfortheir7-yearuniversity-mandatedassessmentthatallcoursesinthecoregothrough.SoI’mgoingtotakefulladvantageoftheopportunitytolearnasmuchasIcanabouthowwellourprogramisworkingandhowsatisfiedvariousconstituentsarewiththeprogram,andanyrevisionswedotothecurriculumorpoliciesortrainingwillcomeoutofwhatwelearnfromtheassessment.SomeareasI’minterestedinarethepossibilityofmovingtoportfolioassessment,especiallyforENGL10803,todovetailwithFrogfolio.I’malsothinkingaboutwaystoconnectENGL20803moreexplicitlywiththeNewMediaWritingStudio,whichIwasinvolvedwithforthelast10years.Thereisalreadyalotofmultimodalcomposinggoingonin20803,butitmaybecomeamoreexplicitoutcome.Finally,I’dliketomakemoreconnectionswiththecommunity.I’mnotsurewhatthatwilllooklike,anditmayinvolvetheteachersofwritingmorethanthestudentsin10803or20803,butIthinkitwouldbehelpfultohaveabroaderunderstandingoflanguagedifferenceandculturaldifferencethanTCUalonecanprovide.IalsothinkauniversityandstudentbodywithasmanyresourcesasTCUhasshouldsharethatwealthwiththecommunity,whichbenefitseveryone.
Writing Associates Program Provides 10 Years of Solid Support
for Faculty
TCU’sWritingAssociatesProgramisnowenteringitseleventhyearofserving
faculty and students in undergraduate courses that
heavilyemphasizewriting.Originallyfundedbya2006VisioninActiongrant,thisprogram
has had a sustained impact on TCU undergrads over the lastdecade.
At the requests of professors, we assign Writing Associates(trained
undergraduates, graduate students, or staff) to a class in
anydiscipline. This collaboration ensures that professors and
students getfocused attention from us; we base writing associate
placement
ontimelinessoffacultyrequestsandavailablestaff.AssistantDirectorCherylCarithers,whoassignsandcoordinatestheWritingAssociates,says,"Ourgoal
is to increase the number of courses and disciplines for which
weprovide support." Professors interested in participating in the
Fall
2107WritingAssociatesprogramshouldcontactMs.CarithersbyFriday,August11.
Writing Associates, who also serve as peer writing consultants
for theCenter forWriting, receiveextensive training
fromusandmentoring
fromtheprofessorswithwhomtheywork.WritingAssociatesmeetwith
students from theirassignedclassesduring their regular tutoring
hours, and familiarize otherstaffwith course requirements in
advance of student visits to the Center. Associates also have the
oportunity to observeexperiencedprofessors incorporateand
teachwriting skills. "This programdemonstratesTCU's
ongoingcommitment
toensuringthatourstudentshaveupper-levelwritingexperiencesthatenhancetheirabilitytothinkcriticallyandtolead,
inwhateverdisciplineorprofessionalpaththeyhavechosen,"saysDr.SteveSherwood,directoroftheCenterforWriting.
Inthefallsemesterof2016,fivepeerwritingconsultantsandapart-timestaffmemberservedasWritingAssociatesatTCU.AmandaAguilarworkedwithtwoofDr.MarkDennis'sReligion10023/UnderstandingReligionclasses,andAmandaAndersonwas
assigned to ProfessorDennis'sHonors 40033 course,The Nature of
Values.MalcolmBaker assistedProfessorDianeHawley with Nursing
30243, Professional Role II: Member of the Healthcare Team. Will
Rudnicki served as the WritingAssociate with Danielle Walker's
Nursing 30243, and Dariana Slater covered Professor Suki John's
Dance 40373/DanceHistory I. Dr. Arch Mayfield was the Writing
Associate for two sections of Nursing 40813, Community Health
Nursing:Concepts,taughtbyDr.SharonCancliniandDr.GinaAlexander.
For the 2017 spring semester, Amanda Anderson assisted Professor
Dennis with Understanding Religion, and OwenWellington assisted him
with his Nature of Values course.Malcolm Baker returned to assist
Professor Hawley with
herNursing30243course,andDr.MayfieldservedagainastheWritingAssociateforProf.CancliniandProf.Alexander'supperlevelcourses.SandyBallouwastheWritingAssociateforProf.DanielleWalker'sNursing30243course.
TheprimarymissionofaWritingAssociateisinstructionalratherthaneditorial.AWritingAssociatewillrespondtowritinginways
thathelpstudents tobecomemore awareof their strengths andto learn
toovercomeanyweaknesses.WritingAssociatesdonotgradepapers
forprofessors; rather, theysupport
thecourseoutcomestheprofessorsset forth.
IfyouwouldlikemoreinformationaboutworkingwithaWritingAssociateintheclassesyouteachatTCU,pleasecontactDirectorDr.SteveSherwoodats.sherwood@tcu.eduorAssistantDirectorMs.CherylCarithersatc.carithers@tcu.edu.
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Ready, Set . . .Geez, Where Do I Start? 2017 Dissertation and
Thesis Boot Camp Set for August 7-10
If youare a TCUgraduate student registered for thesis or
dissertation hours in the fall,we'd like to talk
toyou!WewillbehostingthesixthannualDissertationandThesisBootCampAugust7-10,2017,attheW.L.AdamsCenterforWriting.Dr.SteveSherwood,directorof
theCenter,andDr.CarrieLeverenz,professorofEnglish,will
serveasco-directorsof
thebootcamp,presentingonvariousaspectsofwriting.
A grad student's ability to complete long,
sustainedwritingprojects is a crucial test in professionalism at
TCU,where gradprogramsaccount for 14%of
thestudentbody.Ourbootcampoffering isastrategically timed,shortbut
intensiveprogramsuccessfulinpartbecauseofTCU'scommitmenttosupportitsgradstudents.JointlysponsoredbytheCenteralongwithTCU'sOfficeofGraduateStudiesandResearch'sGEMprogram,thislivelyseriesofdiscussionsandguidedwritingactivitieskicksofftheacademicyearbyensuringthatlate-phasegraduatestudentsestablishrealisticgoalsandagoodsupportsystembeforetherushoftheacademicyearisuponthem.
Another draw for the TCU boot camp is its laid-back format, a
relaxed combination of writing readiness
self-assessment,significant conversations and discussions, guest
speakers, and multiple opportunities to benefit from the
experiences
ofothers.Someperennialbutcrucialtopicsaddressedinthesesessions:howtoorganizelongprojects,howtosetrealisticgoalsandmanagetime,andhowtoensurehelpful,durable
relationshipswithdirectorsandcommittees.Mostgraduatestudentsstrugglewithanessentialquestion:howdoesonestakeafirmclaimtoadequatewritingtime,givenone'sotherpersonalandprofessionalobligations?
Weheld TCU's fifthDissertation and Thesis Boot CampAugust
8-11,2016,with 10 participants in the final stagesof
earninggraduatedegrees
inEducation,Chemistry,EnvironmentalScience,Geology,History,Music,Psychology,Nursing,ArtHistory,English,andMath.ThegroupmetwithDr.SherwoodandDr.Leverenzeachmorningat9:00a.m.,armedwithlaptopsandlotsofquestions.GuestlunchtimespeakerswereDr.LindsayDunn,writingconsultantandarthistorian,andMs.CynthiaShearer,AssistantDirectorattheCenterforWriting.Manyoftheparticipantsfromthe2016sessionstayedintouchwithusthroughtheacademicyear.Oneparticipantwrote,"Iappreciateallthehelpfultips...itgavemethe'spark'togetthingsstartedthisfall."
For information about the 2017 Dissertation and Thesis Boot Camp
(Aug. 7-10), contact Dr. Steve Sherwood via email
[email protected],[email protected].
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Director’s Notes W.L. Adams Center for Writing In 2016, the
center gave 10,000 consultations for the first time in its 28-year
history. Based on our springtraffic,we could reach 11,000during
2017.Our steady growthover thepast ten years has nodoubt
resultedfrom TCU’s increase in student enrollments and from
professors encouraging students to use our
services.Hiringtalentedwritingconsultantsandtrainingthemwellmayalsohavehelped.
We emphasize kindness and humility as part of our tutor
training. We want our consultants to treat
everywriter—whetherfreshmanorfullprofessor—astheywouldliketobetreatedwhenaskingforassistance.Thisattitude
begins with our administrative coordinator, Nancy Newsom, who
warmly welcomes writers to thecenter,andcontinues
inourone-to-oneconsultations.Wepromotehumilitybecauseweworkwithstudents,staff,
and professors from 50 disciplines, often on projects involving
subject matter with which we areunfamiliar,
suchasanesthesiaoreconomic theory. Insuchcases, thewriteroccupies
theexpert roleandthe
consultantservesasageneralreader,listeningwithafriendlyear,askingquestions,andofferingadviceonhowthewritercanclarifyhisorher
intendedmeaning.We also emphasize humility because noone, including
those of uswho haveworked aswriters, consultants,
andteachersfordecades,canknoweverythingaboutwriting,tutoring,orteaching.
Associate ProvostBonnieMelhart has repositioned the center under
theOffice ofResearch andGraduate Studies, in part becauseof
ourincreasing role in assisting advanced graduate students and
faculty members. Together they make up more than a quarter of our
totalclientele.InpartnershipwithGraduateStudies,wehostanannualthesisanddissertationbootcamp.In2016,tengraduatestudentsfromfiveacademicdisciplinesreceivedwritingadviceandworkedontheirfinalprojects.Dr.CarrieLeverenzandIledtheworkshops,whichfocusedonanumberofwriting-relatedissues.Twenty-fivegraduatestudentshavesofarregisteredforthe2017session,whichwilltakeplaceAugust7-10.
Meanwhile,we continue to focus three-quarters of ourworkon
undergraduatewriting.Most years I’m scouting for talented students
toserve as writing consultants. To faculty members: please
encourage the very best of your student writers to apply by
contactingme
[email protected],pleasecontinuetofeelfreetouseourservicesyourselves.Haveagreatyear!