Goucher College Writing Workshop 23 January 2009: Agenda

Participants: Barbara Roswell (English/Frontiers); Arnie Sanders (English); Sasha Dukan (Physics); Annalisa Czeczulin (Modern Languages-Russian); Elizabeth Leik (Writing Program); Tina Sheller (History); Valerie Thaler (BHU); Patricia Greenberg (Sociology/Anthro); Ali Bakhshai (Physics); Dara Friedman-Wheeler (Psych); Rebecca Shargel (BHU); Daniel Marcus (Communications); Chrystelle Bond (Dance); Elizabeth Ahearn (Dance); Brian Francoise (Theater); Rob Smith (Information Technology); Irline Francois (Women’s Studies); Mina Brunyate (Writing Program); Ariane de Bremond (Environmental Studies); Beth Chernichowski (Dir. Sponsored Research); Ben Sugerman (Physics); Marguerite Hoyt (Women’s Studies); Hank Ratrie (Biology); Laura Burns (Art); Jeanie Murphy (Modern Languages-Latin American Studies); Mary Adkins (Education); Frances Ramos-Valdez (Modern Languages-Spanish); Uta Larkey (Modern Languages-German); Jackie Andrews (Biology)

Part One: 9:00-10:25

I. (9:05-9:15) Welcome and warm-up discussion.

II. (9:20-9:30) What kinds of “bad writing” do we see in student papers and why is it “bad”?  Survey results.

III. (9:30-10:00) How do we assign writing and what does the process look like from the students’ perspective?

IV. (10:00-10:25) What would excellence look like in a paper written for your assignment, and what would be the ideal stages in the process which would produce this excellent paper?

The First Card: Write to us, telling us something you would like to leave this workshop knowing how to do, or how to do better.

[Break 10:25-10:30]

Part Two: 10:30-11:30

V.  (10:30-10:45)  What kinds of writing do you do in your field (genres/lengths) and how do you write them?  (List them from shortest and most informal to longest and most formal.)  What roles do other people play in your composing process for these kinds of writing?  How do you get “ungraded response” from your readers?