Dissertation Writers’ Retreats
Online Dissertation Writers’ Retreat
June 1-5, 2020
Sponsored by the Graduate School and
the College of Arts and Science Dean’s Office
The Writing Studio will host an online dissertation writers’ retreat, which will provide dissertating students with a community of support and opportunities for goal setting and skill building alongside loosely structured time to work individually on their writing projects. Graduate students working on master’s theses and other advanced writing projects are also welcome to participate. We will couple ample writing time with optional daily workshops and one-on-one writing consultations. The retreat will culminate with a final optional peer review workshop on Friday, June 5.
Registration is required by Sunday, May 24: To register, complete the online retreat application form (URL: https://redcap.vanderbilt.edu/surveys/?s=RPJ87NAHXK)
We use your answers to the application questions to select those applicants who seem most ready to benefit from the retreat’s online format of loosely structured writing time.
Retreat Schedule: Monday-Thursday, June 1-4
9:00 Morning Check-In
9:20-12:20 Writing Time
12:20-12:30 Afternoon Check-In
1:00-4 Optional Continued Writing Time
1:00 Optional Daily Workshops
Friday, June 5
10- Noon Optional Peer Review Workshop
Workshop Schedule
Monday: Roundtable Discussion on Strategies for Managing This Time as Graduate Writers with Stacey Satchell, Graduate Life Coach, and Samantha York from the Center for Student Well Being
Tuesday: Revision Tools for Reorganizing Large Projects
Wednesday: Editing Tools: Practical Approaches to Improving Large Projects at the Sentence Level
Thursday: Reading as a Writer, Part 1: Strategies for Offering and Integrating Constructive Feedback
Friday: Reading as a Writer, Part 2: Peer Review
Daily Check-In Meetings
Daily check-in meetings provide retreat participants with the opportunity to connect with fellow graduate student writers in small groups. Participants will discuss aspects of the writing process, consider various writing strategies, and articulate their goals for each session.
For additional information about the retreat, please contact simone.mccarter@vanderbilt.edu.