Each academic year, the UConn Writing Center offers three 5-week seminars in academic writing for UConn graduate students. Most students enroll in the course for credit or audit the course; you can also take the course without receiving credit. The goal of these seminars is to help graduate writers develop a toolbox of writing, revising, and peer-review skills that will help them succeed in professional academic writing contexts. There is no cost for participating in these seminars.

Expect an interactive, collaborative space where writers develop practical strategies for each phase of the writing process. Participants work extensively with peers but also get one-on-one feedback from the seminar leader. This is a writing workshop, not a traditional lecture or grammar course. Participants must have a draft of a substantial academic writing project (e.g., a dissertation chapter, article manuscript, grant proposal, seminar paper), which they will revise during the seminar. Most seminar sessions will involve working on this draft in some way, and most of our time is dedicated to developing skills for revising and on cultivating productive writing habits. Participants should expect to commit about 5 hours per week—2 hours per week in class and 3 outside of class completing readings and tasks.

If you have questions about the seminar or are interested in seeing a syllabus, please contact the Coordinator for Graduate Writing Support at gradwriting@uconn.edu. The seminars are made possible through funding from the Graduate School and the University Writing Center. 

In the academic year 2023/2024, this seminar will be co-taught by:

Professor Alex Menrisky

PhD Candidate Sarah Bertekap

Participation Requirements

Seminar participants must be degree-seeking UConn graduate students. International grad students are welcome. We ask graduate students to complete a registration form for the seminar, as interest in the course often exceeds our 20-person enrollment capacity.  If we receive more applications than there are seats available (which is likely), we will make decisions about enrollment based on the application submission date, the nature of the applicant's project, and how useful the seminar will be to the applicant at this time. Applications submitted after the posted deadline will be considered if spaces are available.

If you are taking the course for credit, you will receive a permission number for the course when your registration is approved, and you can then enroll through the Student Administration System. If you are auditing the course, you will need to submit an audit form through the registrar's office--we will send you the form before the class begins.