Students having completed doctoral qualifying examinations and now working on a dissertation or prospectus will undertake a structured process leading to the completion of a finished piece of work, in most cases a dissertation chapter. Each week, students will discuss one or more works in progress, and will have an opportunity both to learn from other students’ process and research, and to receive feedback from a diverse group on your own writing. Alongside the work of participants, students will read relevant theoretical texts and discuss research methods, questions of genre, tools for moving through blocks, and avenues for publication.

In this seminar, students post-QE and working on a prospectus, dissertation chapter or article will undertake a structured process leading to the completion of a finished piece of work. We will share work in progress each week and participants will have the option of joining a daily online writing group. The seminar creates a structure for unlocking writing as a habitual process, discussing strategies for research and receiving sustained feedback as a project takes shape. One goal is to mitigate the solitude that sometimes accompanies the transition to research from coursework, and to provide intellectual community, accountability, and engagement while aiming to demystify the process of academic writing. Enrollment is open to all post-QE students in French, Film & Media, and the Film & Media DE, or by approval of the instructor for other departments and programs. The seminar can be repeated as many times as you have pieces of writing that need shepherding!

Repeat Rules