This semester, the Centre for Writing and Scholarly Communication is hosting a number of workshops and events to support undergraduate writing at UBC.
Introduction to Academic Reading and Writing
Tuesday, January 21st and Tuesday, January 28th, 12pm-1pm, Dodson Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
This two-part workshop is for first-year undergraduates who are new to the types of scholarly communication they are expected to engage with at a research institution. Participants will be taught how to recognize and read different types of academic texts, and how to begin to produce their own versions of those texts for their classes.
Citing to Communicate: Who, What, When, Where, Why
Paul Joseph / UBC Brand & Marketing
Tuesday, February 4th or Tuesday, March 24th, 12pm-1pm, Dodson Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
All too often, scholarly citation is approached by undergraduates as a frustrating obstacle on the path to completing a writing assignment, rather than as an intellectual pursuit in its own right. This workshop aims to reframe that mindset by demystifying the who, what, when, where, and why of citational practices. No matter the citation style they are being asked to engage with, participants will come away from this workshop with a greater understanding of the purpose behind citation, as well as a pragmatic conception of how to apply that understanding in their own academic writing.
Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference: Abstract Writing
Friday, January 10th from 11:30am-1:30pm and/or Friday, January 17th from 2pm-4pm, Dodson Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
Conference abstracts play a vital role in the communication of scholarly research. But how do writers communicate the relevance and legitimacy of their research to members of their discipline, and, importantly, to researchers in other disciplines? This workshop introduces undergraduate researchers to the typical structure of the scientific abstract across disciplines, while accounting for disciplinary differences and community norms. During the workshop, participants will write or revise a draft of their MURC abstract, and receive feedback from the workshop facilitators and other participants. Light refreshments will be provided.
Annotated Bibliographies: Writing
Friday, February 14th from 10am to 12pm, Dodson Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
This workshop introduces students to the typical structure of an annotated bibliography, while accounting for variations in purpose. Typically, the annotations synthesize multiple studies, help develop a discussion of the current field, and help identify a potential knowledge contribution. Research shows that annotated bibliographies across disciplines typically consist of 3 parts: the full bibliographic citation; a relevant academic summary; a critical evaluation. But how do authors determine relevance? What does it mean to write critical annotations?
Workshop facilitators draw on research to address these questions, while discussing this text as a type of literature survey with its own distinct patterns of organization. Participants will write or revise an annotated bibliography and receive feedback from the workshop facilitators and other participants. Therefore, this workshop is most useful for those with an annotated bibliography underway.
Personal Statements: Writing
Friday, March 20th from 10am to 12pm, Dodson Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
The personal statement is written for admission to graduate and professional programs at academic institutions like UBC. But what does personal mean in an academic context? How do writers construct an appropriate professional identity? Research shows that personal statements must reflect the values of the profession, and that the personal self you construct in the statement must be a relevant self. That is, relevant to the chosen profession.
This workshop draws on research to introduce participants to some of the typical stylistic features of the personal statement, such as personal narrative, identity construction, and self-promotion, and includes dedicated time for participants to revise a statement and receive feedback from the facilitators and other participants. Therefore, this workshop is most useful for those with a draft of a personal statement underway.
Honours Thesis Writing Retreat
Friday, February 28th, 10am-4pm, Dodson Room, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
This event provides an opportunity for undergraduates from across the disciplines who are writing their honours theses to participate in a daylong retreat in the beautiful historic core of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. In addition to an opening panel discussion between undergraduates, graduate students, and CWSC staff, the retreat will feature opportunities for one-on-one writing consultations and dedicated writing time. Light refreshments will be provided.
Writing Consultations
Last but not least, as always, Writing Consultations are available to undergraduate and graduate students at The Writing Pavilion on the 3rd floor of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. This term, Consultations run from January 13th to April 17th, 10am-5pm on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and 10am-7pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
To register for any of these events or to book a writing consultation, visit the CWSC website. We look forward to seeing you soon!
