Graduate Student Writing Center
The Graduate Student Writing (GSW) Center offers virtual one-on-one, in-person, and asynchronous appointments with qualified writing consultants. We also offer a variety of writing workshops and retreats.
HOURS:
Mon-Thurs: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
NEED WRITING SUPPORT?
*Please contact our office at [email protected] or 619-594-2718 to request assistance*
MEET OUR CONSULTANTS
Arline Votruba, Ph.D.
Dr. Arline Votruba holds a M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, & Professional Communications
and a Ph.D. in Cultural studies, specializing in educating university students across
disciplines to develop seminar papers, theses, and dissertations from concept to final
draft.
Bree Merschel, M.A.
Bree Merschel teaches Rhetoric and Writing Studies at SDSU; she can offer support in any field/discipline but specializes in the humanities, the digital humanities, and professional development materials (CVs, resumes, cover letters, etc)
Miranda Muñoz, M.A.
Miranda Muñoz background as a writing tutor extends about 6 years. Since receiving MA in English Lit from SDSU, she has taught in the RWS department and at Cuyamaca College.
Troy Mikanovich, Ph.D.
Troy Mikanovich recieved his Ph.D. in Religion and American Politics at Claremont Graduate University. He holds a B.A. in Astrophysics from UC Berkeley and an M.A. in Religion, Ethics, and Social Theory from the Graduate Theological Union.
Katrina Denman, Ph.D.
Katrina Denman (ABD, History) has five years' experience as a university writing consultant and instructor, with a particular emphasis on the Arts & Humanities, Public Health, Education, and grant/fellowship applications.
FALL 2024 WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS
The dynamics of the graduate school workload are unique, and it is often a challenge to integrate academic demands into the rest of life. This workshop gives you tools to thrive during graduate school by providing time management techniques to increase efficiency, plan effectively, and achieve work-life balance. It will also touch on reading and notetaking strategies to help manage your class workload as productively as painlessly as possible.
Session 1
Date: September 3, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Session 2
Date: September 12, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
With the added demands of graduate school, such as multiple simultaneous writing assignments in numerous courses, theses, qualifying exams and dissertations, prewriting strategies can make a huge difference in developing sustainable writing practices. In this webinar, learn about how developing a writing plan can help you tackle longer projects one step at a time, allowing you more time and attention for each part. We will discuss how this can be applied during coursework as well as during the more independent post-coursework phases.
Session 1
Date: October 8, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Session 2
Date: October 29, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location : Zoom
Many of your professors and programs want you to write "in APA style." And while the APA Publication Manual is many things, it is not terribly user friendly. Nor can it help you figure out what elements your professors consider central to APA and what things they think are superfluous. This workshop can't exactly do that either, but it will cover the core baseline principles of writing in APA, including citations, formatting, clarity, and style.
Session 1
Date: August 29, 2024
Time: 4:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Session 2
Date: September 9, 2024
Time: 4:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Many graduate students are expected to take effective notes, but have not been formally taught how to do so. In this webinar, you will learn tips and best practices for making the most of your time reading by developing targeted notes. This webinar will explore how you can approach readings to maximize your time and provide you with tips on how to develop useful note-taking strategies. You will leave with different note-taking approaches for various research contexts. This webinar will provide you with ideas about how to write clear notes that can help you write your papers, thesis, or dissertation.
Date: September 5, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Date: September 24, 2024
Time: 11:00 p.m. - 12:00 p.m.
This webinar will cover how to accurately paraphrase, quote, and cite research material, with specific reference to APA, MLA, and Chicago guidelines. It will also include tips on effective notetaking to avoid accidental plagiarism.
Date: September 10, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Date: October 1, 2024
Time: 11:00 p.m. - 12:00 p.m.
This webinar will cover the essential elements of writing a successful grant proposal, including how to structure the application and how to highlight the value of your project. It will also include some specific tips on applying for common grants for graduate students (NEH, NSF, etc.)
Session 1
Date: November 5, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Session 2
Date: November 19, 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
What is the difference between revision and editing, anyways? Join this webinar to learn more about the differences between revision and editing as well as a variety of techniques for developing your work. There are multiple levels of revision ranging from organizational to content-level and this webinar helps you to approach each phase of revision effectively. Come learn strategies geared towards developing your drafts and you will leave with tips about revision and editing best practices.
Session 1
Date: October 16, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Session 2
Date: November 4, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Does feedback from your professor confuse you? Join our "Managing Faculty Feedback" Graduate Student Workshop to gain proficiency in understanding, processing, and effectively incorporating feedback from professors.
Session 1
Date: November 20, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Session 2
Date: December 2, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
