The purpose:  To provide graduate student writers with a low-risk, supportive environment for structured peer review of their writing.  

What are the Writers’ Studios? A group of six to twelve graduate students in related disciplines meet 5 times during the semester.    Each meeting lasts about 90 minutes and is led by a graduate student nominated by faculty for this role.    The students bring writing-in-progress for peer review and critique. 

How are the studios developed? Graduate programs request a studio through the Writing Center and the Graduate College. Faculty of a graduate program of study identify a graduate student to serve as facilitator and six to ten student participants.  The graduate program commits to supporting the facilitator with a $300 stipend for the semester.  Graduate programs may share a studio and facilitator. CONTACT:  jeanne.simpson@asu.edu   

Roles & Responsibilities  

Faculty/departmental responsibilities:  

• Identify a time and space for the studios to occur.   A classroom, seminar room, or a meeting room will do.  

• Arrange to pay a $300 stipend to the graduate leader/facilitator -- half at mid-semester and half at the end of semester

• Participate in a discussion about writing.  These discussions will be recorded and edited into podcasts for graduate students.  The podcasts will be posted on the Graduate College website. 

Facilitator/leader responsibilities:  

• Attend the training session - 9/25/09

• Take attendance at each studio session

• Lead the sessions

• Administer assessment instruments as requested

Participant responsibilities:

• Commit to attend all 5 sessions

• Bring writing in progress to each session

• Participate actively

• Respond to assessment instruments as requested

The Writing Center Director, Dr. Jeanne Simpson, meets with representative faculty to discuss writing.  This discussion identifies core concerns and values that then become the focus of the writing studios.  These discussions will be recorded and edited into podcasts for graduate students.  The podcasts will be posted on the Graduate College website.  Each semester, the Writing Center Director provides training for the facilitators, visits the studios, and conducts assessment to assure consistency and quality.  

Programs participating – Fall 2009

• Bioengineering
• Biomedical Informatics
• History
• Religious Studies
• Women & Gender Studies
• School of Music
• School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
• Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center & the School  of Social Work
• Learning, Technology and Psychology in Education