Writing

Thesis Writer Roundtables — Apply by 10/3

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Attention all thesis writers! This year, the Writing Workshop is looking into offering a new resource that would support YOU as you write your thesis, and help the process seem less isolating.  We want to gauge interest in monthly roundtable discussions at the DFC with a writing tutor and four other students to discuss thesis topics, practice your “elevator pitch,” ask questions of others who might be able to offer useful suggestions, and even just VENT about how things are going for you as you’re planning and writing.  The costs of lunch would be covered by the Writing Workshop, and the time commitment is only one lunch hour each month over the course of October, November, and December.

For those of you who might be interested, topics of Thesis Roundtables could include: Preparing for thesis presentations; how to talk about your thesis with your friends, professors, family, etc; “Does my research question make sense?”; what to do when your advisor doesn’t email you back; how to get the most out of thesis advisor meetings; how to make the most of the library resources; how to keep track of citations and sources; where to work if you don’t get a carrel; etc.

If this sounds like an opportunity that you’d benefit from, please fill out the interest here no later than October 3rd.  As long as there is sufficient interest, we’ll then group you with four other students so you can set up your October lunch date. We want to help you enjoy the thesis-writing process!  Please contact Ford Fellow Gabriel Borelli or Interim Director of Academic Writing Meg Furniss Weisberg at writingworks@wesleyan.edu if you have any questions or concerns.

 

 

Note from Dean Brown

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2017’ers,

I hope you are getting into your classes and the rhythm of the semester—and are enjoying being a senior!  

With drop/add over, CHECK YOUR CREDIT ANALYSIS to make sure you are all set to meet degree requirements by the end of the spring semester so that you can walk in the ceremony and graduate on May 28!!! 

Update Your Major Certification Form (MCF)

December Completions should submit a completed form by September 30; May Completions should do so early in the spring semester.  This tool both tracks your progress in the major and is used by your department to confirm that you have completed major requirements. 

 Grading Option/Schedule Confirmation Deadline

September 30 is the deadline for choosing a grading mode for courses that offer the option.  It is also the deadline for confirming the accuracy of your schedule so be sure to check!

Thesis & Essay Writers

The library is offering workshops on research sources and interlibrary loan and other services for seniors writing a thesis or an essay. Sessions will be offered on Mon. 9/26, Tues. 9/27, Wed. 9/28, and Thurs. 9/29 at 11 a.m, 1 p.m and 3 p.m. each day. No need to sign up ahead of time. Choose a date and time convenient for you and join a group for a 45-minute info session at Olin Library’s Reference Office. Attendees will be granted expanded interlibrary loan privileges. Contact Kendall Hobbs, Reference Librarian, at khobbs@wesleyan.edu with questions.  

Work at Homecoming and Family Weekends
This year’s Homecoming (Oct.21-22) and Family Weekends (Oct. 28-30) are fast approaching, and we need student employees! Aside from getting paid, you’ll also have the unique opportunity to help out with one of Wesleyan’s most important events, make lasting connections with alumni, and represent the student body to hundreds of visitors and guests. Fill out and submit the student worker application by Wed., Oct. 5 at 5 PM, and we will notify you of your employment status no later than Mon., Oct. 10.  Note: Homecoming is during fall break.  There will be a mandatory student employee meeting on Wed., Oct. 26 at 5 PM. If you are hired, you must attend this meeting to receive your work schedules, event staff T-shirt, and other important event information.  If you have any questions, please contact us at aprinterns@wesleyan.edu.  Best, Nisha Grewal ’17, Avva Saniee ’17, Amanda Yeoh ’19 & Maxine Gibb ’19 

I have loved seeing so many of you already this semester.  Don’t hesitate to drop in, make an appointment, or email me with questions or concerns.  Best, Dean Brown

 

Hip Hop Festival — Sat., Sept. 20

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Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts presents

Planet Hip Hop Festival with Maimouna Youssef a.k.a. Mumu Fresh, Meryem Saci, and Poetic Pilgrimage

Curated by Nomadic Wax

What: Afternoon workshops and evening performances by international Muslim women in hip hop, including London’s spoken-word duo Poetic Pilgrimage, the U.S. debut of Montreal-based Algerian singer-songwriter and rapper Meryem Saci as a solo artist, and the New England debut of Washington, D.C.-based and Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter, poet, and emcee Maimouna Youssef a.k.a. Mumu Fresh as a solo artist. Using hip hop as a platform to explore issues of social importance—faith, peace, unity, social justice—educate individuals, and inspire change, the evening concert will also feature the Nomadic Wax Collective, a live backing band that will include bass, drums, keys, guitar, and a DJ. This event is part of Muslim Women’s Voices at Wesleyan.

When: Saturday, September 20, 2014

Where:

  • Three workshops (between 11am and 5pm): World Music Hall, located at 40 Wyllys Avenue on the Wesleyan University campus in Middletown, Connecticut.
  • Concert(9pm): Fayerweather Beckham Hall, located at 55 Wyllys Avenue on the Wesleyan University campus in Middletown, Connecticut.

About: As a teenager, singer-songwriter and rapper Meryem Saci moved with her family from her native war-torn Algeria to Canada. She joined the multi-cultural Montreal hip hop group Nomadic Massive in 2005, opening for Mos Def, Wyclef Jean, Public Enemy, and Busta Rhymes, and appearing with the group at Trinity College’s International Hip Hop Festival in 2010. This performance at Wesleyan will be Ms. Saci’s United States debut as a solo artist. Meryem Saci’s workshop, “Music Is Medicine: Hip Hop Therapy for the Bifurcated Soul,” will take place at 11am. In the workshop, Ms. Saci will explore her experiences as a refugee, an artist, and a Muslim woman. She will unpack the therapeutic and spiritual benefits that music can provide, pulling examples and lessons from her own history and life story.

Singer-songwriter, poet, and emcee Maimouna Youssef a.k.a. Mumu Fresh was featured on the track “Don’t Feel Right” on the album “Game Theory” (2006) by The Roots, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best Rap Album.” She also appeared with the group in Dave Chappelle’s hip hop documentary “Block Party” (2005). Ms. Youssef ‘s first full-length solo album “The Blooming” (2011) was included The Washington Post’s list of best D.C. music of that year, saying “This R&B/soul/hip-hop dynamo delivers a vibrant collection of songs…every track is an impressive showcase of the up-and-coming performer.” Her single “I Got A Man,” produced by DJ Jazzy Jeff, has been featured on VH1 and BET. Ms. Youssef has toured as a supporting vocalist for The Roots as well as Lalah Hathaway, Zap Mama, and Common, and has performed with Angelique Kidjo, Femi Kuti, Nas, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli, among others. This performance at Wesleyan will be Ms. Youssef’s New England debut as a solo artist. Maimouna Youssef’s workshop, “Freestyling through the History of American Music – Improvisation 101,” will take place at 1:45pm. The workshop will take participants on a vocal journey chronologically through various genres of American music using the pillars of Islam from a female perspective. Participants will learn to use improvisation techniques to share their personal experiences while having loads of musical fun.

Born in Bristol, England to Jamaican migrant parents, Muneera Rashida and Sukina Abdul Noor formed the spoken word duo Poetic Pilgrimage in 2002, and converted to Islam in 2005. Fusing the spiritual mysticism of Alice Coltrane with the sounds of Gil Scott-Heron and A Tribe Called Quest, their music is a portrait of resistance, challenging a hostile environment with unparalleled lyricism and thought-provoking content. Poetic Pilgrimage opened for Talib Kweli’s 2008 tour of Norway. In 2009, the duo were featured at the South by Southwest Festival supporting Mr. Lif, and were the first British group to perform at Trinity College’s International Hip Hop Festival, sharing the bill with Blitz the Ambassador. Poetic Pilgrimage’s workshop, “The Art of Rhyme: Exploring Islam and Hip Hop through Verse Writing,” will take place at 3:30pm. In this workshop, the group will explore the topic of Islam and hip hop using poetry and verse writing, supported by a live DJ. After a short lecture, participants will have an opportunity to write a four-bar verse on a topic relating to the subject of Islam and hip hop. Poetic Pilgrimage will coach participants through the writing and performing process, and participants will have the opportunity to present their verses at the Planet Hip Hop Festival Concert at 9pm.

Nomadic Wax is a U.S.-based social enterprise that produces music, film, and educational events aimed at creating cross-cultural exchange and increasing awareness of global issues. Nomadic Wax links diverse communities and encourages social and cultural dialogues through art. Founded in 2001 as a fair trade record label and production company of African hip hop and urban music, Nomadic Wax has grown into an internationally recognized brand firmly rooted at the intersection of urban media and social change.

Admission:

  • Three workshops (Meryem Saci – 11am; Maimouna Youssef – 1:45pm; Poetic Pilgrimage – 3:30pm): $12 per workshop, or $30 for all three workshops. Workshops are free for Wesleyan students. Lunch provided for participants.
  • Concert (9pm): $18 general public; $15 senior citizens, Wesleyan faculty/staff/alumni, non-Wesleyan students; $6 Wesleyan students.

Special Offers: Purchase a Passport to Muslim Women’s Voices at Wesleyan by Saturday, September 20, 2014 and see the evening concert for only $12.50! Click here for more details about this special offer: http://www.wesleyan.edu/cfa/events/passportevents2014-2015.html

Ticketing Information: To purchase tickets online, please visit http://www.wesleyan.edu/boxoffice. Tickets may be purchased at the door beginning one hour prior to the performances, subject to availability. The Center for the Arts accepts cash, checks written to “Wesleyan University,” and all major credit cards. No refunds, cancellations, or exchanges.

For More Information: For more information and to watch preview videos of all the artists, please visit http://www.wesleyan.edu/cfa/mwv.

 

Be a Writing Tutor, Course Tutor or Writing Mentor next year! Apps due mid-April (see website)

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thumbnailCA83COYLIf you’re an articulate writer, organized student, and all-around gregarious person looking for a job next year, look no further. Apply to be a writing tutor!

The Writing Workshop is currently hiring Workshop Tutors, Course Tutors, and Writing Mentors for the Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 semesters. 

 Tutors will be compensated for one semester of work with a $400 stipend and 1 course credit in English. All tutors are trained in ENGL 491/2, the Ford Teaching Seminar, a one-semester course that meets on Tuesdays from 12-1 PM. 

 To learn more, visit our website. Please direct any questions to Professor

Anne Greene, Director of Writing Programs (agreene@wes or ext. 3604).

Note from Dean Brown: Tutoring, Email & Free Movies at Metro 12!

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2017’ers,

I hope all is going well!  Can you believe that on Saturday, September 28, it will be four weeks since orientation began?  Time flies, and yet, so much is packed into each day that it seems like ages ago!  I hope that you are getting settled into your classes and a rhythm for the semester.  If not, let’s talk and strategize.

TUTORING & ACADEMIC SUPPORT

If you are struggling with the material in a course, please meet with the professor AND with the TA for the course.  The professor has thumbnailCAJJE2RNoffice hours just for this reason—to meet with you to answer questions!  The Math Workshop and the Writing Workshop also offers help for work in math and writing across the disciplines.  If, after having tried these and perhaps other resources, you find that you are still struggling, then submit a request for a peer tutor by going to the class blog to get help with course content.  You will need to have talked with both your instructor and with me.  You also might find that your concern about a course is more related to how to study a particular subject or with reading retention/speed or note-taking, so a peer advisor would be a great connection in this case.  If you have questions about any of these things, please do not hesitate to contact me or your faculty advisor.

EMAIL

Email is an official means of communication at the University, so it is imperative that you check your Wesleyan email at least once every day.  There is also an email protocol that will help you to better communicate with faculty and staff.  Check out Faisal Kirdar’s Sept. 9 blog post at http://peeradvisor.blogs.wesleyan.edu/ for how to email your professor.

FREE MOVIES AT METRO 12 ON SUNDAY, SEPT. 29 FOR thumbnailCAZKOFM32017’ERS

Yes, it’s true.  All day. Movies. For free.  Brought to you by the 2017 Class Council and Metro Movies with a free small drink and popcorn provided by New Student Orientation and the Office of Student Activities and Leadership Development (SALD)/Student Affairs.  Be there!  2017’ers only.  WES I.D. REQUIRED.

CLASS BLOG

Check out the Class of 2017 blog.  Lots of events posted.

If we haven’t met yet, please stop on by and if we have met, let’s meet again!  Come in with questions or just to chat, either during drop-in hours, listed below, or by appointment (call x2758 to schedule a time).  Look forward to seeing you soon!

Have a great weekend!  Best, Dean Brown

First-Year Seminars — Writing Intensive

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To Members of the Class of 2017,

This year, Wesleyan has greatly increased the number of first-year writing seminars (FYS) for its first-year class. These classes will introduce students to a variety of topics ranging from volcanoes to music in downtown NYC. Some of these classes are quite focused; others provide a sweeping introduction into an interdisciplinary area of study that may be new to first-year students (e.g., Environment and Society in Africa). All of these classes, however, will emphasize the importance of writing at the university level.

These classes have been designed with you in mind. Students in first year seminars will become familiar thumbnailCALYMHMFwith the methods used to collect, interpret, analyze, and present evidence as part of a scholarly argument. Faculty teaching these classes will also highlight the type of writing associated with their respective disciplines, and help students develop, compose, organize, and revise their writing. All first-year seminars will have assignments totaling at least 20 pages, and will feature oral or written feedback on student writing; many will also employ peer-mentoring and writing tutors. FYSs are limited to 15 students.

FYS classes can be found at: https://iasext.wesleyan.edu/regpro/!wesmaps_page.html?crse_list=FYS&term=1139&offered=Y#fall

Some new ones will soon be added, so you may want to check on the list from time to time.  There are also other first-year seminars and gateway courses offered, so you have a wide range of classes from which to choose.

Sincerely,

Professor Andrew Curran, Dean for the Humanities and Arts and Coordinator for the FYSs