AG Writing
(Academic) writing is undoubtedly one of the most fundamental aspects of producing – literally, writing – a PhD thesis in the study of culture. This has long been acknowledged by introductory works on how to set about this monumental task, such as Ansgar Nünning and Roy Sommer’s Handbuch Promotion, which stresses that “Schreiben ist für die Wissenschaft eine konstituierende Handlung” (p. 268) and recommends that doctoral students begin to write texts early on (p. 85). Apart from writing the PhD proper, doctoral students must learn to confidently produce and use a variety of textual genres such as research proposals, abstracts, and reviews. Yet, despite its central importance, writing is often not given much space in (doctoral) education.
Our working group (AG), founded in 2021, would like to change this. Our aim is to establish at the GGK and GCSC a number of institutionalised and peer-driven formats to enable and encourage doctoral students to engage with academic writing as a regular and core practice from the start of their membership.
Primarily, the AG aims to
- further entrench reflection on writing as a basic skill and prerequisite of academic work in the humanities and social sciences, as well as of writing as work, at the GGK and GCSC
- increase the visibility of academic writing as (a constitutive) practice
- raise awareness of writing as a learned skill
- increase mindfulness and awareness for/of different writing strategies, styles and respective
- different working patterns of colleagues and students
- create a space for reflection and exchange of experiences and ideas around writing, learning
- writing, and teaching writing
- foster and understand the essential need for writing as a way to build identity and share ‘life-knowledge’
If you are interested in becoming part of the group, please e-mail the speakers - we'd be delighted to take you in!
Projects:
Everyone is welcome to our events. You do not need to be an AG member to sign up.
Virtual Writing Circle (Fridays 9.30-11.45)
We meet on most Fridays to work together on our respective projects during two guided focus sessions of 50 minutes each. Sessions are usually led by Lena Nüchter. You do not have to attend every session to take part; simply drop by when you have time and feel like being productive in company. If you would like to join, please e-mail Lena (Lena.Nuechter) to receive an access link.
Write@Night (19.30-00.00)
We also regularly organise longer writing sessions for the night owls among us. These run from the early evening to midnight and include several focus sessions as well as short activities such as energisers and desk yoga. Keep an eye out for next sessions in the Study Calendar to sign up!
Past write@nights have taken place on 13 October 2022, 15 December 2022, and 19 January 2023.
The upcoming write@night is currently scheduled for 30 March 2023. Please e-mail Aleksandra (Aleksandra.Sadowska@gcsc.uni-giessen.de) for the registration.
Working List of Resources on Academic Writing
We maintain a list of useful or helpful resources on academic writing, with a focus on writing in the humanities and social sciences. The resources are predominantly in English or German, but you might also spot the occasional one in another language read by one of our multi-lingual members :) Check out the list here!
AG members
Contact (Speakers):
Annalina Benner (Annalina.Benner)
Piera Mazzaglia (Piera.Mazzaglia)
Active Members:
- Enrique Arias Aróstegui
- Sandra Binnert
- Silvia Boide
- Matteo Gallo Stampino
- Justus Grebe
- Jennifer Kappe
- Hannah Klaubert
- Elizabeth Kovach
- Louise Louw
- Sarah Maria Noske
- Lena Nüchter
- Edith Ruvalcaba Galindo
- Aleksandra Sadowska
- Juliane Saupe
- Anna Sophia Tabouratzidis
- Iryna Tarku
- Clara Verri
Reference:
Nünning, Ansgar and Roy Sommer (Eds.). Handbuch Promotion: Forschung – Förderung – Finanzierung. Stuttgart/Weimar: Metzler. 2007.