Workshops and Events
Read Like a Writer // Write Like a Reader: The BEAM Taxonomy
Dr. Joseph Bizup, designer of the B.E.A.M. taxonomy, argues, “If we want students to adopt a rhetorical perspective toward research-based writing, then we should use language that focuses their attention not on what their sources and other materials are (either by virtue of their genres or relative to some extratextual point of reference) but on what they as writers might do with them. We should adopt terms that allow us to name, describe, and analyze the different ways writers use their materials on the page or, equivalently, the various postures. Toward their materials that writers adopt.” Joseph Bizup, “BEAM: A Rhetorical Vocabulary for Teaching Research-Based Writing,” Rhetoric Review 27.1 (2008): 72–86.
In this workshop, participants will be introduced to the BEAM taxonomy and discuss the rhetorical occasions for incorporating source materials into their writing, including why, when, and how to contextualize, summarize, paraphrase, quote, and synthesize the work of others.
Argumentative Structures
If you visit the “Resources for Writers” shelf in the reference section of Thompson Library (room 124), you will notice a wide variety of writing manuals and style guides that all describe a similar argumentative process in different ways. The goal of these materials is to help writers progress from (1) an interest in a topic to (2) asking contextualized questions that (3) identify a problem that the author will (4) attempt to resolve. The Craft of Research 5e offers this template:
Topic: “I am studying __________”
Question: “because I want to find out who/what/when/where/how/why __________”
Significance “so that my audience can better understand __________.”
In this workshop, we will consider strategies for identifying scholarly projects, developing observations into defensible claims, and drawing conclusions of significance.
Descriptive Feedback
When scholars and artists become more experienced at writing, they don’t seek out less feedback; they tend to seek out more. Additionally, more experienced writers ask for descriptive—rather than prescriptive or evaluative—feedback. Descriptive feedback asks readers to narrate their experience with a text to help writers identify moments of confusion, boredom, surprise, or curiosity.
In this workshop, we will practice giving, asking for, and receiving descriptive feedback that helps writers identify the gaps between what they intended and what the reader experiences on the page.
Close Reading Circles
These weekly discussions aim to help readers develop curiosity, empathy, and endurance in both their reading practice and spoken arguments. Each week, we will choose a short, argument-driven, or creative piece to analyze as a group. We maintain that texts are not merely inert purveyors of information but are rhetorically situated arguments, and, therefore, close reading circles afford participants an opportunity to practice identifying and responding to both what a text communicates and also how it communicates. Participants should expect discussions to be intellectually rigorous and respectful.
Close reading circles are held on Fridays from 12:00–1:00 p.m. in the Writing Center (Thompson Library, room 122). Sessions are facilitated by Writing Center consultants. No registration is required.
For any questions regarding Writing Center Workshops and Events, please contact Matthew Schultz, Director of First-Year Writing & the Writing Center (maschultz@vassar.edu).