The Writing Center develops and leads interactive workshops focused on writing and revision skills across the disciplines. We encourage faculty—at Baruch or elsewhere—to adapt these materials for their own classes.
If you’d like to request a Writing Center consultant lead a workshop in your in-person or Zoom class, please submit a request for an in-class workshop.
Workshops on reading and interpretation
- Analyzing Texts—known in some disciplines as “close reading”—teaches the critical examination of academic and literary texts by noticing details, observing patterns, and posing questions.
- Analyzing Images introduces students to the practice of “reading” images—by observing features like line, color, and composition—in order to develop claims about how those images make meaning.
Workshops on structuring an argument
- Evidence, Analysis, and Claims teaches strategies for interpreting and analyzing evidence of all kinds—including graphs, statistics, and quotes from literature—in order to write claims.
- Developing Thesis Statements teaches students strategies for writing effective, complex, evidence-based theses in any field.
- Controlling an Argument with Topic Sentences helps students write strong topic sentences that build on thesis statements, connect paragraphs, and structure arguments.
Workshops on writing with sources
- Focusing Research Topics teaches students how to narrow a topic to the point of being “researchable,” and to articulate a motivated research question.
- Literature Review helps student understand the purpose, audience, and key components of the genre. By analyzing sample academic writing, students practice synthesizing existing research and positioning original arguments within a broader scholarly conversation.
- Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting helps students choose between these strategies when incorporating the words and ideas of others.
- Using Sources Strategically helps students seek and use sources that meet their needs: not just those that echo their argument, but ones that develop it through background, examples,
- Understanding Plagiarism and Citation teaches students what plagiarism is, why and how it happens, and how to reference others’ work with accuracy, clarity, and confidence.
Workshops on business and professional writing
- Cover Letters teaches students to closely read job ads in order to interpret the needs of an employer, and to write tailored cover letters (with polished, professional language) that demonstrate why they’re the best candidate for the job.
- Analyzing Case Studies teaches students the steps of reading and analyzing case studies, and provides students the opportunity to practice those steps to develop and present recommendations in response to a dilemma.
- Personal Statements helps students learn how to create a unique and compelling personal statement that highlights their strengths and interests.
- Emailing Strategically helps students tailor their emails to audience and context
