Student Opportunities
Check out our past opportunities for students.
Writing Job Materials for ARYSE (Alliance for Refugee Youth Support and Education
Thursday, April 4 at 4pm
This workshop will be available for all ARYSE students on writing resumes and cover letters.
The Writing Center will be celebrating the National Day on Writing, October 20, 2018, with the following activities the week of October 22-26, 2018:
- Treats and candy: Stop by the Writing Center in 216 College Hall for some sweet treats!
- Six-word scary stories: Stop by 216 College Hall to share your best six-word scary story. Participants will be entered into a prize drawing for some cool writing supplies, books, and Duquesne gear.
- Collaborative horror story: Stop by the College Hall lobby on Monday (10/22), Wednesday (10/24), and/or Thursday (10/25) from 9am-12pm to help us write a collaborative horror story. Bring your scariest ideas, plot twists, and characters. We'll share the final story in the Writing Center in 216 College Hall Halloween week.
- Scrabble-a-Thon: Stop by the Writing Center in 216 College Hall to play some Scrabble and show us your word prowess. Take on our staff members to see if you can win! The documented high scorer will win a prize!
- #whyiwrite: Tweet with the hashtag #whyiwrite to @DU_WriteCenter to share the reasons why you write.
The National Day on Writing, October 20-23, 2015
All members of the campus community are invited to stop by the Writing Center (216 College Hall) October 20-23, 2015 to enjoy some treats and to participate in the Writing Center slogan contest. Share ideas for a slogan for the Writing Center. In ten words or fewer, capture the benefits of visiting the Writing Center. Describe what the Center does to help with writing at Duquesne. The winning slogan will be chosen in November, and the winner will receive a Starbucks gift card! Entries can be dropped off in 216 College Hall or emailed to writingcenter@duq.edu from Oct. 20-23, 2015.
The National Day on Writing, October 20-24, 2014
The Writing Center will be celebrating the National Day on Writing, October 20, 2014, with two events:
Collaborative Brainstorming Session
Want to get a head start on that next writing project or final term paper? Not sure where to begin? Looking for advice?
Participate in the Writing Center's Collaborative Brainstorming Session. Between 12-4 p.m. on Monday, October 20, a consultant will be available in 216 College Hall to help you with strategies for getting started and organizing your ideas. Take advantage of the Writing Center's resources and workspace. There will be note cards, a cork board, pushpins, post-its, markers, a dry erase board, textbooks, style manuals, handouts, and a designated writing consultant ready to help. No appointments are necessary, and there will be candy for you to enjoy while you work!
Scavenger Hunt
Participate in the Writing Center's scavenger hunt! Stop by the Writing Center (216 College Hall) to pick up your activity sheet. Correct answer sheets will be entered into a drawing for gift cards to Barnes & Noble and Starbucks! Candy will be available in the Writing Center for all participants! Please return your completed scavenger hunt form to the Writing Center by 3 p.m., Friday, October 24 to be entered into the drawing for prizes.
Winners of the National Day on Writing Scavenger Hunt prize drawing are Devon McCabe ($30 Starbucks gift card), Charquinta McCray ($20 Starbucks gift card), and Elizabeth Sippy ($30 Barnes & Noble gift card). Congratulations, winners!
Peer Review of CVs and Cover Letters
January 22, 2014, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
413B Canevin
Don't let your job application materials go to the bottom of the pile! Getting a second set of eyes on these important documents can only increase your chance of rising to the top. Graduate students are invited to bring CVs and cover letters to a peer review session facilitated by the Writing Center.
APA Source Use and Citation
Friday, January 10, 2014, 1:15-2:15 p.m.
102 Bayer
Thursday, October 3, 2013, 10:50-12:05 p.m. and 1:40-2:20 p.m.
553 Fisher Hall
Thursday, February 7, 2013, 10:50-12:05 p.m.
713 Fisher Hall
Wednesday, January 9, 2013, 10:45-11:45 a.m.
719 Fisher Hall
Wednesday, September 12, 2012, 9:00-9:45 a.m.
309 Canevin Hall
Wednesday, September 12, 2012, 10:00-10:45 a.m.
314 Canevin Hall
This presentation will review conventions of APA citation style for both in-text and references citations. Students will learn the rationale behind these guidelines. They will also see examples of the most common types of citations, learn options for integrating sources, and learn tips for avoiding common mistakes.
MLA Source Use and Citation
Wednesday, September 4, 2013, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
St. Martin Residence Hall Lounge
Thursday, January 17, 2013, 3:30-4:20 p.m. p.m.
423 College Hall
Wednesday, January 18, 2013, 8:00-8:50 a.m.
220 College Hall
This presentation will review conventions of MLA citation style for both in-text and references citations. Students will learn the rationale behind these guildelines. They will also see examples of the most common types of citations, learn options for integrating sources, and learn tips for avoiding common mistakes.
Structural and Sentence-Level Conventions of Scientific Research Papers
Friday, October 5, 2012, 4:00-5:00 p.m.
447 Mellon Hall
This presentation will address the IMRAD organizational structure for and two common types of writing in scientific research papers. It will also address sentence structure expectations and common sentence level errors in science writing.
Science Writing and Article Publication
Co-presented by Dr. Gerra Bosco
Thursday, December 1, 2011, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
643 College Hall
This workshop, targeted to students in the sciences, will cover overall strategies for submitting to an academic journal and review what authors can expect to happen when they submit an article for review. It will also contrast science writing characteristics with humanities writing characteristics, review conventional structure of science articles, and review sentence-level conventions of science writing.
Ten Tips for Integrating Outside Sources into College Writing
Wednesday, November 2, 2011, 2-3 p.m.
715 Fisher
Much of the writing expected at the college level requires incorporating secondary source evidence. What does it mean to use secondary sources? What are ways to do so most effectively? After addressing reasons why students are asked to use outside sources, this workshop will explain ten practical tips for using outside sources successfully in college writing. Students will leave with strategies they can apply to research-based writing at any level.
Reviewing Fundamentals: Grammar Basics
Presented by Suzanne Cook
Monday, March 21, 2011, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
408 Gumberg Library
Monday, April 4, 2011, 1:00-2:00 p.m. (Nursing students)
541 Fisher Hall
In these days of texting, "tweeting," and firing off instant messages, we all have experience with the act of writing. However, these recent technological changes often disregard traditional conventions of grammar. If you are stumped by subject-verb agreement or don't know what a dangling modifier is, this workshop is for you! Students will review the basics of grammar and mechanics to refresh their knowledge of the different parts of speech and sentence-level concerns. Ultimately, this workshop will help students fine-tune their understandings of English grammar and improve their abilities to use English meaningfully and correctly.
A recorded version of the talk is available here.
Strategies for Writing Medical School Personal Statements
Wednesday, January 25, 2012, 10:00-10:45 a.m.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011, 10:00-10:50 a.m.
303 Rockwell
This workshop will cover strategies for writing personal statements for medical school. Students will learn what to do in a personal statement, techniques for brainstorming material to include, and tips for sentence-level clarity and correctness.
The Research Paper Paragraph
Wednesday, October 20, 2010, 2:00-3:15 p.m.
643 College Hall
Research projects can sometimes be overwhelming. One way to make writing them manageable is to focus on one paragraph at a time. This workshop will cover strategies for structuring ideas for and integrating sources into research paper paragraphs. Students will gain knowledge of how to use the "PEAS" method to organize paragraphs as well as when, why, and how to summarize, paraphrase, and quote sources. Students are welcome to bring specific questions.
Avoiding Plagiarism: Definitions and Strategies
Presented by Lee Ann Glowzenski
Wednesday, March 24, 2010, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
644 College Hall
This workshop will give students the opportunity to understand how the University defines plagiarism and to learn research and writing strategies to avoid it. The presentation will address academic integrity, note-taking and documentation practices, and MLA and APA citation styles. An activity will allow the group to think through solutions to common writing and citation problems.
Strategies for Successful Research-based Writing
Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 3:00-4:30 p.m.
715 Fisher Hall
If you have questions about writing research projects or integrating and citing sources, this workshop is for you! This workshop will cover several strategies for successful research-based writing, including effective methods for integrating outside sources and determining when, why, and how to summarize, paraphrase, and quote. Students will gain knowledge of ways to manage research-based writing projects.
Writing Your Résumé: Content, Structure, and Process
Co-presented by Lee Ann Glowsenski and Deb Saffer
Thursday, November 5, 2009 noon-1:00 p.m.
313 Canevin Hall
This workshop will offer strategies for writing an effective résumé. The presentation will provide tips and techniques for generating ideas, structuring information, and writing to best showcase skills. Students will leave with a better understanding of the processes involved in the task of writing an effective résumé.
Co-sponsored by Career Services.