Social Science Writing Project

  • Welcome to the Social Science Writing Project

Student Workshops: Fall 2016

Tuesdays and Fridays in Sierra Hall 181

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Writing an Effective Thesis Statement

Tuesday 9/27/16:  2-3:30 p.m. 

Friday 9/30/16:  12:30-2 p.m. 

Patricia Juarez-Dappe

Writing an Effective Thesis Statement

Creating a thesis statement is one of the most difficult parts of essay writing. In this workshop, participants will learn what a thesis statement is, how it works in their writing, and how to craft a strong argument for a research assignment. This is a hands-on session that will require students to read various sources and formulate a thesis statement. It will also provide students with a thesis statement tool kit that they can use to assess their own work in the future. Finally, for those students who are already working on research essays for class assignments, this session will offer an opportunity to discuss their thesis statements and obtain feedback.


Communication services (sign language interpreters, note takers, real-time captionists, or assistive listening devices) are available for this event. Requests for services must be submitted at least five (5) working days in advance. Please contact The Social Science Writing Project at (818) 677-5450 or .

Writing Using Statistical Methods

Friday 10/7/16:  12:30-2 p.m. 

Tuesday 10/11/16:  2-3:30 p.m. 

Lori Campbell

Writing Using Statistical Methods

This workshop will focus on how to use statistics more effectively in writing. We will cover how to use statistics from other people’s research and how to write a paper using statistics from your own research. We will examine how to write about descriptive statistics, such as means, medians and percentages as well as some inferential statistics, such as regression analyses. Additionally, we will cover how to present graphs, tables and other visuals to the public. At the end, we will provide a helpful list of Do’s and Don’ts.


Communication services (sign language interpreters, note takers, real-time captionists, or assistive listening devices) are available for this event. Requests for services must be submitted at least five (5) working days in advance. Please contact The Social Science Writing Project at (818) 677-5450 or .

Concision and Precision in Social Science Writing

Friday 10/14/16: 12:30-2 p.m.

Tuesday 10/18/16: 2-3:30 p.m.

Tara Fahmie

Concision and Precision in Social Science Writing

This workshop will include tutorials and practice opportunities, disguised as games, to teach concision and precision in writing. With a few essential lessons in style, participants will learn to make each sentence the best version of itself.


Communication services (sign language interpreters, note takers, real-time captionists, or assistive listening devices) are available for this event. Requests for services must be submitted at least five (5) working days in advance. Please contact The Social Science Writing Project at (818) 677-5450 or .

Writing Habits and Practices

Tuesday 10/25/16: 2-3:30 p.m.

Friday 10/28/16: 12:30-2 p.m.

Miriam Neirick

Writing Habits and Practices

This workshop will be a forum for an open discussion about the writing process. We'll start by reading the introduction to an article on the importance of developing an effective writing process, along with a series of interviews in which notable authors talk about their own writing practices. Students will then be invited to describe their own writing practices, to daydream about their ideal writing practices, and to think together about ways to establish a writing process that will be both effective and sustainable.


Communication services (sign language interpreters, note takers, real-time captionists, or assistive listening devices) are available for this event. Requests for services must be submitted at least five (5) working days in advance. Please contact The Social Science Writing Project at (818) 677-5450 or .

How to Write a Literature Review

Friday 11/4/16:  12:30-2 p.m. 

Tuesday 11/8/16:  2-3:30 p.m. 

Ed Jackiwicz

How to Write a Literature Review

This workshop will introduce various ways of organizing a literature review using real examples. Participants will work to distinguish a literature review from a simple summary of sources and will learn how to use a synthesis matrix to organize their ideas.


Communication services (sign language interpreters, note takers, real-time captionists, or assistive listening devices) are available for this event. Requests for services must be submitted at least five (5) working days in advance. Please contact The Social Science Writing Project at (818) 677-5450 or .