WASHINGTON - Scholarly writing for publishing can be an underdeveloped yet, critical skill in a doctoral student’s academic career. The development of this skill teaches students to analyze and explain complex subjects and establish expertise and thought leadership, all with the end goal of publishing in mind. Howard University doctoral students, in particular, as thought-leaders are encouraged to begin thinking about the ways their scholarship can enter the academic discourse, even before their careers begin officially. This means publishing their work in peer-reviewed journals so they can begin to establish themselves professionally in their respective disciplines.

“Writing is an essential part of academic life,” said Ashley Lewis, a Ph.D. student in communication, culture and media studies.

Lewis is one of five doctoral students who recently participated in the Writing Academy at the University of New Hampshire (UNH).

“We heard from graduate students that they wanted more opportunities to think about publishing their scholarship. So, when the occasion to have our students participate in UNH’s Writing Academy presented itself, we were happy to partner with UNH again,” said Dana A. Williams, Ph.D., interim dean of the Graduate School at Howard University.

Senior Vice Provost of Engagement and Faculty Development at the UNH, Julie Williams, was similarly excited about the latest Howard and UNH alliance.

“We were very pleased to collaborate with Dean Williams and Howard University to include advanced Ph.D. students in the University of New Hampshire’s Writing Academy. In prior years, faculty from Howard have participated in our academy. The participation of advanced doctoral students this year is part of a larger relationship we seek to build and expand between Howard University and the University of New Hampshire,” said Julie Williams.

Students selected for this year’s academy were from both STEM and the arts and humanities disciplines—Lewis and Ollie Jefferson from communication, culture, and media studies; Jessica Forbes from communication sciences and disorders; Denver Baptiste from biology; and Richmond Danso from political science. They were matched with UNH faculty with similar academic interests with a clear goal of helping the students prepare an article for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and, in some cases, a related goal of helping them understand expectations for turning a dissertation into a publishable scholarly monograph.

“The writing academy provided the tools and resources I needed help me write specifically with the peer review process and an audience of peers in mind,” said Danso. “I appreciated that my coach provided me with constructive criticism that showed me how to improve my writing in general but, more specifically, how to shift my writing from that of a student to a scholar among my peers.”

Danso, who works as a teaching associate in the Department of Political Science at Howard University, is completing his dissertation, which focuses on transformative leadership and its effects on the development of Sub-Saharan Africa with an emphasis on Botswana. Additionally, Danso indicated that the UNH Writing Academy helped him expand the area of focus of his dissertation. He is now examining how the role of traditional institutions sustain good governance in Botswana. In order to do this, Danso had to find the time necessary to deeply develop his research.

Time presented itself as one of the biggest challenges, not just for Danso, but for several other participants. All participants were appreciative that the UNH Writing Academy demonstrated how they can achieve scholarly writing goals by implementing time management strategies.

“One of the biggest takeaways for me from of the writing academy was understanding that while finding time to write can be difficult, there are ways to overcome those types of writing challenges. One strategy presented was the creation of a writing schedule. The writing coaches encouraged us to figure out a schedule that can fit into our daily lives and begin to practice that schedule during the four-day workshop. The diverse perspectives from all the coaches provided me with great ideas and techniques that would promote increased writing productivity,” said Forbes, who is a third -year doctoral student in her program. Her research area focuses on swallowing physiology and motor learning.

Lewis Jefferson continued to reflect on the timetable for her project. Her writing project is inspired by her dissertation research, which discusses Black youth and the grime subculture in London, England.

“My plan is to submit a scholarly article to an academic journal that publishes works in communication, media, cultural or critical studies. My writing coach will be working with me to ensure that I stick with my goal and that I work to produce scholarship that I can be proud of,” she said. “Going forward, I plan to continue to use the knowledge I am gaining through my participation in the academy to produce more scholarship, including a book manuscript that I would like to complete before January 2020.”  

Recent Ph.D. graduate Ollie Jefferson found that the UNH Writing Academy arrived right on time for her scholarly pursuits. She said her objective was to meet the recent public interest and prospective readers’ inquiries about her dissertation on the representation of African American women on screen and behind the scenes on the Oprah Winfrey Network series titled, “Queen Sugar.”

When one of her friends tweeted about her dissertation defense and tagged series producer Ava DuVernay on the tweet, DuVernay responded with a tweet of her own: “Whoa. Honored. Wow. Can I read it?! #QueenSugar.”

“The Academy supports my ambition to turn my dissertation into a book publication. My writing mentors walked me through the proposal process to submit a polished writing piece for publication. I am appreciative of the Howard University Graduate School for selecting me for the academy during my transition from doctoral student to scholar,” Ollie said.

While this was the first year that doctoral students from Howard attended the academy, it may also be the last. Next year, Howard intends to hold its own doctoral writing academy.

“We owe it to our students to help them hone their writing skills for publication and our students owe their scholarship to the world,” said Dana Williams, Ph.D.

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(Image: The Graduate School partnered with UNH Writing Academy to provide five doctoral students with the opportunity to focus on the writing and publishing of their research. Ph.D. students selected include: Ashley Lewis and Ollie Jefferson, communication, culture, and media studies; Jessica Forbes, communications sciences and disorders; Denver Baptiste, biology; and Richmond Danso, political science. Source: University of New Hampshire)

About Howard University Graduate School

Howard University offered its first master’s degree in 1867—the same year it was established. In 1934, the Graduate School was formally established and reorganized to its current structure with divisions in the arts and humanities, biological and life sciences, engineering and physical sciences, and social sciences. The school awarded its first doctorate degree in 1958 in the field of chemistry. The school offers 24 master’s, 31 Ph.D. and 7 M.D./Ph.D. Programs. The Graduate School has consistently issued on average over 100 doctoral degrees per year for the last three years.  For more information, visit, www.gs.howard.edu 

 

About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, two Marshall Scholars, one Schwarzman Scholar, over 70 Fulbright Scholars and 22 Pickering Fellows. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States.  For more information on Howard University visit www.howard.edu

Media Contact: Imani Pope-Johns, Imani.popejohns@howard.edu