Summer Writing Institute

The Summer Writing Institute is not taking place in 2024. For writing pedagogy training, please consider our online workshop, Designing a Writing-Based Course, which is offered in Summer 2024.

Every semester, UC Berkeley offers over a hundred required Reading and Composition courses to incoming first-year undergraduates. These introductory courses, taught by graduate student instructors, are designed to teach students advanced writing and critical thinking across the disciplines. The Daniel E. Koshland, Jr. Graduate Student Fellowship provides graduate students the opportunity to develop new and improve existing pedagogical skills in preparation for their semesters of undergraduate teaching. 

Each summer, 12 graduate students receive a stipend of $2000 each to participate in our week-long intensive Summer Writing Institute. In a small seminar setting, students work through all the elements of their upcoming courses, assembling syllabi, assignments, websites, and exercises to deploy throughout the semester. UC Berkeley graduate students who have taught at least one semester but no more than six semesters of Reading and Composition (R1A, R1B, R5A, R5B) are eligible to apply. After completing the Summer Institute, graduate students are named Daniel E. Koshland Jr. Fellows. 

The Summer Writing Institute is taught by Professor Joseph Harris, a leading scholar in compositional studies. Guest speakers also visit the institute to share pedagogical practices and strategies. 

In Fall semester, Fellows continue the conversation through monthly meetings. In December, students attend a final seminar with Joseph Harris to discuss their teaching experiences and reflect on ways to improve writing pedagogy on the Berkeley campus.

The Daniel E. Koshland, Jr. Graduate Student Fellowships are generously supported by the Daniel E. Koshland, Jr. Chancellor’s Distinguished Chair in Writing. 

Summer Writing Institute 2023

Summer Writing Institute 2022

Summer Writing Institute 2021

Summer Writing Institute 2020

Summer Writing Institute 2019