About
The Fellows Seminar brings together graduate student instructors (Graduate Fellows) and faculty (Faculty Fellows) from multiple disciplines who share a commitment to integrating writing in their courses. The program is supported by the College of Literature, Science & the Arts, the Rackham Graduate School, and the Sweetland Center for Writing.
All seminar participants share an interest in helping students become better writers; integrating writing in their courses; and discussing critical issues in the teaching of writing with colleagues.
In the winter term, Graduate Fellows:
- meet on Fridays from 1-3 PM;
- confer with visiting speakers;
- discuss approaches to incorporating writing across the disciplines; and
- begin preparing a First-Year Seminar (English 125) that meets the First-Year Writing Requirement.
- receive a $1,000 stipend during the winter term for participating in the Seminar.
In the spring and summer terms, Graduate Fellows:
- meet with Sweetland’s Director to refine their syllabus and discuss other course materials and approaches for teaching in Fall term;
- receive up to $5,000 stipend during the Spring/Summer term for this work, determined by each student's spring/summer funding from Rackham.
In the Fall term, Graduate Fellows:
- teach one section of English 125 (a four-credit writing course on a topic related to their discipline)
- are supported by a .50 GSI fraction
Applying for a Graduate Fellowship
Application materials include:
- A letter (maximum two pages) describing your previous teaching experience and interest in teaching
- Curriculum Vitae
- Statement of candidacy status, number of years in program, and expected date of degree completion
- One teaching recommendation letter from a faculty member
- Teaching evaluation summaries (where available)
Criteria for selection:
- Interest in and commitment to integrating writing into courses
- Achievement of candidacy (preferred)
- GSI experience (teaching in a course meeting the Upper-Level Writing Requirement is highly desired)
The deadline to apply for Winter-Fall 2026 is March 2025 (TBA).
Selections will be announced via email in early April.
Contact Laura at schuyler@umich.edu or 936-3144 with questions.
What previous Graduate Fellows have said:
In addition to the opportunity to engage deeply with interdisciplinary writing pedagogy during the Sweetland Seminar, this experience prepared me extremely well when it came time to apply to faculty positions at teaching-focused institutions. I talked about the lessons I learned from the Sweetland Seminar in almost all of my interviews when asked about my approach to pedagogy, assessment, and working with students. I also had many discussions during campus visits with faculty and students alike about how my experience developing and teaching a writing-intensive course prepared me well to contribute to their curriculum.
Wilson Merrell
Psychology
The Sweetland Seminar was one of the most rewarding experiences I've had as a graduate student. Not only did I learn a great deal about the teaching of writing but, because of of the Seminar's interdisciplinary constitution, I became familiar with those epistemological concerns that sometimes unite and sometimes divide writing across disciplines.
Ben Gunsberg
English and Education
The Sweetland seminar offers a space for graduate students and faculty who are interested in theories of writing and writing pedagogy to work through both practical and theoretical issues. I find myself referring back to my notes and readings from the seminar on a regular basis in my teaching and assessment of student writing. This seminar not only made me more aware of the intentions, aims, and possible pitfalls of writing assessment, but it also helped me refine my own writing and revision processes.
Jennifer Solheim
French Language and Literature
The Sweetland Podcast Series: Topics in Writing features interviews with guests at the Sweetland Fellows Seminar about current topics in the teaching of writing. Each of these guests, an expert in the field, is interviewed by T Hetzel, a member of the faculty at the Sweetland Center for Writing.
