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, Faculty Fellows:
- meet on Fridays from 1-3 PM;
- confer with visiting experts;
- discuss teaching and writing with colleagues across disciplines; and
- develop plans for integrating writing into courses
- receive $4,000 in a research account or “project grant” in their unit during the winter term for participating in the Seminar.
In the fall term, Faculty Fellows are expected to do one of the following:
- facilitate a faculty and/or graduate student workshop,
- teach a First-Year Seminar, or
- teach a course that meets the Upper-Level Writing Requirement (ULWR)
Applying for a Faculty Fellowship
To be eligible you must be a tenured faculty, Lecturer II, Lecturer III, or Lecturer IV.
Sweetland Executive Committee will consider applications from teams of scholars (two to four scholars, who may be working in the same or different disciplines). This is meant to be an opportunity for faculty to work collaboratively on innovative course or curriculum development.
Application materials include:
- A letter (maximum two pages) describing your interest in teaching writing in your discipline
- Curriculum Vitae
The deadline for Winter-Fall 2026 is March 2025.
Selections will be announced via email in early April.
Contact Laura at schuyler@umich.edu or 936-3144 with questions.
What previous Faculty Fellows have said:
I really enjoyed the Seminar and find myself missing it. Having had little opportunity to explore the scholarship of writing, I learned a tremendous amount and have a renewed commitment to rescuing the writing training of students in the sciences.
Tim McKay, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Physics, Astronomy, Education;
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education
The Sweetland Seminar transformed my view on reading, writing, and teaching. From the masterful and nurturing instructor, I learned that writing is not about following rules but to communicate with people and create meanings. I highly recommend the seminar to anyone looking for more effective writing and pedagogical strategies!
Jie (Jackie) Li
Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Seminar readings and, in particular, the discussions were extremely helpful for thinking not only about the role of writing in my pedagogy, but the role of genre and new media in my scholarship more broadly.
Mika Lavaque-Manty
Arthur F. Thurnau Professor and Associate Professor of Political Science and Associate Professor of Philosophy; Director, Honors Program
Participating in the Fellowship provided a much-appreciated opportunity to engage with a community of colleagues dedicated to thinking deeply about how to teach writing in effective, creative, equity-focused and research-informed ways. In addition, we were supported by thoughtfully curated research, resources, and experts in teaching writing across the disciplines. I imagine revisiting many of these resources in the future years as I continue to adapt my materials and integrate the approaches I learned this semester.
Lecturer III, Residential College
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.
