Sabrina Soracco, Director of the Graduate Writing Center, teaches a course on academic writing for graduate students.

Want to develop your skills in academic writing and mentoring?

These spring semester courses, offered through the Graduate Division’s Graduate Student Professional Development Program (GSPDP), are open to all graduate students. Whether you are in a professional or Ph.D. program, being able to master these skills will help you go further in your academic and non-academic careers.

GSPDP 320: Academic Writing for Graduate Students (2 units)

Thursdays, 4 – 6 p.m.

Instructor: Sabrina Soracco, Director, Graduate Writing Center

The purpose of this course is to provide graduate students with formal instruction in the genres and mechanics of academic writing at the graduate and professional level. Through presentations, readings, discussion, and weekly peer editing, graduate students will develop writing and editing skills necessary for their success as graduate students and future faculty.

“My goal in taking the class was to carve out time to focus solely on improving my writing and develop a comfort with sharing my work with peers. Through the course I gained confidence in requesting, receiving, and giving feedback that ranged from basic copy edits to questions of ease of understanding and accessibility of my writing.” — Naniette Coleman, Ph.D. Candidate, Sociology


GSPDP 301: Effective Mentoring in Higher Education (1 unit)

Tuesdays, 3:30 – 5 p.m.

Instructors: Linda von Hoene, Assistant Dean for Professional Development; Sabrina Soracco, Director, Graduate Writing Center

This seminar helps graduate students learn how to mentor undergraduates at Berkeley, work productively in the context of a mentoring relationship with their graduate advisers, and prepare for the mentoring they will do in future academic and non-academic careers. The course will consist of readings, face-to-face and online discussion, short assignments, and an applied component of mentoring. 

“The class made me look at prior mentorship relationships I have had either as a mentor or a mentee and helped me try to be intentional in creating a research plan but also in creating a relationship that was productive for both people.” — Jessica Smith, Ph.D., Chemistry


About the author: Muna Danish is a graduate student in Journalism at UC Berkeley, and a Professional Development Liaison (PDL) with the Graduate Division.