Workshops

Mandatory paid training Round Table for Teaching Assistants leading tutorials for the first time

• Date: Sept 8, 2025
• Time: 10:00-11:00 am
• Location: JHB 616

TAs facilitating tutorials for the first time must receive 1 hour of paid training. This training session will take the form of a round table and will be conducted by PhD candidates Connor Bennet, Sara Ameri and Andrew Chang. TAs will be paid and attendance is mandatory for TAs facilitating tutorials for the first time.

First mandatory paid training session for Teaching Assistants on their first appointment in any English (Literature or Creative Writing) course

• Date: Sept 10, 2025
• Time: 9:00-11:30 am
• Location: JHB 616

First-contract TAs must receive 4 hours of paid training. These 4 hours are divided in two sessions: this 2.5 hour session in early September and a 1.5 hour session in mid-October. The sessions will be conducted by a PhD candidate Cassandra Olsen. TAs will be paid and attendance is mandatory for TAs on their first appointment.

• Date: Oct 22, 2025
• Time: 10:00-11:30 am
• Location: JHB 614

As above, first-contract TAs must receive 4 hours of paid training. These 4 hours are divided in two sessions: the 2.5 hour session in early September and this 1.5 hour session in mid-October. The sessions will be conducted by a PhD candidate Cassandra Olsen. TAs will be paid and attendance is mandatory for PhD TAs on their first appointment. 

• Date: Oct 22, 2025
• Time: 10:00-11:30 am
• Location: JHB 601

As above, first-contract TAs must receive 4 hours of paid training. These 4 hours are divided in two sessions: the 2.5 hour session in early September and this 1.5 hour session in mid-October. The session will be conducted by PhD candidate Zachary Jones. TAs will be paid and attendance is mandatory for all MA CRW and PhD TAs on their first appointment in a Creative Writing course. 

The Special Fields Workshop will be held during the ENG9400HF Essential Skills Workshop Series on Oct 16.

• Date: Oct 16, 2025
• Time: 4:00-6:00 pm
• Location: JHB 718

This workshop is mandatory for PhD1 and PhD U2 students. Attendance will be taken.

Hosted by Professor Alan Ackerman (Associate Director, PhD) with Dan White (Director of Graduate Studies), the workshop will address the Special Fields Examination (SFE) process and provide advice to help students design their reading list and prepare for the exam.

This workshop is open ONLY to students from the Department of English at the University of Toronto.

• Date: Oct 23, 2025
• Time: 2:00-4:00 pm
• Location: JHB 616

This workshop is mandatory for PhD3 and PhD U4 students, as well as any ABD students who have not attended this workshop; it is also open to any students who have attended but have further questions and/or would like to join in the discussion.

The workshop for recently ABD students will be hosted by Professors Dan White (Director of Graduate Studies) and Alan Ackerman (Associate Director, PhD). They will be joined by two advanced English PhD Students, who will offer their advice and perspectives.

This workshop addresses both bureaucratic and practical issues related to achieving candidacy (or becoming ABD). Dan, Alan, and the two advanced PhD students will provide guidance and answer questions about: the timeline for achieving candidacy; what to expect from your supervisory committee and supervisor; the pros and cons of writing groups; the relative importance of writing the thesis vs. professional development and achieving life-work balance. 

Registration is now closed. 

This session is open ONLY to PhD Students in Graduate English at the University of Toronto.

• Date: Nov 6, 2025
• Time: 2:00-4:00 pm
• Location: JHB 616

This information session with Professor Dan White (Director of Graduate Studies) is for PhD students preparing to submit within the 2025-26 Academic Year (from September 1, 2025 to April 1, 2026).

The Program Assistant will be there to answer your questions about the presentation requirements of your thesis and the timing and planning of the Final Oral Exam. 

Registration is now closed. 

This session is open only to PhD Students in Graduate English at the University of Toronto.

Workshop for Administrative Teaching Assistants

• Date: Sept 2, 2025
• Time: 9:00-10:00 am
• Location: JHB 601 (The Brian Corman Library)

This workshop is to help admin TAs navigate the various functionalities of Quercus and to share their experience with course administration. The workshop will be led by a PhD candidate Michael Reid. TAs who attend this training will be paid.

• Date: Oct 22, 2025
• Time: 10:00-11:30 am
• Location: JHB 601

The session will be conducted by a PhD candidate Zachary Jones. TAs who attend this training will be paid.

• Date: Jan 16, 2026
• Time: 10:00-11:00 am
• Location: JHB 616

This training round table is open to all TAs interested in discussing leading tutorials and classroom pedagogy. It will be conducted by PhD candidates Connor Bennett, Sara Ameri, and Andrew Chang. TAs who attend this training will be paid.

• Date: Feb 6, 2026
• Time: 9:30-11:00 am
• Location: JHB 616

This is a 1.5 hour training session aimed to address graduate students’ needs concerning EDIA in the classroom. This session will be facilitated by the Graduate English Association (GEA) and Cristina D'Amico of the Teaching Assistants’ Training Program, TATP. TAs who attend this training will be paid.

These workshops and peer-review sessions, hosted by Prof Dan Newman (Director, Graduate Writing Support, Faculty of Arts & Science), complement the department's one-on-one External Awards Research Proposal Clinics. 

Professor Newman will offer two informational workshops for literature students applying for the CGRS D. Feel free to attend either one (there is no need to attend both).

• Date: Sept 4, 2025
• Time: 9:00-11:00 am
• Focus: English Literature (this workshop is reserved for graduate students in English)
• Location: Robarts Library 3-023 (Screening Room in the Media Commons, 3rd floor)
• You will need a T-Card to get into the library

• Date: Sept 11, 2025
• Time: 1:00-3:00 pm
• Focus: Literature and Fine Arts (this workshop is open to graduate students in all literary fields, including but not limited to English)
• Location: SK 620 (Faculty of Social Work, 246 Bloor Street West)

These informational workshops aim to demystify research proposals and offer practical writing strategies for those (including current MAs applying for PhD funding for 2026-27) applying for the SSHRC Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS D). Note that international students are now eligible to apply for the CGRS D. Those applying for the CGRS M or OGS are also welcome to attend, but note that there will be a separate workshop for these awards on Nov 5 (see below). Attendees will also be encouraged to participate in one or more optional virtual peer-review sessions (see below).

To register, please complete this form, selecting either the “English” option for Sept 4 or the “Literatures (SSHRC Committee 1)" option for Sept 11.

If you cannot attend either of these workshops, you can select the virtual option “General CGRS-D (SSHRC)” on Friday, Sept 12, 1-3 pm, but note that this will be a generic version covering all social science and humanities fields, not only English or Literary Studies.

• Date: Nov 5, 2025
• Time: 2:00-4:00 pm
• Location: to be shared upon registration

This informational workshop aims to demystify research proposals and offer practical writing strategies for undergraduate students (who are applying to the MA Program) and eligible MA and MA CRW students applying for the SSHRC Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master's (CGRS M) and/or Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS).To register, please complete this form, selecting the “CGRS-M (SSHRC Masters)” option.

Feel free to email Professor Newman with any questions.

Anyone applying for a graduate award is encouraged to participate in one or more of the virtual peer-review sessions listed below.

1. Wednesday September 3, 2025, 4-6 pm
2. Tuesday September 9, 2025, 2-4 pm
3. Monday September 15, 2025, 10 am-12 pm
4. Thursday November 20, 2025, 10 am-12 pm
5. Thursday November 20, 2025, 2-4 pm

To register, please complete this form and then email your draft proposal to Professor Newman at least two days before the session in question. In September, these hands-on peer-review sessions are designed for applicants to the SSHRC CGRS D, but those applying for the CGRS M or OGS are welcome at all sessions. You do not need to have participated in the September 4 or 11 Writing a Strong Research Proposal for the SSHRC CGRS D Application workshop to participate in these peer-review sessions.

• Date: Oct 22, 2025
• Time: 10:00 am-12:00 pm
• Location: JHB 616

This workshop will be hosted by Professors Melissa Gniadek (Associate Director, MA) and Alan Ackerman (Associate Director, PhD). They will be joined by two English PhD Students, who will offer their advice and perspectives.

Registration is now closed. 

This workshop is open ONLY to students from the Department of English at the University of Toronto.

This workshop will be held during an ENG6999YF Critical Topographies class, so only MA CRW students will need to register.

• Date: Nov 4, 2025
• Time: 12:00-1:30 pm
• Location: JHB 100

Hosted by Professors Randy Boyagoda and Adam Hammond, this workshop will feature a panel of current PhD students, who will offer reflections and advice about writing your first seminar papers (including getting started, entering scholarly conversations, and time management), how to be a good class member in seminars, managing stress, having a life as a graduate student, and more.

Registration is now closed. 

This workshop is open ONLY to MA and MA CRW students from the Department of English at the University of Toronto.

• Date: Feb 6, 2026
• Time: 1:00-3:00 pm
• Location: JHB 616

Hosted by Professor Melissa Gniadek, Associate Director, MA, this workshop will be co-hosted by Jessica Wurster, Career Education & Exploration Graduate Career Educator, and Joel Rodgers, Coordinator, Graduate Student Professional Development for the Faculty of Arts and Science. It will focus on practical details to help you translate your English or Comp Lit MA into the job search. For example, we will discuss how to read and interpret job postings and how to present literary research skills on a resume.

To register, please complete this form.

The deadline for students to register for this session is Feb 4, 2026.

This workshop is open ONLY to MA and MA CRW students in English and MA students in Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto.

• Date: Sept 25, 2025
• Time: 10:00-11:00 am
• Location: Graduate Lounge, JHB 719

Join the GEA as we discuss finding community at the university and in Toronto with PhD student panelists, who will talk about their involvements, favourite things to do in the city, and how they adjusted to the social side of graduate life. While this discussion is geared towards incoming students, all graduate students in the department are welcome to attend this informal conversation.

• Date: Oct 20, 2025
• Time: 9:00-11:00 am
• Location: Graduate Lounge, JHB 719

Join the GEA for an in-depth, peer-led workshop on putting together your PhD applications, with a focus on writing research statements (also known as the Statement of Purpose). For the first hour, junior PhD students will share their strategies and approaches to the application with insights from their respective fields and academic backgrounds. In the second hour, students will have the opportunity to practice a series of writing exercises designed to help you clarify and structure how you pitch your research to prospective programs. Please bring a computer, tablet, or notebook to write in.

• Date: Jan 16, 2026
• Time: 11:00 am-12:00 pm
• Location: JHB 616

Join the GEA for an informative workshop with the DGS and upper year PhD and MA students to discuss funding letters, budgeting for your program timelines, and living expenses in Toronto. This will be a low-stakes opportunity for incoming students (and any other interested parties) to start developing your financial literacy for your time at the Department and beyond.

• Date: Feb 6, 2026
• Time: 11:00 am-12:00 pm
• Location: JHB 616

The workshop will explore questions and concerns about Form A, forming a supervisory committee, creating reading lists and the Special Fields exam itself. It will be led by a panel of PhD students who represent diverse fields and are from across different years of the program.

• Date: Mar 5, 2026
• Time: 11:00 am-12:00 pm
• Location: JHB 616

Please join the GEA for a workshop on how to find, apply for and successfully execute Course Instructorships, with guidance from experienced PhD students in the department.