ABE 022

Course description

In collaboration with Chalmers University, the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment in Delft University of Technology will be running a two-day academic writing retreat in May 2023. This will be delivered face-to-face, and the main sessions will take place from 09:00hrs CET on Monday 4 December 2023 to 17:00hrs CET on Tuesday 5 December 2023. There will then be a follow-up one-to-one feedback session after 5 December 2023. 

The retreat is designed to support advanced-level doctoral researchers and early-career researchers in getting their research published in peer-reviewed academic journals or finalise a key chapter in their thesis1. During this retreat, we will be working with your text, with a view to refine the writing such that you are in a position to finalise a manuscript for submission at the end of the retreat. It is hoped that this retreat will address your needs in terms of developing papers that are fairly close to completion. Therefore, it is important that this retreat takes place over three days so that you have the time and space to receive ongoing advice concerning structure, organisation and language in order to finalise the draft.

During the retreat we will alternate between short theoretical “lectures”, time to write alone, peer feedback and group discussions. It is hoped that the experience on this retreat will give you the confidence to develop your manuscript for submission to a journal or to finalise your thesis. So, it is important that you have a clear idea of what you want to do with this draft paper or book/thesis chapter in mind when applying to attend this retreat.

Learning objectives

The learning outcomes of this concentrated course are that you will be able to:

–               identify and critically evaluate different rhetorical devices in academic 
                 texts;

–               give and take constructive feedback;

–               select communication strategies based on forum, audience and genre;

–               complete your paper/article/book or thesis chapter, and;

–               better deal with and respond to reviewer comments. 

Teaching Method 

Short lectures, individual reflections/revisions, small group discussions, and one-to-one consultation

About the Lecturer(s)/Coach(es) 

Paul W. Chan holds the Chair of Design and Construction Management at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment in Delft University of Technology. He studies human relations in engineering and construction projects, examining how people deal with social, organisational and technological change. He is Editor-in-Chief of Construction Management and Economics. He has authored publications on a variety of topics, including labour productivity, knowledge sharing, new service-led business models, social value and sustainable transitions in construction. He also co-authored the book Constructing Futures (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010) on leadership and futures thinking in construction.

Christine Räisänen is a full professor emerita at the Division of Construction Management at Chalmers.  She obtained her PhD in Applied Linguistics at the English Department, Göteborg University.  She has extensively studied organizational discursive practices, leadership, and knowledge/information management in project organizations. She is currently researching the role of space in practices of strategy-making. In 2020, Christine became an Editor of Construction Management and Economics.

As economist by origin, Marietta Haffner has more than 30 years of experience in conducting European comparative studies in the field of housing and has close to a decade of teaching experience at TU Delft.  Marietta’s interests include financial and economic aspects of housing, including topics as housing affordability, housing capability, housing tenure, housing policy and equity issues.  Since 2019 Marietta has been Editor-in-Chief of Housing Studies, Editor of Ruimte en Wonen, as well as Coordination Committee member of the European Network for Housing Research (ENHR).

Important dates

8 March 2024: Expression of interest to participate. So we can plan for the retreat, please send an email to p.w.c.chan@tudelft.nl if you are planning to submit a short paper to apply for this retreat before Friday 8 March 2024.  

15 April 2024: Deadline for short paper of around 3,000 words. Send your short paper to p.w.c.chan@tudelft.nl.

29 April 2024: Notification of acceptance on the retreat. 

13 May 2024 room F - 14 May 2024 room 01.West.060: Writing Retreat (The retreat will start from 9:00hrs CET on 13 May and we aim to finish at 17:00hrs CET on 14 May 2024).  

After the retreat: One-to-one feedback with a retreat convenor (individual schedule to be confirmed). 

How to enroll 

Please send an email to p.w.c.chan@tudelft.nl before Friday 8 March 2024 if you are planning to submit a short paper to apply for this retreat. 

Course Info

Course code
ABE 022 

Course type
Workshop and short lectures 

Number of Participants 
15 maximum (priority given to PhD researchers who have successfully completed the Go/No-Go milestone) 

Name of Lecturer(s)/Coach(es) 
Paul Chan, Christine Räisänen (Chalmers University of Technology) and Marietta Haffner

Graduate School credits 
4 GS Credits

Course Dates and Times: 
13 May and 14 May 2024 (09:00hrs - 17:00 hrs CET), and a follow-up session for one-to-one feedback