Course description: This seminar is a set of weekly meetings for first year graduate students in the Department of History & Religious Studies who are (or will be) serving as teaching assistants in department courses. While we will examine issues facing first time teaching assistants, the class will also engage the philosophical (and pedagogical) ideas behind teaching to enhance your ability in the classroom.

Grading Policy: As a one-credit course, this seminar is not meant to be a substantial burden on your time, rather a forum to facilitate your work as a teaching assistant and eventually as an instructor. As such, the primary requirement is that you attend the class regularly and offer substantive contributions to the discussions and actively reflect on the information being presented.

There will be no written assignments. However, every Sunday evening I will e-mail a short reading and a general question and topic of discussion that I would like you to mull over prior to Monday’s class. These questions will range from the philosophical (“Do students learn better from essay or multiple choice tests?”) to the very specific (“How does one put documents on e-reserve?”) or the mundane ("Do these shoes make me look like a dork?).

This website will continue to be updated over the course of the semester with current readings and other web resources.

Schedule of Meetings:
August 19 (1 - 4 p.m.) – Resources & Expectations for Teaching Assistants

August 21 (1 - 4 p.m.) – Library Orientation and Advice from Professors (meet at 1 p.m. in W315 Pattee Library)

September 3 – Running a Discussion (before it runs you)

September 10– Grading (or Knowing It When You See it)

September 17– Offering Oral and Written Feedback

September 24– Technology and Teaching

October 1 – Being Evaluated: Learning from Feedback

October 8 – Let Me Entertain You: Give’em what they Want

October 15– Are We Teachers or Researchers (or Both)?

October 22– Evaluating the State of Education & Your Role In It