After the first year, admission to the Ph.D. program in Classics carries
with it a commitment of four years of full financial support subject only
to the condition that the student is making satisfactory progress toward
the doctoral degree. This position carries a fixed stipend (the same for
all students) for nine months plus tuition and fees. In fulfillment of
the requirements for the M.Phil. degree, all students must gain teaching
experience as part of their graduate training. Moreover, the Classics
Department considers Teaching Fellowships an important part of graduate
training. They provide graduate students with an opportunity for essential
practical experience under the training and sustained guidance of the
faculty and are the principal means by which the university provides financial
support for graduate education.
Teaching Fellows also benefit the department and Columbia as a whole,
as they complement the faculty's teaching duties and enrich the instructional
experience of undergraduates by providing a role model closer in training
and career development to the undergraduates themselves. In sum, the goals
of Teaching Fellowships are:
1. To provide graduate students with teaching experience both under the
immediate tutelage of the faculty and independently;
2. To contribute to the department's and the College's educational program;
3. To enhance contact and communication between the departmental graduate
and undergraduate consistencies.
First year Teaching Fellows tend to be assigned to courses where they assist faculty. The faculty member teaching the class will determine the precise details of the duties to be undertaken. The following are standards which the faculty as a whole supports:
Teaching Fellows are expected to attend class regularly and do the following under the guidance of a faculty member:
1. Grading - Grade a significant portion of the homework, quizzes and examinations; grade papers (at the faculty member's discretion).
2. Other Responsibilities - Some Teaching Fellows are also asked
to draft examinations and run a class web site.
3. Office Hours - Keep regular office hours to answer students'
questions, and, in general, help those students who have difficulty keeping
up with the class (at least one per week regularly set; one more may be
needed to accommodate particular students' needs). However, it is not
appropriate for Teaching Fellows to tutor undergraduates who fail to attend
class, take quizzes or do their homework. [It is important for the faculty
member and Teaching Fellow to establish under what conditions, for example,
the Teaching Fellow will be asked to administer a make-up quiz or exam.]
4. Classroom Teaching - There is a great deal of variety in the
kinds and amount of classroom teaching asked of first year Teaching Fellows.
Common standards are therefore not easily prescribed, but in general the
following applies:
· First Year Language Courses - In the first year language courses,
the faculty member generally is present at every class, but opportunities
for the Teaching Fellow to teach in front of the entire class in a gradual
and continuous process should also be provided. The faculty member will
offer regular advice outside class on how best to improve/develop teaching
skills. The individual faculty member will determine the frequency of
teaching opportunities, but in general first year teaching fellows might
expect to teach for approximately 20 minutes in one class (usually the
last session) per week. As the semester progresses, Teaching Fellows may
be asked, at the faculty member's discretion, to teach for gradually lengthening
periods, and to present more complex materials.
· Second Year Language Courses - In second year language courses,
it has been a common practice for the Teaching Fellow to conduct alone
the third, shorter meeting of the class (generally on Fridays) as a review
session at the instructor's discretion. During this meeting, the Teaching
Fellow goes over passages, which are particularly difficult, and provides
grammatical reviews. In some classes, the grammatical subject to be covered
is assigned in advance, and students are asked to prepare exercises, which
are then reviewed in class.
· Translation Courses - In translation classes (e.g. Myth, Women
in Antiquity, The Classical Tradition, etc.), the duties expected of Teaching
Fellows will vary according to the nature of the specific course, but
it is expected that Teaching Fellows will be fully integrated into the
course activities. Teaching Fellows can be expected to grade exams and
papers; to prepare materials for class (including slides and readings);
to hold discussion sessions; to lecture on or present particular topics.
Second and third year Teaching Fellows generally teach introductory language courses and literature courses under the guidance of faculty members. Besides the obvious responsibilities of meeting class, being fully prepared, grading fairly, etc., the following should also be considered:
1. Syllabus Preparation - Prepare a detailed class syllabus; this should
include a discussion of assignments and other requirements (e.g. class
attendance), and a detailed description of how final grades will be computed
to avoid disputes at the end.
2. Office Hours - Hold two office hours a week.
3. Problems - Seek the advice of a faculty member (or Director of Graduate
Studies or Department Chair) immediately if any problem develops in the
course, especially if it involves a student.
Faculty members should discuss before or at the beginning of the semester
the class syllabus and the expected contributions of the Teaching Fellow
to the class. The faculty member should arrange to observe the Teaching
Fellow as he\she teaches, not only at the beginning of the course, but
throughout the semester, so as to be able to provide guidance and feedback.
At the end of the semester, the faculty member should write an evaluation
of the Teaching Fellow, which includes a review of all the Teaching Fellow's
contribution to the class: class lectures and presentations, grading,
hand-outs and other special assignments, etc. This evaluation should be
discussed with the Teaching Fellow, before being turned in to be included
in the graduate student's file.
During the semester before the Teaching Fellow is to teach his\her class,
he\she should choose a faculty mentor in consultation with the Director
of Graduate Studies. The faculty mentor and the Teaching Fellow should
meet as much as necessary as the Teaching Fellow organizes the course,
plans the class readings, syllabus, exams, etc. It is felt by some Teaching
Fellows that a class visit by a faculty member early in the semester may
upset the position of the Teaching Fellow with respect to the students;
yet a visit later in the semester may be too late to address a problem.
Hence, it is important that the Teaching Fellow have the help of a faculty
member as the class is being planned. During the semester of actual teaching,
the faculty member and Teaching Fellow should continue these meetings
as needed.
The faculty member should also observe the actual class taught by the
Teaching Fellow at least twice, at times agreed upon by the Teaching Fellow.
After each class, the faculty member and the Teaching Fellow should meet
to discuss the class. At the end of the semester, the faculty member should
write an evaluation for the Teaching Fellow's file, which considers not
only the class visits, but also the entire process, from planning to final
examination.
The student evaluations of the course will be made available to the Teaching
Fellow to examine. Those evaluations will also be available to the Director
of Graduate Studies, the Chair, and the Teaching Fellow's faculty mentor.
Where appropriate, the Teaching Fellow is free to discuss the responses
in the evaluations with the Director of Graduate Studies, the Chair or
the faculty mentor.
First-year language courses are departmental courses, with a common textbook.
They must be closely coordinated because all the students who emerge from
the different sections must have acquired the same information. It is
expected therefore that the faculty member teaching one of the sections
will be the mentor of the Teaching Fellows teaching the other sections.
Hence, he\she will meet with the Teaching Fellows in the Spring before
the course begins to guide the course planning; will conduct meetings
during the teaching semester to discuss common issues; will observe the
Teaching Fellows in the classroom; will write the evaluations, etc.
When all sections of a beginning language course are taught by graduate
students (e.g. the Intensive sections and the 1101 sections offered in
the Spring semester), then the Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation
with the graduate students, will assign a faculty mentor who has had recent
experience in teaching that particular course.
In addition, there are several publications on teaching techniques. One which might be particularly helpful is First Day to Final Grade: A Graduate Student's Guide to Teaching by A. Curzan and L. Damour (Michigan, 2000). Copies are available in the Departmental Office.