Pedagogical Training Plan

EALC graduates compete for positions in diverse institutions of higher education. Some of the institutions in which we place students select primarily on research excellence; others (including some R1 institutions) require significant evidence of solid teaching experience and training. In some segments of the job market, this includes teaching in East Asian languages. EALC aims to offer students teaching opportunities that build up step by step, starting with supervised course assistantships, writing internships, or language mentorships (for explanation of these terms, see below) and culminating in one or more stand-alone lectureships. Since students apply to different fields with different teachings demands, EALC does not require all students to complete the same sequence or the same teaching load. At a minimum, students will teach 3 supervised units (course assistantships, writing internships, or language mentorships) and 1 stand-alone course. At a maximum, students will teach 5 supervised units and 1 stand-alone course, or 3 supervised units and 2 stand-alone courses. The latter case (teaching 2 stand-alone courses) applies mostly to students who plan to obtain the Second Language Teaching Certificate and need to teach a stand-alone language course in addition to the stand-alone course in the discipline.

In the spring quarter of their second year, students will consult with their advisers and the DGS to create a provisional “teaching plan.” This plan provides a road map for the likely number of units a student will teach; it also commits the department to providing the teaching opportunities and training necessary to fulfill these units. As long as students are receiving divisional funding, they will be required to teach only those units laid out in their teaching plans. Exceptions will be made only in case of urgent departmental needs. We also recognize that in certain cases these plans will need to be revised or updated as the student advances in the program.

The most important pedagogical skill EALC students need to acquire is how to design and teach a stand-alone course (lectureship) in the discipline. This is typically a “Topics in EALC” course. In preparation for teaching this course, EALC requires that all students take the one-day “Teaching@Chicago” workshop (offered by CCT in Orientation week). In addition, we recommend (but do not require) that all students take the “Fundamentals of Teaching” workshop (offered by CCT in weeks 2 to 5) and the CCT course on “Course Design and College Teaching” (CCTE 50000). Before students teach a stand-alone course, they should have taught 2 supervised units (either 2 course assistantships, or 1 course assistantship and 1 writing internship). This may be reduced to one course assistantship for students who teach a stand-alone language course, preceded by two language mentorships, in addition to the stand-alone content course.

A second important pedagogical skill is to teach academic writing to undergraduates. This is important not only as a job market qualification but also as a pathway towards a Humanities Teaching Fellowship. Students wanting to work as a writing intern in the Common Core need to complete HUMA 50000, “Pedagogies of Writing” in the Spring or Summer quarter before they wish to intern.

A third useful pedagogical skill (especially for those working on modern East Asia) is language teaching. EALC aims to guarantee that all interested students can do at least one unit of language teaching, typically a language mentorship. Students who expect to apply for jobs with a strong language component are encouraged to take the CCT/CLC College Teaching Certificate in Second Language Pedagogy. The requirements for the certificate include the teaching of a stand-alone language course. Before teaching a stand-alone language course, students need to teach 2 units of supervised teaching (i.e. 2 language mentorships or language course assistantships). Language mentorships resemble internships: the student attends a class taught by a language lecturer, helps with a limited number of tasks (such as grading homework), does some classroom teaching in the presence of the lecturer, and receives feedback from the lecturer. Details differ from program to program and are determined by our language program directors.

Generally, all graduates of our program should be able to:

• design and teach introductory courses in the discipline beyond their specific area of expertise;
• design and teach introductory and upper-level courses in their subfield;
• design effective assignments for a range of courses;
• effectively facilitate class discussion;
• design and deliver effective lectures;
• describe their approach to student learning and give reasons for their pedagogical choices.
• They should also be well-versed in methods of undergraduate writing instruction and in the principles of inclusive pedagogy.

• Teaching assignments are made in late spring/early summer by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Department Administrator, and as needed, in consultation with the advisor. Taking into consideration student preferences, assignments are made based on an individual student’s pedagogical training needs and qualifications in balance with departmental course offerings.

• Some students may need to adjust teaching timeline expectations, especially if they hold an external fellowship or require more than one year of language training or research away from Chicago. The distribution of teaching assignments in years 3, 4, and 6 is intended to allow students to spend one year abroad without teaching obligations—an important feature of our program. In order to accommodate individual needs, students may request to move their teaching assignments to years 3, 4, and 5, or to 3, 5, and 6, or to combine them in other customized ways. Such requests will typically be discussed as part of the annual spring review process and in consultation with the DGS and the academic adviser.
• A student usually will not be given a teaching appointment for a stand-alone course until after s/he has already held at least 2 course assistantships or writing internships (for content courses), or at least 2 language course assistantships or language mentorships (for language courses), and until these initial assignments are scaffolded by the training and mentoring described above.
• Preceding any appointment as a writing intern, students must have taken Pedagogies of Writing course (HUMA 50000) in spring or summer of the year before they wish to intern. Depending on individual circumstances, students may petition the Director of Graduate Studies to enroll instead in Academic and Professional Writing course (ENGL 33000) in the autumn quarter of their third year.

Course assistants teach weekly discussions sections. Course assistants should not be asked to teach lectures or primary course meetings, except on limited occasions, for their own professional development, and under faculty supervision. Their responsibilities include but will not necessarily be limited to the following:

• Assisting the faculty in planning course outlines, preparing syllabi, and planning paper assignments and exams
• Attending the course
• Evaluating and commenting on student papers and exams.
• Reading students’ posts on Canvas and commenting on them
• Holding weekly office hours

Faculty responsibilities to course assistants: While the role of the CA differs from course to course, CAs can generally expect:

• to discuss the course with the professor before it begins
• to have a clear idea at the start of the quarter of your responsibilities and the dates when you will have special duties (e.g., grading)
• to be introduced and to have your role explained to the students at the start of the course
• to discuss the grading policy and its rationale
• to meet with the professor on a regular basis as the course proceeds
• to have supervision of, and receive feedback on, your contributions from the professor

If you feel that your working relationship with your professor or with your students is not effective in some way, it is expected that you will point this out and seek to resolve it with the professor. If there is a problem doing so, the Director of Graduate Studies is the appropriate resource for helping you define and resolve such issues.