Teaching and Development
Opportunities
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY PROGRAM
In order to provide graduate student
teaching assistants with a smooth transition from their role as a student to
one as instructor, the Department of Sociology has implemented a program that
stresses faculty mentoring, provides graduate teaching assistants with hands-on
experience in classroom instruction, and includes a 3-credit hour Seminar in
Teaching Sociology (SOC 603) to help prepare graduate students to teach their
own courses. (Completion of a
master’s degree and SOC 603 are required for Sociology graduate students
to teach their own courses in the Department).
SEMINAR IN TEACHING SOCIOLOGY (SOC 603)
The purpose of this course is to help
graduate students develop an effective approach to teaching, including an
overarching philosophy and framework for teaching, as well as applied teaching
strategies and skills. Through class
discussions, assigned readings, written exercises, videotaped micro-teaching
presentations, and presentations to undergraduate classes, seminar members work toward developing and improving their teaching
styles and strategies. During the
semester, each seminar member develops a course that s/he would like to
teach. Course components including a
syllabus, discussion plans, lecture outlines, and evaluation instruments are
included in a teaching portfolio that is completed by the end of the term. (SOC 603 will be offered Fall
semester, 2005).
The Graduate Certificate in Teaching
and Learning provides a coherent, integrated approach to helping graduate
students, postdoctoral scholars, current faculty, and others understand the
full range of faculty responsibilities in different higher educational
settings.
This 12-credit hour Certificate,
including a required 3-credit hour supervised practicum experience, provides a
rich integration of theory and practice and provides participants with tangible
documentation of their expertise in college teaching and learning. For Sociology graduate students, the 3-credit
hour Seminar in Teaching Sociology (SOC 603) counts toward the 12-credit hours
required for this Certificate. For full
details, including application information, go to http://www.rgs.uky.edu/gs/CTLCertificate/.