This seminar/workshop has two goals. The first is to provide some
foundation in education, and especially education in anthropology. You
will read some theoretical things that treat how undergrads learn, as
well as results of some studies of college teaching. The second is to
provide practical information about what to expect as an AI, and what
to expect as a future professor of anthropology. There will be some
teaching tips, workshops and applications dealing with testing,
grading, assessment, and other topics. We will monitor how the classes
you are working with are proceeding throughout the semester, and
provide information regarding problem solving and course development.
We will also draw on the experience and expertise of individuals in
other parts of the university, such as the Campus Writing Program, who
will offer workshops and discussions with our group. Near the end of
the semester we will move toward broader discussions of anthropology
programs, how they are framed, and what they need. This should get you
thinking about how to construct courses from scratch, and how to
develop new course ideas.

Each week there will be time for problem-solving and discussion based
on what you may be doing at any particular moment in your class,
followed by directed topical discussions. You will be asked to sit in
on and observe classes in areas other than your subfield. Depending on
what courses you are involved in, there will be peer observations.
Later in the course you will develop microteachings (short lessons on
a specific topic), and teach the rest of us.


As a final project, there will be course development, in which you
will create course outlines, pick readings and devise assessment
techniques for a course of your own. Response papers, a textbook
review, and a lecture evaluation will also be included among the
assignments.

Readings:

Curzan, Anne and Lisa Damour. 2000. First Day to Final Grade: A
Graduate Student’s Guide to Teaching. University of Michigan Press.
($18.95)

Rice, Patricia and David W. McCurdy. 3rd ed. 2003. Strategies in
Teaching Anthropology. Prentice Hall. ($32.00)


And articles on e-reserve.