Teacher Training
HAA has an ongoing goal to ensure that every graduate student emerges from the PhD program with an excellent teaching portfolio. The department has a vigorous training program for graduate student-teachers of art history, which includes a course in pedagogy required for all new teaching assistants or fellows. The course not only introduces students to principles of active learning in the classroom, but also helps students prepare a sample syllabus and a teaching statement to form the core of their teaching portfolio.
In addition to teaching recitation and writing sections for full-time faculty, graduate students have an unusual number of opportunities to design and teach their own courses, both during the academic year and in the summer term. These "stand-alone" courses become crucial elements of the students' teaching portfolios. Faculty observe classrooms to give constructive feedback to graduate student instructors. For recitation and writing sections, this is the job of the faculty instructor; for "stand-alone" courses, PhD advisors handle the observations in order to write strong and specific letters of recommendation in the future. An annual grad student teaching prize is awarded to recognize students who have developed especially outstanding portfolios and teaching records.
When students complete the PhD comprehensive exams, they are required to submit a teaching portfolio before advancing to the ABD level. The portfolio must contain syllabi for at least two courses, one at an introductory level, and one at an advanced level. The portfolio should also include a teaching philosophy statement, and (if available) samples of course evaluations, and samples of student work with instructor comments. These portfolios must be approved by the Faculty Advisor and submitted to the Graduate Committee for evaluation and comment.
Useful links
Syllabus for HAA 2970, Teaching of Art History (.doc)
Teaching resources for faculty and grad students
