We recognize that many of our graduate students are interested in pursuing careers in academia, and therefore teaching experience is important as they prepare for the job market. Our program offers a number of teaching opportunities that range from invited course lectures to full courses during the academic year or summer session. The UCSC Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning (CITL) provides substantial instructional support through a number of workshops, events, and programs. Two CITL programs are specifically designed to offer professional development and instructional support to graduate students: the Graduate Pedagogy Fellows Program trains Teaching Assistants (TAs) to lead the training of all other TAs in their home departments. The Summer GSI Peer Support Team provides an enhanced teaching support network for graduate students teaching summer courses as Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs). In the Visual Studies Program, faculty advisors, the Chair of the HAVC department, and the Director of Graduate Studies provide relevant mentoring and support to graduate student instructors. Browse the student teaching profiles for insights into the great work our students are doing in the classroom.
Invited course lectures:
Students working as Teaching Assistants in courses that are relevant to their research interests are encouraged to ask the instructor if they can deliver a class talk on an appropriate subject. Such talks can enhance the learning experience of the undergrads and offer grads the opportunity to practice and improve their teaching and presentation skills.
Academic year courses:
Depending on the curricular needs of the History of Art and Visual Culture department and the availability of funds, graduate students may be offered the opportunity to teach HAVC undergraduate courses during the academic year. These are classes relevant to the graduate students’ own research (either already in our course catalogue or specifically developed by our graduates), and courses they have served as Teaching Assistants in the past. Graduate students may also be given the opportunity to teach HAVC 100A, the disciplinary communication required course for HAVC majors. Usually students who are in their third year or later are selected for these teaching opportunities, based on their overall academic performance and positive recommendations from their advisor and the instructors with whom they have worked as TAs on the courses they will be teaching.
Summer Session:
Each Fall we invite graduate students to submit proposals for a course they would like to teach the following summer. Usually Summer Session approves at least two of the proposals we forward to them. Students can propose to teach existing courses, or a new course built around their research interests. Priority for summer teaching goes to 3rd year students (don’t have to be advanced to candidacy), but anyone with an M.A. or who will be advanced to candidacy before summer session begins is eligible to apply.
Browse the student teaching profiles for insights into the great work our students are doing in the classroom.