Helping Graduate Students Prepare for
Teaching-Oriented Faculty Positions

Adapted with permission from materials prepared by Edward L. Kain, Brown Distinguished Teaching Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX 78626 (kaine@southwestern.edu)

Helping graduate students understand that preparing a set of credentials is a cumulative process

• Suggest that they regularly read the ASA Employment Bulletin

  • Examine the types of jobs which are available.
  • Look at the qualifications and requirements for the positions.
• Have students prepare themselves based upon this information. How?

  • Take coursework in a variety of areas.
  • Get solid methodological and theoretical training.
  • Develop research skills.
  • Take any available courses which prepare graduate students to teach.

  • . Make certain that graduate students get teaching experience. Some suggestions:
    • Work in a variety of TA positions (but not so many that they don't do research).
    • Try to have the opportunity to teach their own courses.
    • Guest lecture in other people's courses.
  • Help them develop a broad understanding of the literature on teaching within the discipline--see the suggested reading list on the bottom of the next page.
  • Have them serve on a search committee in your department

Some guidelines for helping students prepare materials for their application folders

• It is important that they do their homework.

  • Go to websites for the college/university and carefully read about things like the mission statement, the resources of the institution, the goals and aspirations of the institution.
  • Read the college catalog (CollegeSource), paying particular attention to the information on the department. Ask themselves questions such as:
    • What are the requirements for the major?
    • What courses are offered?
    • Is there a particular focus in the department?
    • Where would I fit in--i.e. , What can I add to the department
• What should be in the letter of application?

  • Directly address each part of the job listing.
  • Provide evidence of skills to teach in the areas which are listed.
  • Explicitly talk about an interest in teaching.
  • Consider including a separate sheet which states a personal philosophy of teaching.
  • Illustrate that they've done their homework.
  • Illustrate that they have thought about ways in which teaching and research can be combined (see Kain in the reference list for some examples).
• Help graduate students with their vita

  • Suggest that they look at multiple vitae to get an idea of what should be included.
  • Include material on their teaching experience.
  • Don't pad.
• Send only what is requested--but provide clear information indicating how more material can be obtained.
• Letters of recommendation-make certain they address teaching

• Help them prepare to teach. Suggest that:

  • If they are asked to teach a course, they should get the full syllabus as well as copies of what the students will have read for the day previous to their lecture.
  • They should link their presentation clearly to what the students have been studying--even if the topic is very different than what they've been doing.
  • They should use good teaching techniques--audiovisuals, an outline either on the board or on a handout, discussion/demonstration etc. as well as lecture.
  • They make certain that they do not go over time--leave time for questions, and prepare for potential questions which you think might arise.
  • One of the best ways to insure #4, is to do a practice run-through with an audience.
  • There must be a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.
  • They use the blackboard or a handout to list any important concepts, names, or terms.
• Suggest that they shape the visit so that they show they are interested in teaching. How?

  • Ask to meet with students.
  • Make certain that there is a bit of down time right before the presentation to allow them to collect their thoughts and do their best.
  • Come prepared with questions to ask about the curriculum in the department.
  • Show that they have done their homework; that they know the institution and department.
  • Use web-searching aids (JSTOR, Proquest, etc.) to locate publications by department members. Read something by each person, if possible. (Feel free to request faculty vitae.)
• Even if they are not asked to teach a course, whatever they do will be examined with an eye on how they will do in the classroom.

  • If they are asked to give a research presentation, it should be pitched in such a way that students as well as faculty will appreciate it.
  • Ask who their audience will be for any presentations--whether they are in the form of a class or a research presentation.
  • Always be ready to address strengths and weaknesses of their research, as well as what their next steps will be.

ABBREVIATED LIST OF SUGGESTED READING

Eberts, Paul, Carla B. Howery, Catherine White Berheide, Kathleen Crittenden, Robert Davis, Zelda Gamson, Theodore C. Wagenaar. Liberal Learning and the Sociology Major. ASA/AAC, 1990.

Goldsmid, Charles A. and Everett K. Wilson. Passing on Sociology: The Teaching of a Discipline. American Sociological Association Teaching Resources Center.

McKeachie, Wilbert J. (with chapters by N. Chism, R. Menges, M. Svinicki, and C. Weinstein) Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers. (9^th ed.) D. C. Heath and Co, 1994

Kain, Edward L. "Building the Sociological Imagination Through a Cumulative Curriculum: Professional Socialization in Sociology." Teaching Sociology 27, 1999 (January: 1-16).

Syllabi collections and other publications of the ASA Teaching Resources Center.

Teaching Sociology