|
Description
|
At Texas Woman's University,
we are developing a three-component model for the
socialization and training of doctoral students in
sociology. First, a pedagogical component is comprised of
two courses: (1) Methods of Teaching Sociology in College,
required of all graduate students who want to become
graduate teaching assistants, and (2) The Scholarly Career,
an interdisciplinary course which is team-taught by the
chair of the Department of Sociology and Social Work and the
dean of the College of Library and Information Studies. The
aim of the second course is to familiarize students with the
different areas of a faculty person's expected
performance--teaching, scholarship, and service--and to
acquaint students with the social organization of
academia.
The second component is the
experiential or teaching component. This facet of the
program consists of graduate teaching experience in the form
of assisting with course instruction and subsequently
teaching a class as the "teacher of record" under the
mentorship of a faculty resource person. The third component
of our model addresses professional development. Doctoral
students complete a one-hour Professional Seminar during
their first semester in residency. The seminar deals with
pragmatic topics such as selecting a graduate committee,
preparing a degree plan, selecting a dissertation problem,
and preparing a vita. Other topics are introduced in the
seminar and then "spun off" for more in-depth treatment in
four-hour workshops or seminars. Workshop topics include
"Preparation for Comprehensive Exams," "Grant Writing,"
"Writing for Publication," and "The Job Search." In
addition, the model trains students in theory and methods;
and provides mentoring for the presentation of research
papers and the development of teaching skills.
http://www.twu.edu/as/socsw/
|
