Recent Course Offerings

Asian American Literature
Creative Writing
Transnational Asia-Pacific
Comparative Studies in Native American and Asian American Literatures

Personal Profile:http://www.english.ucsb.edu/people-detail.asp?PersonID=24

TA's as Colleagues
I relate to TAs as junior colleagues who help undergraduates make sense of my
lectures, which too often appear hurried, confusing, and heavy going because
these lectures cover massive materials in a short time. I also depend on TAs to
tell me what is working and what isn't and why. TAs help me with classroom
mechanics--a-v equipment, etc--and mediate between their students, whom they
get to know fairly well in the course of the quarter, and me, whom
undergraduates will barely get to meet. Thus, I count on TA's to make students'
learning happen. I have read student evaluations which say that their TA
sections were better than my lectures!

TAs meet with me at least once every other week, and usually more often, to
anticipate trouble spots, to discuss instructional strategies, to share ideas
for handouts, and so forth. We also meet to discuss necessary syllabus
matters--mid-terms, finals, research papers and other projects, grading
criteria, and grading decisions. I view these meetings as part of graduate
training for the profession.

Discussion Sections
TA's have complete autonomy over their discussion sections. I believe that
sharing experiences, ideas, plans, and handouts makes each of us a better
teacher, scholar and colleague. I visit each section once during the quarter
and write up my evaluation of that class as a record for the TA when s/he is
putting together her/his teaching portfolio and c.v.

My preference is for a discussion section to be discussion-focused and for the
TA to serve as facilitator. I have found that TAs who come in with prepared
questions, who use the chalkboard, who call on individual names and who
re-state their students' queries and statements, who pause and wait patiently
for responses, who have students read passages aloud, who have prepared
passages for close reading, and forth, are much more successful in eliciting
conversation.

TAs who give brief quizzes and short response exercises will find it easier to
encourage students to write good research papers. Focusing on writing skills is
an important part of the TA's work. In short, inventive and thoughful
preparation for the discussion section is necessary for successful learning.

Beyond Discussion Section: Lectures, Exams, and Grading
I encourage TAs to give one lecture during the qaurter as a way to develop
their skills and to share research that they are interested in, but I am
careful not to pressure TAs to lecture if the preparation for the lecture will
prove overwhelming.

Although I imagine the course I'd like to teach, select the texts, write up the
syllabus, and compose the exams, I find TA input into the syllabus valuable. I
always share the syllabus before xeroxing copies and ask for suggestions on how
to improve it. Similarly with the mid-terms and final exams. TAs have full
responsibility for term paper topics, although I focus a great deal on process
for term paper writing so as to avoid as far as possible the temptation for
students to plagiarize or to buy papers. Thus, I always ask TAs to assign an
annotated bibliography exercise.

TA's are almost wholly independent in grading their students' exams and papers.
We do meet before midterm to discuss our criteria and grading policies so as to
diminish as far as possible extreme differences in grading standards. Then,
after grading, we meet to discuss our weakest, mid-range and best exams so as
to arrive at some communal understanding on grading criteria and to prevent
unintentional unfairness. We have similar meetings to dicsuss our expectations
of students' research papers.

If a student comes with a complaint, I may ask to read the paper or exam. and
discuss the matter with the TA. But I have never changed a grade over a TA
decision.

We have a final meeting during which time we write in the final grades and
discuss how each secion and TA experience for that quarter has gone.

Attendance at Lectures
TA's must attend lectures faithfully; their students depend on their TA's to
help them make sense of lectures that they may be find incomplete or
complicated. If a TA has to miss a lecture, s/he should inform me beforehand
and ask a fellow TA to share notes.

Office Hours
TA's are expected to keep regular office hours which should be posted both on
the door. I advise scheduling mandatory office meetings with individual
students, particularly to discuss midterms or term papers.