DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY PROGRAM

In order to provide graduate student teaching assistants with a smooth transition from their role as a student to one as instructor, the Department of Sociology has implemented a program that stresses faculty mentoring, provides graduate teaching assistants with hands-on experience in classroom instruction, and includes a 3-credit hour Seminar in Teaching Sociology (SOC 603) to help prepare graduate students to teach their own courses.  (Completion of a master’s degree and SOC 603 are required for Sociology graduate students to teach their own courses in the Department).

SEMINAR IN TEACHING SOCIOLOGY (SOC 603)

The purpose of this course is to help graduate students develop an effective approach to teaching, including an overarching philosophy and framework for teaching, as well as applied teaching strategies and skills.  Through class discussions, assigned readings, written exercises, videotaped micro-teaching presentations, and presentations to undergraduate classes, seminar members work toward developing and improving their teaching styles and strategies.  During the semester, each seminar member develops a course that s/he would like to teach.  Course components including a syllabus, discussion plans, lecture outlines, and evaluation instruments are included in a teaching portfolio that is completed by the end of the term.  (SOC 603 is usually offered in the spring semester).

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN TEACHING AND LEARNING

The Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning provides a coherent, integrated approach to helping graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, current faculty, and others understand the full range of faculty responsibilities in different higher educational settings.

This 12-credit hour Certificate, including a required 3-credit hour supervised practicum experience, provides a rich integration of theory and practice and provides participants with tangible documentation of their expertise in college teaching and learning.  For Sociology graduate students, the 3-credit hour Seminar in Teaching Sociology (SOC 603) counts toward the 12-credit hours required for this Certificate.  For full details, including application information, go to http://www.gradschool.uky.edu/StudentDevelopment/CTLCertificate.html.