I. GOALS OF THE COURSE

Teaching is an art, but like other arts, it is best cultivated through mastering basic techniques, learning from the experiences of others, and studying the theoretical underpinnings of the practice. H580 is designed to help facilitate these processes.

At the core of this course are two notions, which are assumed to be self-evident: 1) that effective teaching is as crucial to the career development of most historians as research skills and 2) that teaching, like effective research, is the result of study, hard work, and the systematic cultivation of personal abilities. For those who intend to pursue a career as a professor, failure to develop skills in the area of pedagogy can lead to a frustrating or, even, truncated career.

In this course a critical analysis of relevant pedagogical literature will be combined with exposure to a variety of specific techniques to assist you in the cultivation of your own teaching styles. We will focus on achieving the following goals:

1) The creation of a context in which teaching problems and approaches can be freely discussed.

2) The exploration of current scholarship on teaching and learning history.

3) A greater understanding of cognitive and affective factors which may affect the learning of undergraduates.

4) The consideration of alternatives to traditional teaching approaches.

5) The development of our individual styles of teaching and of increased consciousness of the choices each of us make in the classroom.

6) The cultivation of an ability to develop and share teaching strategies which will be of assistance in obtaining a teaching job, in sharing your experiences with their future colleagues, and in developing and maintaining a rewarding and satisfying career.

You should expect to emerge from this course with a number of specific teacher strategies that you can apply in future courses, an overview of the major issues being currently discussed concerning the teaching and learning of history on the college level, and the ability to present your ideas about teaching knowledgeably and professionally.