Department of English

• Wednesday, September 21, 2016 - 12:00pm to 1:30pm

Fisher-Bennett Hall Graduate Lounge, room 330

Graduate Student Workshops

Convener: Najnin Islam, CTL Graduate Fellow, English

Location: Fisher Bennett Hall, Room 330

Summary: In this workshop we will discuss ways to effectively construct syllabi and design our own courses. As instructors we are faced with a set of decisions that often, though not always, precede syllabi making. Questions such as, do we begin with a theme, a set of central questions or make periodization a key defining factor in the architecture of the syllabus? We will address some of these questions as well as talk about the ways in which we might shift the structure of the syllabus (or not) depending on the composition of the class we are teaching. How, for example, might the syllabus for an introductory class differ from that of an upper level seminar? Alternatively, how differently would we need to craft a syllabus for a general seminar compared to one aimed specifically for students majoring in the discipline? 

Participants are requested to bring a syllabus with them. This can either be one they constructed or from a class they liked. We will have a conversation about these and hopefully generate useful strategies for our own work.

All graduate students are welcome. This event grows out of concerns in the English department and so may be most useful to students in related fields.

Counts toward the CTL Teaching Certificate.

Registration is not necessary but please RSVP to najnin@sas.upenn.edu for lunch planning.