Graduate
Calendar of Events for 2007-2008
Presented by: Wayne Lesser, Melanie Haupt, Layne Craig, Ann Cvetkovich (co-chair) and John Rumrich (co-chair)
The Professional Skills Committee offers the following series of workshops and discussions intended to complement the work that you are doing in graduate seminars, in the undergraduate classroom, and with your advisers. We have tried to consider at each juncture the range of professions that our graduates enter and in which they excel. As members of a Ph.D. program in English, we have positioned our field at the center of many possible careers and pathways. It is our hope that these events will be valuable to students as they define their careers, form cohorts, and progress through the program.
October 2007
"Effective Teaching and Maintaining Your Teaching Portfolio"
This workshop will present strategies for developing a teaching portfolio and offer examples of how to design and present you work as a TA and an AI. The goal will be to assist you in finding the most effective manner in which to give a vivid and complete portrait of yourself and your pedagogy both while a graduate student at UT. It will also address how you might present yourself to prospective employers for positions in which your record as an instructor and approach to teaching will be considered as part of your application. Of particular concern will be the role of different teaching loads and profiles in different positions.
November 2007
"The Masters Report as an Integrated Moment in Your First Years at UT"
This session takes as its point of departure the guideline document designed by the Graduate Policy Committee in 2004 in the context of the program's decision to make the MA report required. That document sketches the nature and purpose of the MA report. The session will comprise presentations by students who have written their reports already and faculty who regularly supervise MA reports. Its goal will be to give a clear impression of the variety of possible types of reports and to clarify for students what they can do to make the experience as valuable and productive as possible. It will also explore the role of first and second readers and make suggestions as to how students can most effectively handle the logistical and faculty sides of the experience.
December 2007
"Applying for Fellowships: Continuing Fellowships and Beyond"
While teaching is both a fulfilling experience and an ideal source of financial support for students in the program, there are other sources of funding, both small and large, to support research at the graduate level. There are strategies for writing successful applications and these prove useful not only for graduate applications but also for applications at later career stages, both postdoctoral and professional. This session will bring together students who have written successful applications with those planning to apply.
January 2008
"Writing the Dissertation"
Many graduate students work hard to get to the dissertation-writing stage of their careers, but then feel overwhelmed or frustrated by the implied imperative "Go off and Write!" This roundtable will cover strategies for completing the dissertation in a timely manner, maintaining productivity without the structure of coursework, and sustaining a dedication to one project over a period of time.
February 2008
"The Successful Prospectus Examination: Strategies and Perspectives"
This roundtable will bring together students who have passed the examination and faculty who regularly serve on Ph.D. committees and thus administer these examinations. The focus will be upon the variety of prospectus formats and examinations which have proved successful and at the same time on strategies which these diverse projects and experiences have in common, especially the designing of a concrete plan of writing, the defining of the working relationship with supervisor(s), and the formation of a committee that will facilitate the projects completion.
March 2008
"Shaping a Graduate Career"
This session will explore various facets of developing a job-market-friendly and personally and intellectually satisfying graduate career. Part of the panel will address academic conferences, including how often to attend conferences, how to select appropriate conferences, and how to get the most out of a conference experience. Other parts will address graduate student service within the department and the university and questions about resume-building during graduate school.
April 2008
"Getting Published in the 21st Century"
This workshop will consider the challenges of scholarly publication in the 21st century in an era which still requires print publications for professional advancement despite the market forces which challenge traditional views. Building upon last year's discussion of first publications, this session will consider how to prepare and edit one of your essays for a journal. A panel of students and faculty, who have been successfully published before graduation, will discuss how best to prepare and present your work so that it is accepted by a scholarly journal in your area.
On Campus Resources at UT:
"Preparing a Teaching Portfolio: A Guidebook," The Center for Teaching Effectiveness
"TA TALK," Web-based newsletter of TA/AI issues
(I especially recommend the January 2003 issue: "Marketing Your Skills for Today's Job Market," by JoyLynn Reed, Ph.D.
A Non-UT Resource:
"The Theory Into Practice Database" (TIP)
TIP is a tool intended to make learning and instructional theory more accessible to educators. The database contains brief summaries of 50 major theories of learning and instruction.