The third year is a significant turning point in the graduate program in which students make the transition from consuming knowledge to creating it, from passively absorbing scholarship to actively producing it, and from taking courses to teaching them. The Teaching and Professional Development Colloquium gives students a forum in which to discuss teaching and other key professional milestones. To that end, the course is designed to anticipate and address the challenges of this transitional year. While paying special attention to teaching, the Field Exam, and the prospectus, the Colloquium will also consider graduate professionalization more generally. With the ultimate goal of preparing for the job market, we will consider how to participate in the profession as a graduate student.

Beyond its specific weekly agendas, the Colloquium is intended to provide a comfortable space to voice concerns, discuss anxieties, identify fears, and share successes.  Students will be warmly encouraged to raise issues about teaching and professional growth. Requirements include regular attendance and active participation, the completion of the weekly assignments, and occasional consultations with the Departmental Teaching Fellow.