America Realized (397-0-1)

Instructors

Kathleen Belew
847/467-2305
Harris Hall 242

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-430: Thurs 12:30PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

This seminar builds upon the foundation of American Studies 201, Visions of America, by offering broader and deeper engagement with the same themes. Enrolled students are Peer Assistants for 201. In addition to running sections of 201, teaching discussion skills, and engaging their peers, they will also learn more deeply about the historical and literary material in the class. Rather than repeating content as a Peer Assistant, in other words, this course asks students to delve more ambitiously into the material and to aid other students in their understanding. We expect a graduate level of seminar engagement in this course, with deep reading and thinking about all course materials. This class enrolls by permission only and is normally open only to advanced students in American Studies who have completed: Visions of America (American Studies 201) and the 300-level seminar series in American Studies. Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the American Studies director and the 201 instructor. American Studies 397 runs concurrently with American Studies 201, and 397 students must be available to attend all meetings of both courses.

Learning Objectives

Peer Assistants will…
• Learn to manage a small-group discussion section, to evaluate peer thinking, and to assess student progress
• Work as colleagues with faculty and other Peer Assistants
• Deepen their work with core materials in the field of American Studies, including primary source materials and secondary writings
• Prepare to utilize this deeper reading of core materials in their Senior Projects
• Participate in graduate level seminar discussion

Teaching Method

Students will complete a self-evaluation of section management twice during the course.
Students will complete a weekly teaching journal.
The final assignment for this course is completion of a formal teaching statement, including pedagogical grounding, in-class observations and experiences, and relation to the material. This is practice for the teaching statement required in a graduate portfolio: additional instructions will be given in class (5-10 pages)
The course instructor will observe Peer Assistant teaching and provide detailed feedback

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration -- Reserved for American Studies Majors until the end of preregistration, after which time enrollment will be open to everyone.
Add Consent: Department Consent Required