Greenberg Seminars, 2007-2008

Designed as a complement to the PhD and MFA academic experience, the Greenberg Seminars provide a hands-on, practical introduction to professional development and classroom techniques. The seminars, designed for first, second and third year Ph.D. and MFA students, respectively, convene three to four times each semester.

Milton Greenberg Professor Emeritus of Government

"The program began as a government funded experiment and is now widely imitated in major universities. Three ideas underlie the Greenberg Seminar. First, teaching is both an art and science that can be learned through experiential study and practice. There is more to teaching than talking or listening for 50 minutes. Second, teaching should be prized as highly as research. There is no inherent conflict in being a both a scholar and a teacher and dedicating time and energy to their enhancement. Third, college and university teaching represents more than expertise in a scholarly discipline. It means that you are privileged to be part of an extended community that constitutes one of the most important professions in the world."
~ Milton Greenberg

Year One:
The first year is an introduction to teaching with seminars focusing on topics designed to improve the learning environment. Seminar topics include: how to develop community in the classroom, understanding the diversity of the campus population in the 21st century, developing interactive and exciting lectures and classroom activities, accessing campus resources that support faculty-student interaction, balancing teaching responsibilities with demands for scholarship and service. Seminars offer students an opportunity to debate issues with guest presenters and practice techniques in role play.

Year One Faculty:

Year Two:
This year’s seminars teach students strategic ways to manage a classroom environment using mock teaching sessions. Students step into the instructor role to teach a short class to some of their peers while others observe. Then the process is discussed, critiqued and compared with other examples. Time is also devoted to discussing the role future technological innovation will have on teaching.

Year Two Faculty:

Year Three:
The final year includes an opportunity for the student to teach his/her own class. To prepare for this responsibility, faculty help students in preparing a syllabus, selecting texts, designing assignments and anticipating the challenges that will inevitably occur. Most of the teaching assignments occur in the summer that follows the seminar.

Year three also gets students ready for the job market by staging mock interview sessions with a dean and department chair. Students’ resumes are critiqued along with other documentation used in a job search.

Year Three Faculty:

Please contact Kelly Nolin (x6077, nolin@american.edu) if you have any questions.

"I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to teach my first course after my third year of Greenberg seminars. Developing the syllabus, useful lecture materials and writing exam questions which were pertinent to the main objectives of the course were three imperative skills I acquired directly as a result of my Greenberg experience. Additionally, I now have a network of Greenberg instructors and fellow participants as a valuable resource as I move forward as a new instructor."
~ Greenberg student

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Contact
For more information, see Kelly Nolin in the Teaching and Learning Resources department.

Phone: (202) 885-6077
Email: nolin@american.edu