As students progress through DU's English graduate program, their opportunities for professional development will increase with their developing expertise.

Following is a general outline of the TA options available to them each year in the program. (For the teaching options, a quarterly appointment is equivalent to one course--or 20 hours per week. For administrative options, the appointment may stretch over the entire year.)

Teaching and Administrative Options per Year in Program:

First Year
Writing Center Consulting 
                              
Second Year 
TA--Foundations Course
TA--CORE Course
Writing Center Consulting
Undergraduate Tutorial
                
Denver Quarterly
London Program Asst.
Graduate Dir. Asst.
Undergrad Dir. Asst.
Writing Dir. Asst.
Writing Ctr. Dir. Asst.
Creative Wr. Dir. Asst.
RECTR Asst.
Assessment Asst.
               
Third Year
CREX Course
Intro. to Creative Writing
Intro. to Genre
Writing Center Tutoring
Undergraduate Tutorial
                                           
(Same as Second Year.)
              
Fourth & Fifth Year
3 courses--W/SP only:
Marsico Writing Program
                
Adjunct Courses as Needed

Teaching Assistantships in English

The Teaching Assistantship in English at DU is essentially an apprenticeship in teaching. During the course of their graduate education, TAs will move from teaching assignments assisting and closely supervised by professors to one-on-one tutorials with undergraduate  students and, ultimately, to designing and teaching their own courses.  

The purpose of a TA appointment is to develop the graduate student both intellectually and professionally. The professor and student will determine the specifics of the teaching assistantship together, with the understanding that the TA position should not require more than 20 hours per week.

What TAs generally do:

• Attend all classes and read all class texts
• Hold Office Hours
• Meet with the professor at least once a week to discuss the progress of the students in the course
• Work one-on-one with students on their writing
• Help generate questions for class discussion and topics for papers
• Help evaluate and grade student work
• Lead small discussion groups within the class
• Teach several classes over the course of the quarter

What TAs generally should NOT do:

• Non-intellectual clerical duties, such as photocopying materials and retrieving books from the library
• Become substitute teachers to relieve professors from instructional duties
• Be responsible for more than 30% of the grading for the course
• Assign final grades