PhD Student Teaching

PhD Student Teaching

The Division of the Humanities worked with departments to create tailored pedagogical training plans, which outline requirements related to teaching. The Division articulated a clear analogy between learning to become a scholar and learning to become a teacher. Students are trained to become scholars through coursework, reading lists, qualifying exams, writing a dissertation, and above all through advising and mentoring.  Similarly, students are trained to become teachers through pedagogical training and corresponding teaching assignments to prepare them for future careers and to make them competitive on the job market. The pedagogical training plans also recognize that a student’s training as a teacher should be informed by the student’s disciplinary interests and that degree requirements will vary by program.

For example, a student’s teaching experience typically will be structured progressively, e.g. beginning with Writing Internships and Teaching Assistantships and leading to a Graduate Student Lectureship in the student’s discipline and/or in the College Core Curriculum. 

Each doctoral program has established a pedagogical training plan, which is available to students in the program. If there are concerns about the pedagogical training plan requirements and/or what's being asked of the student within the teaching opportunity, please connect with the Dean of Students at humdos@uchicago.edu.

Beginning in Summer 2022, there will be new teaching policies in place for all students:

  • Legacy GAI students will be allowed to hold teaching positions. In general, these positions will be teaching assistantships and other non-lecturer teaching positions, but in 2022-23, the Divisions and Schools will be authorized to approve a small number of lecturer positions in cases where an advanced doctoral student has not yet had an opportunity to do independent teaching.  After 2022-23 Legacy GAI students will not be allowed to hold College lectureships, including prize lectureships.   
     
  • New funding model students will only be allowed to hold UChicago teaching positions of any kind (including College prize lectureships and lectureships in other divisions and schools) as part of their pedagogical training plan/degree requirements. Departments are free to create flexible pedagogical training plans tailored to an individual student’s field-specific and interdisciplinary market preparation (and that may mean varied amounts of teaching depending on the specific student). 

Contact Us

Office of the Dean of Students
humdos@uchicago.edu
773.702.1552