Teaching

 

Teaching Assistantships

When an undergraduate course in Religious Studies reaches a particular size (usually twenty-five students), the professor has the option of hiring a teaching assistant. The Director of Undergraduate Studies will then solicit applications from Divinity School students and from other potentially qualified graduate students. The professor in charge of the course will select the most qualified student from the pool of applicants in consultation with the Dean of Students and the Director of Undergraduate Studies. These positions will normally become available only shortly before the beginning of the quarter in which the course is to be taught. They are not linked to financial aid.

Students may also serve as assistants for Divinity School courses as well as for courses elsewhere in the University, including the College and the Little Red Schoolhouse Writing Program.

 

Alma Wilson Lectureship

The Alma Wilson Lectureship is an opportunity for a graduate student from the Divinity School to design and teach a course of his or her own choice in the Undergraduate Program in Religious Studies. Each January, the Divinity School will solicit syllabus proposals from graduate students interested in applying for the fellowship. Each syllabus should be accompanied by a letter describing the student's potential and the names of at least two referees who are willing to speak to the student's qualifications as a teacher. Proposed courses will be selected on the basis of their merit, and by how well they fit the rest of the undergraduate program.

Past Wilson Fellows
2007–2008 Marsaura Shukla and Noah Salomon
2006–2007 Adam Darlage
2005–2006 Lea Schweitz (Philosophy of Religion)
2003–2004 Thomas Borchert (History of Religions)
2002–2003 Kristen Kearns (Theology)
2001–2002 Daniel Arnold (Philosophy of Religion)

Preceptors

The Undergraduate Program in Religious Studies hires between one and two graduate student preceptors each year. These preceptors lead the two-quarter-long B.A. essay seminar for fourth-year Religious Studies majors that meets in the autumn and winter. This seminar assists students in the formulation, research, and writing of their required B.A. essays. In the spring quarter, preceptors grade the B.A. essays written by the current class, in conjunction with the individual professors who have advised the students on their papers. Preceptors will also assist third-year concentrators in choosing academic advisers, and in formulating research proposals for the B.A. essays they will be writing the following year.

Chicago-Area Teaching Opportunities

Abundant opportunities are available for advanced Ph.D. students to teach in area colleges, universities, and seminaries. Contact the Dean of Students to set up an appointment to discuss these opportunities.