Teaching is a fundamental part of a scholarly career, and we take seriously our responsibility to provide our students with the tools and experience they need to become effective teachers. As part of their training, students will serve as Teaching Assistants and/or teach their own classes in the Fall and Spring semesters of their second and third years. Before graduate students begin teaching at Penn, they receive teaching orientations and workshops offered by the Graduate Group and by the Center for Teaching and Learning. The usual teaching assignment in the second year is as a Teaching Assistant (TA) in the Greek and Roman history sequence (ANCH 0101 and ANCH 0102), although all assignments are made in consultation with the Graduate Group Chair and other relevant faculty. During this year, TAs are closely mentored by faculty and collaborate extensively with peers in constructing lesson plans, creating productive classroom environments, and troubleshooting any challenges and problems that arise. Particularly in the third year in the program, a student may serve as TA in another course appropriate to their studies.
Additional opportunities to teach courses exist through Penn’s Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) Program and during the Summer Session. Faculty and students in the Graduate Group maintain close and productive ties with Penn's Center for Teaching and Learning, participating regularly in workshops and other pedagogy-related events. The Graduate Group also organizes its own workshops and seminars on pedagogical topics, often in conjunction with related Graduate Groups such as the Graduate Group in Classical Studies and the Graduate Group in Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World (AAMW).