CALL FOR PAPERS
Teaching Rites of Passage: A workshop for new lecturers in Anthropology
St Andrews University, Friday 10th to Sat 11th Jan 2003
The first experience of teaching is a key rite of passage in the process of
becoming an academic anthropologist. Yet this experience is far less
discussed than that other anthropological rite of passage – fieldwork. This
conference will bring together newly appointed lecturers and doctoral-status
teaching assistants in anthropology from across the UK to document and
debate the personal, pedagogic and professional demands on new initiates to
teaching and researching.
Abstracts for papers are invited on the following - or related - themes:
* Professional balancing acts
Lecturing staff, especially those on short-term or hourly contracts, are
under contradictory pressures from teaching, research and administrative
commitments. Yet is a dedication to teaching and student learning seen as
part of the ethic of disciplinary professionalism? How is that communicated
and reproduced? How are postgraduates juggling the demands of finishing
doctoral theses, getting published and gaining teaching experience?
* Classroom survival techniques
How are postgraduates and new lecturers prepared for their first teaching
experience? Is the focus on teaching or on processes of effective learning?
Are appropriate forms of support available? What are the implications of
growing student numbers, quality enhancement agendas and the promotion of
online resources? Do we develop a notion of ‘good enough’ teaching, as a way
of protecting time and energy for research? How good is good enough?
* Learning cultures; teaching cultures
Do the institutional cultures of anthropology departments legitimate certain
methods of teaching and not others? What are the implications of
teaching-only contracts in ‘research-led’ universities? What opportunities
are there for discussing and introducing innovations in assessment, delivery
or the curriculum? How is innovation viewed within departments and
institutions?
500 word abstracts and/or suggestions for papers to Dr Mark Harris
([log in to unmask]) or Dr David Mills ([log in to unmask]) by 31st
September 2002. On the basis of these abstracts, participants will be
invited to prepare papers for discussion at the workshop. Subsidised
accommodation and travel will be available. A subsequent book-length
publication is planned.
The conference is being organised by the Department of Social Anthropology
at St. Andrews and C-SAP, the Centre for learning and teaching Sociology,
Anthropology and Politics (part of the LTSN network).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
David Mills,
Anthropology Co-ordinator,
C-SAP : Centre for learning and teaching
Sociology, Anthropology and Politics,
University of Birmingham,
Edgbaston, BIRMINGHAM B15 2TT
Phone: 01865 793328
Fax 0121 414 7920
Email: [log in to unmask]
Visit C-SAP's website : www.c-sap.bham.ac.uk
