Undergraduate Program - Teaching Activities
Teaching is a natural extension of research and scholarship - it is one important vehicle for sharing knowledge with others so that society as a whole can benefit. Because many Brown graduates become teachers as well as research scientists, the Department offers qualified students the opportunity to assist in teaching.
A variety of teaching activities are available. Some teaching assistantships involve running sections of larger lecture courses; in these sections students typically discuss issues raised in lectures and readings. Other assistantships involve running laboratory or demonstrations sections; in these sections the TA is typically responsible for conducting the demonstration or lab and supervising students as they collect data. Both types of teaching experiences involve close supervision from the faculty instructor and often involve collaboration with graduate teaching assistants.
Each academic year, several courses typically have openings for undergraduate teaching assistants. The courses that most often have such openings include:
- PSYC0010 - Introductory
- PSYC0210 - Social
- PSYC0300 - Personality
- PSYC0330 - Abnormal
- PSYC1030 - Techniques in Physiological
- PSYC1070 - Psychological Theory
- PSYC1190 - Sensory
- PSYC1200 - Conditioning
- PSYC1540 - Social Cognition
Applications for teaching assistantships may be obtained in Room 275, Hunter Lab. (Deadlines for Teaching Applications are in mid-November and mid-April.
Involvement in teaching at Brown is particularly rewarding because of Brown's special character as a University College. Courses are generally small and all faculty - from the most junior to the most senior - participate in teaching at all levels. Students also receive a stipend.