Graduate students in Comparative Literature have the opportunity to teach a wide variety of courses.  Their teaching obligation may be fulfilled in several ways depending on departmental needs:

1. Assisting an instructor in a large lecture course;

2. Teaching a small section of a literature course under the supervision of the Comparative Literature faculty;

3. Participating in the basic language course in a foreign language department or in a composition course in the English department.

T.A. assignments differ, but the amount of work required can not exceed 20 hours per week. T.A.s will usually:

1. Hold office hours to review course materials, assist in grading, and discuss other course-related issues with undergraduates;

2. Attend classes (graduate courses will be scheduled to minimize interference with T.A. assignments) and read all required entries on the syllabus;

3. Lead discussion groups;

4. Grade exams, homework, and other written material.

The performance of teaching assistants is monitored by evaluation forms given to undergraduate students at the end of each semester, as well as by faculty members who visit certain classes taught by the T.A. and submit a written evaluation. Stipends of teaching assistants may be terminated if (on the basis of these evaluations and other relevant criteria) the Graduate Studies Committee judges that they have been deficient in carrying out their teaching duties. Superior work as a T.A. is highly valued by the Comparative Literature faculty and by the Graduate School. In the past, several T.A.s from Comparative Literature have won the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Graduate Student. This and other prizes for which T.A.s are eligible carry a cash award.