Teaching as a Team

February 16, 2010- This month Provisions explored the world of teaching as a team. Presentations were provided by Dr. Nancy Dorr, Associate Professor of Psychology, Kathryn Laity, Professor of English, and Dr. Jenise Depinto, Professor of History.

Dr. Dorr began the session by talking about her experience team teaching Social Neuroscience alongside Rob Flint. The idea to teach this course came about due to their desire to expose students to a more topic approach to psychology. Dr. Dorr talked about how this course was taught and how to handle team teaching. A lecture style, due to lack of text on the topic, provided a need for both professors to be present at every class. The class was organized into topics, and grading was divided up accordingly. Finally, as a way to evaluate their success of teaching as a team, Dorr and Flint provided students with a survey. The results showed that many students strongly agreed with and enjoyed the team teaching experience.

Dr. Dorr also talked about the many benefits, challenges, and recommendations for individuals interested in teaching as a team.

Next, Kate Laity and Jenise Depinto shared their experience working together for a course called “Text & Contexts in the Middle Ages.” This course was a mix of English and History, and indeed created challenges for both professors. However, the overlap in content and chance to learn new material that was not familiar to them lead to a great experience teaching as a team. Laity and Depinto also talked about how their main focus was to make sure students were making a connection between both the history and literature aspects of the content taught. The use of blackboard and in class discussions, allowed students to create a conversation.

All three presenters provided a clear and encouraging look into the world of team teaching, and contribute much of their success to the support they received from their departments.

The session concluded in a open discussion of topics such as grading participation, how students responded to the courses taught, how differences among teachers in team teaching introduces notion of a new way of thinking, and if team teaching could work with freshman.

Below you will find the materials each presenter shared during the session. To hear this session, as well as past Provision sessions, please visit the “Session Podcast” link.

Texts and Contexts in the Middle Ages

Eng 328/His 380

Alb 212 MW 4:15-5:55

Fall 2009

Prof. K. Laity

423 Western Ave

Office Hours: MW 12-2

laityk@strose.edu

Prof. J. DePinto

5 Moran Hall

Office Hours: MW 12-1 & 3-4

depintoj@strose.edu

Course Description: This course is an in-depth study of northern Europe in the Middle Ages. Our main focus will be on the Anglo-British-Scandinavian world from Roman origins through the 15^th century. Themes and topics to be covered include invasions, conquest, and settlement (Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Norman, Icelandic), the expansion of Christianity and papal power, economic and social life, the origins of national identity, royal sovereignty and the state, gender and the negotiation of authority/power.

Course Objectives: Students will learn to think, read and write critically about the history, culture, and societies of northern Europe in the Middle Ages through close analysis, cross-referencing and discussion of primary and secondary texts, film, and related visual sources.

Evaluation (100 points total)

Blackboard discussions: 20 points

Short Written Analyses: 20 pts (4 @ 5 points each)

Midterm Presentations: 20 points

Discussion Leader: 10 points

Final Paper: 30 points

Academic Integrity: Students at The College of Saint Rose are expected to be honest in every aspect of their academic work. Plagiarism, cheating, academic misconduct, or any other submission of another’s work as one’s own is unacceptable (e.g. leaving out citations, failing to cite paraphrases, and taking too much from a source while changing a couple of words). Students working in groups are each individually responsible for the academic integrity of the entire group project. In a situation where the course instructor determines that, more likely than not, a breach of academic integrity has occurred, the incident will be reported according to the Policy on Plagiarism and Academic Integrity.

Special Needs:  If you are a student with a documented disability and require special accommodations, please register with Lynn Cantwell, the Director of Services for Students with Disabilities,  located in the Academic Support Center on the 2^nd floor of St. Joseph Hall (337-2335) for disability verification and for determination of the recommended reasonable academic accommodations. After you have made such arrangements with that office, please notify your instructors so we can discuss your accommodations.  Arrangements must be made at the start of the semester. All such information is strictly confidential.

Assigned Readings:  The books listed below are available in the college bookstore. It is the student’s responsibility to procure all assigned books and complete assigned readings on time so that understanding will be optimal and class discussions interesting and productive. The bookstore returns un-purchased books by mid-semester, so be sure to buy them beforehand. Primary source e-docs are available on BlackBoard on the Course Documents page.

Texts

• Nigel Saul ed. The Oxford Illustrated History of Medieval England, 1997
• Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People,  edited by Betty Radice, Penguin Classics
• Beowulf, ed. & trans. R.M. Liuzza, Broadview Literary Texts, 2000
• Egil’s Saga, trans. Bernard Scudder, Penguin Classics
• The Lais of Marie de France, trans. Glyn S. Burgess, Penguin Classics
• The Book of Margery Kempe, trans. & ed. Lynn Staley, Norton Critical Edition
• Tacitus, Agricola, E-text

Course Schedule

Week I 8/31 & 9/2  Introduction: OIH chap. 1

Week II  9/7 & 9/9  Roman Britain: *Monday 9/7, Labor Day No Class; Tacitus, Bede, 44-57

Week III  9/14 & 9/16 Roman Retreat and Invasions: Bede, 58-72,  OIH 25-33, 137-140

Week IV  9/21 & 9/23 Paganism and Christianity: Bede, 72-143, OIH 33-39, 174-178

Week V  9/28 & 9/30 Anglo-Saxon England: OIH 39-43, 140- 146, Bede, 143-157, 171-192, 212-217, 225-265, 321-325,

Week VI  10/5 & 10/7  Anglo–Saxon England: Invasions & Unification: OIH 43-60, 245- 250, begin Beowulf

Week VII 10/12 & 10/14 The Viking World: *Mon 10/12 … No Class; Beowulf

Week VIII  10/19 & 10/21  The Viking World: Finish Beowulf, begin Egil

Week IX  10/26 & 10/28  Egil

Week X  11/2 & 11/4 Egil

Week XI  11/9 & 11/11 The Norman Conquest OIH 61-89, 146-153, 253-259, begin Marie de France

Week XII  11/16 & 11/18 Angevin Empire OIH  89-101, 153-161, 270-272, Marie de France

Week XIII  11/23 & 11/25 *Wed 11/25 Thanksgiving Break No Class film:  The Lion in Winter

Week XIV  11/30 & 12/2  Late Medieval England OIH  102-136,  161-173, begin Margery Kempe

Week XV 12/7 & 12/9  Late Medieval England OIH 183-184, 187-189, 192-205, Margery Kempe

Week XVI 12/14  Reading Day  Final  Paper Due in Office:  12/16

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