Graduate students in the humanities and social sciences who have successfully completed their general examination and who have already demonstrated excellence in teaching as an AI in a previous semester may apply to participate in an initiative that allows them to co-design and co-teach an undergraduate course at Princeton with a faculty mentor. The aim of this initiative is twofold: first, to facilitate graduate student intellectual development and pedagogical and professional experience under the guidance of a seasoned mentor, specifically through the design and full co-teaching of a course; and second, to provide innovative new team-taught classes for Princeton’s undergraduates.
Consistent with Princeton's policy on instructional responsibilities, faculty involved in the initiative must still assume primary responsibility for the course and must teach no less than half of lectures or precepts. Nonetheless, both faculty and graduate student collaborators are fully engaged in teaching through the duration of the course, and both meet with staff from the McGraw Center for consultations on their goals and methods for co-teaching. Graduate student participants are listed a co-instructors of record with the Registrar. The initiative supposes genuine and experimental team teaching, combined with intellectual and pedagogical development for the graduate student instructor.
Faculty in eligible departments receive a call for proposals in December with relevant deadlines and application requirements; the call invites course proposals for both fall and spring courses in the subsequence academic year. The call goes only to faculty because only faculty can propose courses at Princeton, but graduate students are encouraged to express interest to and discuss possible proposals with their faculty adviser(s) and director of graduate studies. If funds remain for the spring term, an additional call for proposals will be distributed over the summer, intended to fund a small number of additional courses for the subsequent spring term.
Submitted proposals are evaluated first by a departmental committee consisting of the chair, director of graduate studies, and departmental representative. The chair then passes the most promising proposals along for consideration by representatives of the Office of the Dean of the Faculty, the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School, and the Office of the Dean of the College. This program is currently restricted to the 14 humanities departments that offer Ph.D. programs, including architecture, along with social science departments.
Graduate students participating in the program receive a three-hour AI appointment, regardless of the size of the course, and the appointment may include courses that would not otherwise qualify for an AI allotment. The three-hour AI appointment is the same for lecture and seminar courses.
Proposals for co-taught courses to be offered in either the fall or spring semesters in AY 23-24 should be submitted by department chairs to Associate Dean Rebekah Peeples no later than January 23, 2023, for full consideration. Applications must include a completed application form as well as a draft syllabus.