The Department of History offers a limited number of teaching assistantships (TAs) to qualified M.A. and Ph.D. students. These assistantships support students’ academic development while contributing to the teaching mission of the department. TA support is provided in accordance with the terms outlined in each student’s admissions offer letter. Terms of Appointment and Eligibility TA support is contingent on satisfactory academic progress, satisfactory performance of assigned duties, and availability of departmental funding. Reappointment is not automatic and will be reviewed each academic year. Students are not required to use TA funding within a fixed number of years. However, each year of funding must be used while the student is in full-time status and making appropriate progress toward their degree. If students decline a TA position in order to accept outside funding (e.g., Fulbright, research archive or library fellowship), they may extend their eligibility for departmental TA funding in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies. Declining a TA position for internal UGA funding or for full-time employment outside the university does not extend eligibility for departmental TA funding. However, students who resume full-time academic status may be considered for future TA funding at the discretion of the department and subject to available resources. Concurrent Employment Students may not hold a History Department TAship and simultaneously hold outside employment. Exceptions must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. Typical Assignments Teaching assistants are typically assigned to support large undergraduate lecture courses as graders or discussion section leaders. Students who have advanced to Ph.D. candidacy may apply to teach undergraduate courses as instructors of record. Appointments are made based on departmental instructional needs, student qualifications, and at the discretion of the department. After a student’s standard term of funding expires, they may apply to teach undergraduate courses as graduate instructors, subject to departmental needs and available resources. Expectations Teaching assistants are expected to perform their responsibilities with professionalism and reliability. These expectations include: Attending all assigned lectures and course meetings; Holding weekly office hours; Grading assignments and exams in a timely manner; Responding promptly to emails and other communications from students and the course instructor; Consulting regularly with the supervising faculty member and following their guidance; Notifying the supervising faculty member in advance if unable to attend any assigned classes, meetings, or duties. Failure to meet these expectations may result in a warning or loss of TA support in subsequent semesters. Training Requirements All newly appointed teaching assistants must attend the university-wide Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) TA Orientation prior to the start of their first semester as a TA. Graduate students with no prior college-level teaching experience must also enroll in GRSC 7770 (Graduate School Teaching Seminar) during their first semester as a teaching assistant. Ph.D. students must take HIST 8001, Teaching History in Colleges and Universities. Doctoral candidates must complete this course before teaching as instructors of record. Evaluation and Academic Standing All teaching assistants will be evaluated by the supervising instructor at the end of each semester. A first unsatisfactory evaluation will result in a written warning. A second consecutive unsatisfactory evaluation may result in probation. A third consecutive unsatisfactory evaluation will result in the loss of the assistantship. To retain funding, students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and must resolve any Incomplete (“I”) grades before the start of the following academic year. Teaching assistants must make satisfactory academic progress toward the degree. Failure to do so, as determined by the advisory committee and Director of Graduate Studies, may result in the suspension or termination of funding.
