Course Description:

How do we feed our growing global appetite for food, fuel, and fiber without becoming trapped in a web of unintended consequences? In this course, students explore competing needs and consider ways to maximize efficiencies in search of creative “win-win” situations that shape not only the way we grow food, but also the way we envision the systems surrounding us all. Students work asynchronously through themes addressing present, past, and future food web challenges and construct their own analysis of a challenge facing our food web, culminating with a research paper proposing a solution to the challenge they have chosen. This is a general education class that fulfills advanced composition and Humanities and the Arts: Historical Perspectives. The class attracts a variety of students from across campus with an enrollment of up to 160 students.

Duties

The TA will work as part of a team with 2 instructors (Drs. Angela Green-Miller and Christina Tucker) and 2-3 other TAs. The instructor team meets weekly to coordinate class operations. Duties include grading and providing feedback on student’s composition assignments and supporting development of course instructional elements. TAs also each lead one of the online synchronous discussion sections (meets approx. 6 times a semester). If the candidate wishes to develop their teaching skills, there is also the opportunity to develop new course materials and/or work toward a CITL Teaching Certificate. The ideal candidate should have strong composition skills. Knowledge of APA style of citations is a plus but not required. This position is a 25% TA appointment that includes a tuition waiver. Continuation as a teaching assistant for multiple semesters of this course is a possibility, as ETMA 311 is offered in both fall and spring terms. 

Qualifications

Required: graduate student status as of Jan 2025; availability for Writing Across the Curriculum Training, TA Training, or another training as it becomes available. 

Preferred: student in ABE, ETMA, or other related field in the agricultural sciences; experience with teaching; experience with writing assessment.  International students wishing to apply should not only have previously passed the English Proficiency Interview (EPI with 5 or 6), but also demonstrate a proficiency in evaluating written work.