Course readings and writing assignments are intended to clarify the subject, provoke new ideas, develop critical thinking and promote clear, cogent writing. The biggest challenge, then, is to establish a congenial rapport with students and an atmosphere that encourages critical thinking and discussion. To this end members use a wide variety of teaching methods and formats. The lecture format is commonly used, but History faculty frequently supplement lectures with audio-visual aids and discussions designed to flesh out ideas and test students' assumptions. Many of our faculty also team-teach, either with members of the History Department or with faculty from other disciplines, and we believe that such a method invigorates the classroom by offering students the opportunity to experience a variety of intellectual perspectives.
Most rooms fall somewhere in the middle.
This will almost certainly increase as the years go by, and as individuals become comfortable using the new technology. In those, individual faculty work with students. The seminar courses can be handled in different ways, but a topical approach is commonly used. The old form had some inappropriate questions and needed replacement. The new forms are much better.