We primarily seek to do this by sharing with you the intellectual excitement we feel about our subject, by providing you with high quality handouts, stimulating and clear lectures, opportunities to discuss controversial issues in seminars, and helpful guidance on class essay performance. We also endeavour to be approachable, accessible and friendly. We're proud of, and want to preserve our reputation as a 'friendly' and 'helpful' department, even though growing resource pressures make this harder to sustain. In return, we want to be clear about the ways in which you can also play your part to make the community work. The next most important responsibility is for you to read something relevant for every seminar, focused on the questions outlined in course handouts.
Seminars can only work if people are prepared to read and think about the issues.
Although it may seem like stating the obvious, it is often a major reason why seminars sometimes do not always work as well as they should. The next requirement is for you to actively participate in ways that also gives space to others. This is the real art of seminar discussion. You should not be frightened to say something. On the other hand you should not hog the discussion or put others down.