Statement of Standards for Undergraduate TAs From the Undergraduate Committee McMaster is taking initiatives to promote quality education. In this spirit we offer this statement of standards to our TAs and Instructors. We aim to ensure that our students receive a high-standard education, and we want our TAs to have a rewarding experience in contribution to this goal. An Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship offers our Sociology students with an opportunity to draw on the knowledge and experience that they have accumulated in the Sociology programme, and to apply this knowledge in a classroom setting. We expect Teaching Assistants to provide students with personal contact, and in doing so, represent the department, university, and the discipline of Sociology itself.
Sociology is a discipline which encompasses diverse theoretical and methodological approaches.
Academic judgment in choosing the content and direction of a course is the prerogative of the instructor. The role of the undergraduate teaching assistant is to help students understand this course content. Teaching assistants are obliged to discuss assigned materials, and should not introduce extra readings, films or other material without consulting the instructor. We encourage tutorial-based debate about ideas, and remind everyone that all members of the university enjoy academic freedom and that respectful disagreement is an important part of academic life. An Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship is a job with responsibilities.