Postdoctoral Seminars

The Brittain Fellowship offers four seminars:

Digital Pedagogy
This fall seminar is required of all new Brittain Fellows. Several members of this seminar often voluntarily extend their discussions in the spring.

Technical Communication
This fall seminar is required of all new Brittain Fellows teaching LMC 3403. Several members of this seminar often voluntarily extend their discussions in the spring and following year.

Research Methodology
This spring seminar is optional for all Brittain Fellows.

Professional Development
This fall and spring seminar is optional for all Brittain Fellows.

All of the postdoctoral seminars presume active engagement (planning, participating, and leading). In general, each seminar session includes these components:

  • Examination of leading-edge practices.
  • Face-to-face and online discussion.
  • Suggestions of print and online resources.
  • Discussion of issues and problems.
  • Demonstration and discussion of successful practices.

The digital pedagogy, technical communication, and methodology seminars have assigned reading accompanied by face-to-face and online discussion. Each week, class discussion leaders are responsible for these activities:

  • Selecting and carefully analyzing the assigned material.
  • Posting a PowerPoint or handout sheet before the seminar that includes (1) summary of key points from the reading, (2) identification and commentary about selected issues and arguments, (3) recommendations for further selected reading (print and online), and (4) provocative questions for seminar discussion and follow-up online reflections that encourage colleagues to form interesting arguments.
  • Leading a lively, relevant 30-minute discussion during the seminar.
  • Synthesizing particularly interesting issues/questions from the seminar discussion and posting them to T-Square.

Seminar members each week are responsible for reading the assigned material prior to the seminar meeting and coming to the seminar ready to engage in a lively discussion. In addition, all members of the seminar may be asked to respond to an online prompt about the reading.