One of the most important roles in any department is that played by teaching assistants. Undergraduate teaching assistants are no exception, acting as a bridge between the professor and graduate assistants and the students. Ms. Annie McTaggart recently served as one for Dr. Denemark’s Introduction to Global Politics. Annie responded to several questions where she highlighted the opportunities the experience provided and the role she played in the classroom. 

What was the process of becoming a teaching assistant like? 

Dr. Denemark spoke to the members of  his higher level Diplomacy class in the fall of 2023 and asked if there was anyone in the class that would be interested in being a TA for him. After taking two courses with Dr. Denemark, I knew I really enjoyed the content of the courses as well as his guidance outside of the classroom so I chose to pursue being a TA for his Global Politics course and being an undergraduate research assistant for his treaty group.

What was your reason for wanting to become a teaching assistant? 

I knew I wanted to be a TA, to see what it was like on the ‘other side’ of the classroom, and to better understand the ways a professor introduces material and runs a course. I am not set on necessarily pursuing a teaching career in the future, but I am interested in a career in global politics.

How would you describe your role as a teaching assistant? 

The role as a teaching assistant definitely depends on how much time and energy you invest in it. Attending every lecture and discussion section is the basic requirement. In our discussion sections, I assisted the Graduate level TA running the meeting and facilitating conversation with the students. Dr. Denemark describes his undergrad TAs as the bridge between the Graduate level TAs and the students in the course, as it is easier for a first year or sophomore to connect with an upperclassmen than with a Graduate student or with him. In addition to the courses, I ran review sessions for students prior to exams to help them organize the content they got from the course and think about the information from the lectures. 

Was there one skill or lesson you learned that stands out? 

TAing for an introductory course when you are taking high level courses in the subject brings you back to the roots of what you study. I think unpacking the major themes of international relations and global politics after taking the higher level courses allowed me to really think long and hard about these different topics and I truly believe has given me a more nuanced understanding when it comes to global politics.