The Director of Graduate Studies will designate examination periods. In-class examinations may be given only during those periods. Instructors wishing to give in-class examinations are to notify the Director of Graduate Studies at the beginning of each semester; the Director will then schedule the date of each exam so as to avoid conflict.
Take-home examinations are to be due only on the last day of the examination period. The instructor is to distribute the questions for the exam at least two weeks in advance of the due date; the student is to be expected to spend no more than 10 hours working on the exam during this period. Instructors are to notify the Director of Graduate Studies of their intention to give a take-home examination.
The Chair, in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and others, will attempt to assign teaching assistants in such a way as to meet the desires of both students and faculty. An attempt will be made to put students into more responsible teaching roles (e.g., more classroom teaching) as the student progresses from the second to the fourth year. Some students may be able to teach an undergraduate seminar as their teaching load in the fourth year.
Each teaching assistant is expected to work no more than 15 hours per week on the average during the term, including class attendance, and no more than 40 hours grading any single exam. The department will try to provide additional graders if the load is greater than this. In general, teaching assistants are expected to meet with students during their office hours, read papers and drafts of papers, run (or help to run) discussion sections, help grade exams, keep records, operate audio-visual equipment, and/or give occasional lectures. Teaching assistants typically benefit from the experience by learning more about the subject, by watching an experienced teacher, and by learning first-hand about the difficulties that undergraduates have.