Example Career: Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

Career Description

Teach courses pertaining to the culture and development of an area, an ethnic group, or any other group, such as Latin American studies, women's studies, or urban affairs. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

What Job Titles Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary Might Have

• Assistant Professor
• Associate Professor
• Professor
• Women's Studies Professor

What Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary Do

• Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
• Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
• Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as race and ethnic relations, gender studies, and cross-cultural perspectives.
• Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
• Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
• Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
• Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
• Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
• Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
• Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
• Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
• Advise students on academic and vocational curricula, and on career issues.
• Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks.
• Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head.
• Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.
• Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
• Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.
• Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
• Participate in campus and community events, such as giving public lectures about research.
• Incorporate experiential or site visit components into courses.
• Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
• Act as advisers to student organizations.

What Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary Should Be Good At

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary Should Be Interested In

• Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

What Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary Need to Learn

• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Foreign Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.