The following tips provide general guidelines for preparing a LAC course. Each LAC section differs according to the course it applies to, and should reflect the interests and expertise of the faculty member and LAC TA. For an overview of reading selections and writing assignments used in previous LAC courses, refer to the "Materials for TAs" section.
Although the specific duties of instructors depends upon the type of LAC (seminar, discussion section, workshop, etc) and the individual course, all LAC instructors are required to:
Issues to consider before the semester begins.
The readings selected should provide students a chance to practice their reading comprehension skills, while exploring issues or perspectives that provide a cultural dimension or complement the topics covered in the main lecture. With this in mind, readings for the LAC section are normally short (no longer than 10 pages, depending on the type of reading assigned) and can come from a variety of sources-newspapers, historical documents, literary selections, academic journals, political cartoons, etc. One week's discussion might focus on an eight-page excerpt from a novel, while the next week might examine a political speech. Creativity is key in developing an interesting combination of reading selections.
In addition to readings and discussions in the target language, students engage in various writing activities in LAC courses. The general rule of thumb is for students to write at least 10 pages (double spaced) over the course of the semester, fulfilled in any number of ways. Some faculty-LAC leader teams have asked students to complete research papers in the target language, while others have split the writing up into smaller assignments, such as reaction papers or journal entries that require students to focus on a specific set of questions for the week. Again, imagination is crucial to developing stimulating writing assignment ideas for the course.
