Teacher of Literature. Teacher of English as a Second Language

University of Madison Wisconsin, USA. Baku Slavian University Azerbaijan

Peter Orte
958 Van Hise
Madison, WI 53706 USA
Teaching and Work Experience:
I worked as a Teaching Assistant---September 2007 through May 2010 in the Department of Comparative Literature, University of Madison, Wisconsin. In this capacity, I conducted introductory level discussion sections in class rooms ranging from fifteen to twenty students. The topics of discussion in these courses included ancient and modern literature, stories of creation, fascism in literature, and the idea of 'race' in America and the rest of the world. In addition to conducting discussion classes, I also graded the students' essays and gave occasional lectures before the entire class.
For this work, in the Spring of 2009, I was selected as an Honored Instructor by the students of Chadbourne Residential College.
In the Summer of 2009, I worked as an English Language Instructor at Baku Slavic University. Throughout the Summer I conducted courses in English Grammar, Conversation, and lectures on American Literature. Five hours per week were devoted to each subject. At the end of the course, I administered a final exam.
In the Summer of 2009, I worked as an Editor of English Language articles for a book on Stereotypes conceived and organized by the Head of the Azerbaijani Literature Department at Baku Slavic University, Dr. Rahilya Geybullayeva. The book was entitled Stereotypes in Literatures and Cultures, International Reception Studies, and was published by Peter Lang in Germany. The work involved extensive and thorough revision of articles written by authors whose native language was not English.
These experiences have taught me how to conduct a class and motivate students. Because the first language of my students in Baku was Russian, teaching there also exposed me to the typical problems native speakers of Russian have with English.