A graduate assistantship (GA) in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures (LLC) is a financial award granted by the department to a student who is fully admitted to a graduate degree program. The initial award is made on the basis of a student’s academic promise as well as teaching potential. It is generally for one academic year but is renewable. MA candidates can generally count on two years of support. PhD candidates can anticipate support for four years with an additional fifth year available in most cases. However, continuation from one semester to the next is contingent upon satisfactory performance both academically (maintaining a 3.0 GPA) and in the assigned duties.

Stipend
For the academic year 2008-09, LLC graduate assistants receive stipends of between $10,000 and $13,000 depending on rank and workload. The stipend is paid semi-monthly from August 31 until May 15. In addition, students enrolled for at least 9 hours per semester will have a tuition abatement paid on their behalf of up to $7,920. Students do not receive abatement money directly. Tuition abatements will be prorated for students enrolled in less than 9 hours per semester. GAs are assessed tuition at the “resident” “in-state” rate. Current rates for tuition and other fees are posted online at the website of the Bursar’s Office at http://www.sc.edu/bursar/studentfees.html. LLC also has access to some GA positions outside the department. The amount of stipend and abatement these assistantships offer may vary from the above.

Rank
There are three levels of graduate assistantship: Graduate Instructional Assistant (GIA), Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) and Senior Teaching Associate (STA). Normally, entering students are appointed at the rank of GIA with a 15-hour work week. GIAs are allowed to teach, but may not be “instructor of record,” meaning that final grades can only be officially assigned by a regular staff member. GIAs are promoted to GTA with an increase in stipend once they have earned 18 graduate credit hours, taken and passed FORL 776, and gained some satisfactory teaching experience. GTAs also work a 15-hour week but can be instructor of record. This promotion usually occurs after one academic year of employment at the GIA rank. GTAs can be promoted to STA at any time depending on a number of variables, including academic performance, teaching excellence, and departmental need. STAs work a 20-hour week and teach two courses with a commensurate increase in stipend. Normally, STAs will be PhD students beyond their second year of study, but in certain exceptional cases, MA/MAT students and PhD students in their second year may also be appointed to the rank of STA.

Course Loads
Graduate assistants must enroll in a minimum of 9 and a maximum of 12 hours per semester. A minimum of 15 hours per academic year, or five courses, must count toward their degree. In the first Fall semester, all new GIAs must enroll in FORL 776 (The Teaching of Foreign Language in College, 2 credits) and the requisite language-specific FORL 776-letter suffix session (1 credit) depending on which language the GA is assigned to teach. Deviations from these guidelines must be approved by the student’s graduate advisor and the LLC Graduate Director.

Responsibilities & Work Load
Graduate assistants are required to perform between 15 and 20 hours of service to the department per week. Dual employment (i.e. taking on an additional job) during the Fall and Spring semester is not permitted without the express written approval of the student’s teaching supervisor, graduate advisor, and the graduate director. (Approval forms are available at the departmental graduate office.) Teaching one 3-hour course is the equivalent of 10 service hours per week. Assignments will be made based on documented expertise. GAs will be under the direct supervision of the faculty member responsible for coordinating the area to which the GTA is assigned, and may be required to take an additional pedagogy course or training-related workshops. Assistants who do not teach a full load will be asked to perform additional tasks, such as working in a tutoring center or helping a professor with grading. Assistants should make sure they fully understand their service assignments at the beginning of each semester.

Evaluation, Reappointment & Probation
During the final weeks of each semester, GAs are evaluated by their respective basic courses directors and academic advisors to determine the quality of their performance in both areas. Reappointment is contingent on maintaining a 3.0 GPA and receiving a “satisfactory” rating for performance of assigned duties. In the event that a GA’s GPA drops below 3.0, the Graduate School places the student on “academic probation” allowing one academic year to improve grades. At the discretion of the graduate director, and in consultation with the affected graduate advisor, Graduate students on “academic probation” are subject to immediate suspension of their GA contract. GAs receiving an “unsatisfactory” rating for the performance of their assigned duties will be placed on “teaching probation.” Depending on the severity of the problems, the GA might be offered a one-semester remediation plan without the immediate loss of their GA, further renewal subject to documented improvement or resolution of the issues. However, in cases of severe underperformance, the GA contract can be terminated immediately.

Revised 2/13/2008