Teach for Us!

With no line faculty of our own, GLS regularly engages scholars from around Duke (and occasionally from outside) to develop and teach these seminars, and to work with our students in other capacities (advising independent studies and supervising master’s projects, for instance). We envision our Liberal Studies Seminars as places where our students can encounter serious, timely topics, complex materials, and advanced analytical tools in a supportive environment that is inviting even for those without significant background in the fields informing the courses. 

The best Liberal Studies instructors bridge a gap between the scholarly concerns and the research and presentational methods in their own fields and the prior experiences and developing capacities of eager learners, some of whom may be encountering core concepts, new skills and approaches, and essential questions for the first time.   

We imagine our Seminars as places of experimentation and intellectual and professional growth both for the scholars who teach them and for the students learning together alongside them. 

We typically offer 6-8 Liberal Studies Seminars each academic year – usually three each in fall and spring, and two in summer.  Liberal Studies Seminars are capped at 12-15 students and generally held in late afternoons or evenings. They are usually taught in the seminar room at GLS House, 2114 Campus Drive, though they can also be offered in other locations convenient for instructors. 

All recent courses, with short descriptions and some instructor videos, can be viewed on our website and include:

• Documentary Explorations
• Life’s Work: Being with More-Than-Human Worlds
• Please Touch the Art:  A Hands-On Approach to Art and Art History
• Visual Communication of Data
• Norse Mythology
• The Art of Storytelling
• Biodiversity in the Southeastern U.S.
• AI and the Future of Human History
• Environmental History of the U.S. South
• Race, Adoption & Foster Care
• War, Myth, and Masculinity in the U.S.
• Human Rights Futures

If you are a scholar who would enjoy exploring topics emerging from your own areas of expertise with a diverse community of highly motivated, creative, and eager learners of all ages, backgrounds, and life stages, we would love to speak with you about developing a Seminar for GLS. 

About Duke’s Graduate Liberal Studies Program

Duke’s GLS program offers a self-designed, interdisciplinary master’s degree grounded in the liberal arts. Originating in the 1980s as a program serving returning adult learners, it now attracts a broad demographic, from recent graduates to mid-career professionals to retirees. With a current student body of around 70 individuals ranging in age from their 20s to 70s, and hailing from all over the United States and the globe, the GLS program fosters an environment where diverse experiences, perspectives, and goals converge in the pursuit of self-directed, lifelong learning. 

GLS students complete nine courses, including a foundational cornerstone course The Self in the World, two required Liberal Studies Seminars, and a capstone master’s project.  For their six electives, students may select either additional Liberal Studies Seminars, or graduate-level courses from across Duke’s offerings, tailoring their academic path to their individual interests and aspirations. 

Why Teach for Graduate Liberal Studies?

Creative, Interdisciplinary Focus

Our program thrives on exploring complex, interconnected ideas, topics, and problems that cross traditional academic boundaries. GLS students are curious, engaged, and open to new ways of thinking, creating a dynamic classroom environment.  For our instructors, GLS Seminars provide opportunities to explore new topics as well, without the constraints of either disciplinary boundaries or departmental requirements and parameters. 

Flexible Teaching Environment

GLS Seminars are offered in fall, spring, and summer terms on once-per-week meeting schedules generally in the afternoon or evening.  We are especially eager to support new instructors who want to develop, or perhaps are already developing, online or hybrid courses.  Our course options provide flexibility, accommodating instructors’ schedules and allowing scholars to balance GLS teaching with other professional, research, or personal commitments.

Compensation

For each course, we offer a competitive salary supplement of $9,500 plus fringe benefits for Duke-affiliated instructors. We may also consider qualified outside scholars from the Triangle region, depending on their expertise and alignment of interests with our program.  Those scholars will be compensated in line with requirements under Duke’s collective bargaining agreement with adjunct faculty.

Who We’re Looking For

Our teaching opportunities are ideal for:

• Duke faculty with primary appointments in other departments, who may wish to design interdisciplinary or experimental courses beyond their typical teaching scope, or who may wish to work with graduate students in a different context than is possible in their home departments.  We also welcome emeritus faculty who would enjoy continuing to teach in a diverse and engaging classroom. 
   
• Duke staff who hold terminal degrees (generally PhD, MD, MFA) but who are not employed in primary roles that include teaching or work as instructors and mentors with graduate students.  We recognize a deep well of capable and flexible talent across the Duke “alt-ac” community (which we define broadly as terminal degree holders not working in faculty roles) and especially like to provide opportunities for these scholars to engage with our diverse, highly motivated student community.
   
• Terminal-degree-holding scholars and practitioners in the North Carolina Triangle region, with expertise in liberal arts fields, the ability to translate what they know for broader audiences, and an interest in innovative, interdisciplinary graduate education.
   
• Scholars attracted to the possibility of developing new accessible and flexible course formats (online, hybrid) for our program.

Successful candidates will have:

• Experience or expertise in liberal arts disciplines or in interdisciplinary practice and engagement with timely, relevant issues.
   
• The ability to bring insights from their own fields of study to students who may be new to their fields or approaches.
   
• A commitment to fostering inclusive, interactive, and supportive learning environments that encourage critical thinking, hands-on practice, and wide-ranging discussion.
   
• The ability to foreground and teach analytical, expressive, or applied skills that are used within the areas in which they are teaching. 
   
• A passion for mentoring graduate students from various academic, personal, and professional backgrounds.
   
• A willingness to experiment with new topics, expressive forms, class formats, and even co-creation of class experiences with students to allow classes to reflect student interests and goals. 

Contact Us

The first step in teaching for Duke GLS is to arrange a conversation with the program Director, Dr. Anne Mitchell Whisnant.  Together we can talk about your ideas and explore possibilities.  Please reach out to Dr. Whisnant: 

Anne Mitchell Whisnant, Ph.D.
Director, Graduate Liberal Studies
Associate Professor of the Practice (Public History), Social Science Research Institute
Adjunct Associate Professor, History Department
Director, Undergraduate DOCST Certificate, Center for Documentary Studies
Duke University
Public Historian
anne.whisnant@duke.edu
919-618-8026 (mobile)

Course Proposals

After a conversation, if the possibility looks promising, we will ask for a brief course proposal that would include: 

• A short description of the course you would like to teach, including topics addressed, embedded skills, learning objectives, and potential readings/course materials or assignments.
   
• Your CV or resume: Highlight your teaching experience, academic expertise, and any relevant professional work.

We look forward to hearing from you and exploring how your expertise can contribute to the intellectual growth of our students.