Who Is Your Teacher?
Professors are the core of the teaching staff at most institutions in the United States. Full professors generally teach lecture courses, seminars, and courses for graduate students and upper-class undergraduates. A professor’s informal style of dress or speech must not be taken to mean that he or she has a relaxed attitude toward assignments, class attendance, or the quality of your work. Informal attire and the omission of titles in interpersonal communication are common in American university teaching; but beneath this largely informal surface lies a wide variety of individual expectations and preferences concerning student behavior.
In large research universities, many discussion sessions and labs are led by teaching assistants (TAs), some of whom may be foreign. Teaching assistants are most often graduate students pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree. You should feel free to approach them with your questions-indeed, you will probably be on a first-name basis from the beginning of the course-and you should not hesitate to ask their advice about course work, grades, or other matters.
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