I have been teaching undergraduates and graduate students since 1970(!!). I have taught a broad range of courses at Penn State in both the department of English and the College of Information Sciences and Technology.
In 2010 I taught an honors English course: “What Was Privacy?” We explored the range of social, political, and technological issues that shape contemporary life. The technologies available at Penn State provide awesome opportunities to communicate and collaborate. The syllabus ( Harwood Syllabus (Fall 2010).pdf) gives a fuller view of the course.
A first-year seminar on cyber-plagiarism led to the creation of a widely cited collection of resources for faculty and students. I’m amazed that Google ranks this site #1 or #2 whenever you search for cyberplagiarism. I am very grateful to my students for teaching me so much.
But from time to time I have taught seminars in 18th-century intellectual history, Restoration and 18th-century drama, and history of the English novel. As a former director of composition program at Penn State, I am especially interested in all kinds of writing courses — introductory, intermediate, and advanced. I have found advanced technical writing and editing especially challenging because each student brings specialized intellectual knowledge to bear on the problem of communication. I am (what a surprise!) quite interested in how information technology enhances teaching and learning.
Some years ago, I taught a “cluster course” on revolutions with my colleagues Philip Jenkins and Dave Bressoud –scientific, political, and cultural — for undergraduate honors students. More recently, I taught a course in research methods in the humanities with Rob Hume. When it works well, team teaching is a fabulous experience for both teachers and students.