GSI - Fall

Graduate Student Instructors (GSI) and GSI Graders

The Department of Political Science seeks Graduate Student Instructors (GSI) and GSI Graders for the Fall 2026 semester. These positions may range from 0.35 to 0.5 appointments, and as posted, are subject to a collective bargaining agreement between the Regents of the University of Michigan and the Graduate Employees' Organization, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO 3550.

GSI Positions for Sectioned Courses GSIs selected for the classes listed above are expected to provide general pedagogical support for the course, which may include, but is not limited to: attending lecture, teaching discussion sections, grading and commenting on papers and exams, and meeting with enrolled students during office hours. The number of sections a GSI with a full appointment (a 0.5 position) will be asked to teach depends on the structure of a course.

Most appointments for undergraduate courses include two or three hour-long sections of 20-25 students per week in a full 0.5 appointment.

GSI Positions for Upper-Level Writing Requirement Courses Some courses in the department meet as lectures, without discussion sections, but have a GSI in place to support the course's role in fulfilling the College of LSA's Upper-Level Writing Requirement (ULWR). ULWR courses require a significant amount of writing and revision, classroom instruction on writing in the discipline, and careful attendance to writing issues when discussing course assignments and in grading and commenting on papers.

Duties for GSIs in ULWR courses may include, but are not limited to: attending lecture, grading and commenting extensively on papers and exams, and holding office hours to support students in developing their writing skills. First-time GSIs in ULWR courses must also enroll in the Sweetland Center for Writing's WRITING 993:
Teaching Writing in the Disciplines, a one credit seminar, for fall.

GSIs are expected to be on campus and available to work no later than Monday, August 25, 2026, the first day of classes.

Additional Requirements First-time GSIs teaching an LSA course are required to attend CRLT GSI Teaching Orientation.

Students who are holding a GSI position for the first time in Political Science are required to concurrently enroll in POLSCI 993 GSI training course, which will meet on selected Fridays throughout the Fall semester.

Students who will be a GSI in a ULWR course for the first time in any department must also enroll in WRITING 993. Additionally, if the language of instruction at a student's undergraduate institution was not English, the student must be evaluated by the English Language Institute (ELI) for English proficiency and either pass the GSI-OET or have this test waived by the ELI before they can be eligible for a GSI appointment in Political Science.

All applicants must be graduate students enrolled at the University of Michigan in good academic standing.

The most successful applicants will have completed a graduate course in political science, have previous experience as a GSI with favorable student evaluations, and/or previous experience teaching in political science.