| | I scheduled a meeting with Prof Advisor in the end of the academic year. I haven't had a formal meeting with Advisor since the first term, though we've briefly chatted throughout the term. I've reluctantly gotten used to calling her by her first name, though I still think I don't merit that privilege yet. Maybe until I write a dissertation, get hired, and then come out with a book, then maybe we can be considered peers. I had the same hesitation with Prof. Francophile via email, I would insist (in French) that he doesn't have to use the polite, formal form when addressing me (think "vous" en français, "usted" en español, "po" sa tagalog). When I saw him in person the next day, I threw out the line, "I'm only a grad student," and then he had a mini-tirade saying that we (faculty and grad students) are peers. Peers? Peers are supposed to have some semblance of equality. However, grad students are virtually powerless, nothing more than indentured servants to the university and our advisors. For the most part, we seek their approval and await their advice and wait for them to sign-off on paperwork.
However, not only I don't have paperwork to present Prof. Advisor of my "progress," I don't have anything tangible to show her; all I can present are my ruminations of what I think I want to study, how might I approach it, and what I think I need to read. It's like me returning from the kiln empty-handed with Prof. Advisor, the proverbial master artisan, awaiting to judge the craftsmanship of her apprentice (me). No, she didn't berate me or tell me that I'm wasting my time even though I had not succeed the initial tasks she stipulated in the first meeting. She was more specific on how to approach the grunt work of grad school, though. Mostly importantly, Prof. Advisor can take a joke at her own expense despite her blunt demeanor:
Her academic work: a certain group of people views another group of people in reference to a third group of people
Her advice for me: I should frame my three qualifying papers around my dissertation topic
My joke about her: You sure like to triangulate everything, huh?
Her response: Yes, I do seem to like to group things by three's
I learned that Prof Advisor just may be someone who I can hug (one day possibly) during graduation if/when I get "hooded" in the end. It's nice to know that someone (a faculty member) has many similar opinions with you and that there is a way to navigate it. Though, not an easy path, it is feasible. Certainly my path will look nothing like her path, for I did not go to the schools that she went to. My path will probably look a lot longer and rockier in comparison. But for now, there is a path to follow--hers. |
| | Posted 6/18/2009 3:25 AM - 2 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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