[534] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
lecture: 6pm gender & post-post-2ndary education
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jimmy_B,MajMoola,MechWarrior,etc._)
Fri May 4 13:56:18 2001
Message-Id: <200105041756.NAA02897@MECHWARRIOR.MIT.EDU>
To: mit-talk@MIT.EDU
Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 13:56:28 EDT
From: "Jimmy_B,MajMoola,MechWarrior,etc._Chien-ta Wu" <jimmbswu@MIT.EDU>
The following is a lecture tonight on how women can better "survive" graduate
school.
It has some excerpts from the book, which may be of interest to many users on
this list.
So that was that,
Jimmy Wu
Who is trying to imagine a graduate school that is entirely without learning
through critique...
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Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 13:32:00 -0400
To: me-ugall@MIT.EDU
From: "Maribel Vazquez" <maribel@wi.mit.edu> (by way of Peggy Garlick <peggyg@mit.edu>)
Subject: REMINDER- EVENT TONIGHT
_________________________________________
From: Maribel Vazquez on Fri, May 4, 2001 10:01 AM
Subject: REMINDER- EVENT TONIGHT
To: MEGAWomen
Hello MEGAWomen!
Just a reminder of our MEGAWomen event TODAY. Dr. Barbara Lazaurs,
associate provost for academic affairs at Carnegie Mellon University will
give a seminar entitled, "A Women's Guide to Navigating a Ph.D. in
Engineering or Science."
FRIDAY, May 4, 2001
Room 3-133
** Appetizers and refreshments**
Reception 5-6PM
Seminar 6-7PM
There will be great appetizers, desserts, and refreshments prior to the
talk and I encourage all of you to attend, even if for a short while. Come
on,..ITS FRIDAY! :)
We hope you've all seen the article in the Tech advertising this event and
we'd like to encourage as many graduate and undergraduate women to attend
as possible. PLEASE forward this email to anyone you think may be interested.
Thanks for your support!
MEGAWomen Committee
____________________________________________________________________
The excerpt below is from, The WomanUs Guide to Navigating the Ph.D. in
Engineering and Science, by Barbara B. Lazarus, Lisa M. Ritter, and Susan
A. Ambrose. (Reprinted with permission from authors.) The book is designed
to help women doctoral students survive and thrive in graduate school in
all fields. The excerpt below describes the unique nature of the graduate
school learning process and describes how we can all deal with it effectively.
Learning By Critique
* Why We Hate It
* What You Can Do
* Learning How "Not" to Be a "Nice" Girl
* Tips for Negotiation
As an undergraduate, the method of learning was probably something like
this: your professor lectured on a series of topics on which you were later
tested. Whether there was little or a lot of discussion about the material,
the lesson was clearly defined. Your professor had certain objectives she
or he wanted to cover, and the material was chosen to illustrate definitive
points. You were learning existing knowledge.
In graduate school, the method of learning is very different - and
difficult for a number of women. At first, your classes will seem like
those in college - you'll study and learn an existing body of knowledge.
However, the ultimate goal of attending these classes is to help you search
out questions and define your research interests - not to specifically
"learn" a lesson.
As you progress in your graduate work, most of your learning will come
through a series of formal and informal exchanges in which others, both
faculty and peers, will challenge and test your ideas. As your research
progresses, you will be expected to share and discuss your findings with
others. If you haven't already encountered questioning of this sort,
imagine how novice lawyers are trained. We've all seen and heard about law
professors "grilling" their students on case law. Although the questioning
may be intense, the professor is really trying to test the student's
analytical, reasoning, and communication skills.
**Why we hate it**
Many women perceive insistent questioning as harsh and negative, or as a
personal attack. They may feel particularly uncomfortable with situations
in which their understanding is continually challenged. Women may feel
vulnerable as a result of stereotypes portraying them as "dumb," or they
may lack the confidence and self-esteem necessary to handle intense
inquiry. By asking questions and continually challenging their reasoning,
many women feel that a professor is commenting on their intelligence or
worthiness as graduate students. Some report feeling strange or unworthy
for asking "too many questions" or for presenting new ideas.
Although some women can positively respond to learning through critique,
many internalized the criticism. Conversely, professors may believe that
they are pushing a student to explore new areas and to think
independently. However, a female student lacking in confidence may only
hear, "you're wrong and you don't belong here."
The nature of learning through critique - which is at the core of the
graduate school experience - lends itself to another problem that is
closely related to internalizing criticism. Although you are learning to
test and evaluate your own ideas, there are very few rules to guide your
progress. An idea is not perfect the first time around - learning to be an
original thinker takes a lot of trial and error. Once you begin to
understand the nature of original research, you'll come to understand the
tenuous nature of knowledge. Many "right answers" change over time.
**What you can DO**
Self-esteem and socialization are the root of many women's difficulty in
dealing with new methods of learning in graduate school. Although problems
like these are not going to be solved overnight, there are steps you can
take to make your experience more rewarding and satisfying.
Hints on feeling Confident:
* Set realistic goals. You are not going to know everything the minute
you start graduate school. Why put that kind of pressure on yourself?
Remember you're here to learn.
* Recognize that many things can only be learned through trial and error.
You will make mistakes, you will be embarrassed once in a while - it
happens to everyone! When you make mistakes, focus on what you can and did
learn from it. If at first you don't succeed....
* Talk to others about your experience. Older and more experienced
graduate students, faculty members, counselors - they all understand what
you're going through and many of them have already been there.
* Realize that you can never be completely prepared for everything. You
may think because you're a graduate student in a prestigious university,
you should automatically know what's going on at all times. There is a
tremendous amount of pressure on women, especially women in science and
engineering, to prove themselves. Go ahead with your work, and if you find
you're lacking in a certain area, do what you need to improve. Don't judge
yourself too harshly.
* Ask for what you want. Your professors are there to help you - they
aren't out to get you, no matter how it may seem. Realize, however, that
some of your superiors may be oblivious to your concerns and may forget how
it feels to be critically evaluated.
* Negative feedback does not always mean that you are wrong. Try to
evaluate the comments on your work objectively, and then make a rational
decision about whether or not to open a discussion or a debate. This is
important. Some criticism is wrong; in general, criticism is usually
opinion. Learn to evaluate criticism (opinion) and decide if it's
valued. Just because it was said by a faculty member doesn't make it
right! Women are more likely than men to believe that negative feedback is
justified and keep quiet. Don't internalize criticism.
* Feed your self-esteem bank. Remember those times when you have asked
the "right" question or solved a difficult problem. You'll soon realize
you have what it takes to make it. Remember your successes.
* Remember that time will help you feel more confident. As a first- or
second- year Ph.D. candidate, it's difficult not to feel hopelessly
clueless. As you define your interests and begin work on your own research
project, you will undoubtedly develop a stronger sense of yourself and your
own abilities. Take one day at a time.
** Learning how to NOT be a "nice girl"**
You're certainly at least as smart as the guys in your classes, but the
testosterone levels that your male peers boast may be serving to make your
playing field a bit bumpy.
The first difference between you and the guys is that you probably argue
differently - and that may give them an edge. A 1990 study showed that
women are more concerned than men about damage that an argument might cause
in an interpersonal relationship. In general, men who argue are regarded
as "rational," while women who argue are deemed "disagreeable." Therefore,
in fields where argument is necessary, women are at a disadvantage when
dealing with male peers.
This gender difference (whether true for an individual or perceived true by
others) can also prove to be a disadvantage in working with a male
advisor. If a male advisor believes that women may react more
"emotionally" to criticism, he may not give her the feedback she needs to
make her work better. And so the female student is denied an advantage
that the male student is not, through no fault of her own (Mapstone, 1990).
Nancy Hutson, who holds a Ph.D. in physiology and is vice president of
Strategic Management for the Central Research Division of Pfizer Inc.,cautions:
"Make no mistake, sex and gender are not the same. Sex is genetically
determined, universal, and unchanging. Gender represents those behaviors
taught by society and that therefore differ from culture to culture. To a
very real extent, our society still mandates that women should be distinct
in their behavior from men: more passive, less competitive, and less
aggressive. So the first thing we must do is break loose from our gender
restraints and instead, listen to our inner voice. Science, by its very
nature, demands confidence, assertiveness, and a competitive streak that
will give one to be the first to make and report an observation."*
* From "Women Drivers" in (Cecily Cannan Selby, ed) Women in Science and
Engineering: Choices for Success (1999).
Another difference you may have noticed is that guys tend to be "pushier"
when it comes to taking over experiments, using the computers, or speaking
up in class. But this is not always the case, and even if it is, it is
certainly behavior that women can learn and employ as well. The stories of
many women illustrate how some see learning to be "bossy" as simply another
skill to master along with their studies.
**Tips for Negotiation**
Negotiating is a critical skill that you will need from your first day of
graduate school on into your career. In her article "Negotiation Advice
for Women: How Not to Lose Your Skirt" (Committee on the Status of Women in
the Economics Profession Newsletter, Winter 1999), economics professor
Linda Babcoak presents an interesting argument that women don't adopt
inferior (negotiating) tactics, but don't recognize opportunities for
negotiating." Babcock suggests these opportunities for negotiation:
1. Recognize opportunities for negotiation. Don't accept everything as the
status quo, but identify less-than-optimum situations as opportunities to
negotiate. For example, Ph.D. student wasn't defending until the end of
the summer but had wanted to go through the spring graduation ceremony with
her classmates. She was disappointed because two male colleagues who also
had not yet defended had gotten to go through the ceremony. The problem
was she had not asked, but the male students had.
2. Overcome anxiety over negotiating. Babcock asserts that "women tend to
view the conflict inherent in negotiating as jeopardizing" the
relationships they have with the person with whom they will negotiate. Men,
however, see the relationship and the negotiation as independent ofeach
other. She suggests viewing negotiation as "an accepted and expected
activity" that can be done while maintaining one's relationship with the
other party.
3. Be sure of what you want to get out of the negotiation. Before you
enter into any negotiation, be clear on what goals you are trying to
achieve and what is the minimum you will accept. At the same time, be
assertive, yet creative.
4. Don't view negotiations as win/lose. The "variable-sum" way women
typically view negotiations, says Babcock, is a strength that they have
over men, who tend to view negotiations as "zero-sum." Women bring a more
cooperative and problem-solving approach and a willingness to understand
the interests of the other side to the bargaining table."
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To: megawomen@MIT.EDU
Subject: FRIDAY EVENT
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 12:30:21 -0400
From: Maribel Vazquez <mvazquez@MIT.EDU>
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Message-ID: <n1223152104.22702@wi.mit.edu>
Date: 4 May 2001 09:55:14 -0400
From: "Maribel Vazquez" <maribel@wi.mit.edu>
Subject: REMINDER- EVENT TONIGHT
To: "MEGAWomen" <megawomen@mit.edu>
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