Sat, 13 Aug 1994 12:30:42 -0700 for <socgrad@ucsd.edu>
Date: Sat, 13 Aug 1994 13:30:41 -0600 (MDT)
From: rebel palm aitchison <rpalm@unm.edu>
Subject: apprenticing in a graduate program
To: Qualitative Research for the Human Sciences <QUALRS-L@UGA.BITNET>
Frankly, Mikey, I'm jealous.  I'm only in my master's program, but I've 
been wondering if there's somewhere I could transfer to for my PhD just 
so I could get into a department that's more interested in its students.  
(The justification I've heard is that this is a "research" university as 
opposed to a "teaching" university and therefore it's unrealistic to 
expect the faculty to be interested in teaching.  My contention is that 
"research" is an adjective and "university" is the noun, and that as a 
university, teaching IS to be expected!  I don't get very far with that 
tho'.)  Anyway, I'm sure that the program is only as successful as both 
the faculty and the apprenticing students put into it--that's the case 
with everything in life--but at least it's a program! and it's supported, 
and it's there!  Your program does sound like a lot of work, but I'd do 
it gladly if I knew I was actually going to know what I was doing when I 
got out.  I'd find presenting a paper, and preparing for it as an 
apprentice, much more useful than having to do a dry ol' dissertation 
and comps off a reading list--that sounds like something one actually 
needs to know how to do.  Is your program actually an "apprenticeship" 
program? or are you just a slave for some professor's research project?

Does anyone else out there come from schools where the graduate programs
(for me the Soc dept) are innovative?? 

On Sat, 13 Aug 1994, Mikey - Michael J. Smith wrote:
> Here at UNM we don't have a choice.  I would love to apprentice with
> someone who REALLY knows how to do qualitative research, but not only is
> there only one professor in our whole dept who even acknowledges
> qualitative research, it is NOT a practice of these professors to accept
> "apprentices" (What? Let a GRADUATE STUDENT touch my research?? No
> way!).  Many of us here, no matter what methodology we prefer, would love
> to apprentice and have agitated for it (mildly to be sure, since most of
> us just get on and out), but faculty members don't pick up on it and have
> not been at all interested.
> +++++++++++++++++
>         I am fortunate to be in a PhD program at the University of
> Pittsburgh which is based upon an apprenticeship model.  As a doctoral
> student in the program, you are required to be supported through a research
> project (as opposed to say, supervising student teachers or being a TA).
> Our preliminary exam requirement is to present a paper at a national conference
> and to design and teach an introductory graduate-level course. Our comprehensive
> exam is to write a comprehensive literature review paper which would be
> acceptable for RER or RRQ and publish a paper as first author. Needless to
> say, meeting these requirements takes time and effort, and is usually
> most successful when there is a lot of interaction with faculty who support
> this model.
>         Yet one could argue that this is merely another "list" of things
> to check off en route to a PhD. Having a list does not guarantee that
> you will have an apprenticeship. The quality of the apprenticeship
> varies throughout our program, depending upon who you are working with, and
> what effort the apprentice puts forth. I think it is faster to get "on and
> out" as you say, without meeting such requirements. But at least I
> will graduate with a better understanding for what the career I am about
> to pursue in educational research entails than I would have without
> such a model in my doctoral program. I did apply for some positions where
> the expectations for research were lower, so far as tenure is concerned.
> But regardless, apprenticeship for dissertation research still makes sense.
> 
>         That's my two cents.
> 
>         Mikey
>