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Author Archives: J Alan Kendrick, Ph.D.
The importance of being diverse
Research is driven by inquiry, so I pause to ask, “What kind of graduate school would my graduate school be, if everyone in the graduate school were just like me?” If we throw aside the false notions that we are ideal, perfect individuals, then this question raises serious implications. My own reflection on a response to this question yields a very poignant reality that a graduate school full of “me” would be boring, unfruitful, and unproductive. We would all be political scientists. There would be no interest in microbiology, genetics, art history, or sociology for that matter. Furthermore, we would all ask the same questions and we would only be interested in the subfield of comparative politics within political science. A group of “me” would be a sad reality for contributions to and advancements in the humanities, medicine, and technology, for example. (more…)
A golden rule for graduate school
Have you ever had someone RSVP for an event and fail to show up at the event without the courtesy of an e-mail or phone call? Current technology might even prompt a terse text of regret. A text message would be a better response than no response at all in my opinion. Who are these seemingly discourteous individuals without a hint of home training? I am acquainted with disrespectful people like this and they happen to be called graduate students! Please do not be offended as I am making a gross generalization about the graduate student population, but I want to make sure that I grab your undivided, albeit a bit perturbed now, attention. (more…)
