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6 First-Generation Students and the Mission of Graduate Study

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The Reimagined PhD
This chapter is in the book The Reimagined PhD
756First- Generation Students and the Mission of Gradu ate StudyLEANNE M. HORINKO AND JORDAN M. REEDThere is a vast liter a ture on the needs of first-generation undergraduate stu-dents. It is known that they need strong mentors, defined access to resources, and a student body and faculty that represent diverse perspectives. The liter a-ture on these first-generation students shows how overwhelming and alienat-ing the college experience can be. They struggle with testing, getting acclimated to the old traditions of a college or university setting, balancing their academic work with familial responsibilities, and translating their academic work to their family members who have not gone to college. But what happens when these same students decide to enroll in a graduate program? For a group of students who entered college without the academic cultural capital other stu-dents already possess, graduate school can be an even more daunting prospect. Despite this reality, when compared to the first-generation college experience, the first-generation graduate student experience is relatively unexamined, save for a few scattered articles.1The graduate student experience is considerably diff er ent from the under-graduate student experience for all students. On some level it is inherently over-whelming and, at times, alienating for all students. Graduate school brings
© 2021 Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick

756First- Generation Students and the Mission of Gradu ate StudyLEANNE M. HORINKO AND JORDAN M. REEDThere is a vast liter a ture on the needs of first-generation undergraduate stu-dents. It is known that they need strong mentors, defined access to resources, and a student body and faculty that represent diverse perspectives. The liter a-ture on these first-generation students shows how overwhelming and alienat-ing the college experience can be. They struggle with testing, getting acclimated to the old traditions of a college or university setting, balancing their academic work with familial responsibilities, and translating their academic work to their family members who have not gone to college. But what happens when these same students decide to enroll in a graduate program? For a group of students who entered college without the academic cultural capital other stu-dents already possess, graduate school can be an even more daunting prospect. Despite this reality, when compared to the first-generation college experience, the first-generation graduate student experience is relatively unexamined, save for a few scattered articles.1The graduate student experience is considerably diff er ent from the under-graduate student experience for all students. On some level it is inherently over-whelming and, at times, alienating for all students. Graduate school brings
© 2021 Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. Foreword: Toward a Sustainable Future ix
  4. Preface xiii
  5. Part 1 A Call to Normalize Careers beyond the Academy
  6. 1 An Honest Assessment: The State of Graduate Education 3
  7. 2 The Liberal Arts at Work The Engaged PhD 10
  8. 3 Diverse Careers, the Waning of the Prestige Regime, and the Rise of the Influence Economy in Academic Publishing 24
  9. 4 The PhD Adviser-Advisee Relationship Reimagined for the Twenty-First Century 42
  10. 5 Out of the Field and into the Woods: The PhD as Professional Compass 55
  11. Part 2 Beyond Plan B: Preparing for What’s Next
  12. 6 First-Generation Students and the Mission of Graduate Study 75
  13. 7 Building Professional Connections in Graduate School 88
  14. 8 Building Skill and Career Development Opportunities on Campus for Graduate Students and Postdocs 100
  15. 9 Expanding Horizons and Diversifying Skills Transforming Graduate Curriculum 119
  16. 10 Reimagining Graduate Pedagogy to Account for Career Diversity 132
  17. 11 Preparing for a Digital Humanities Career 142
  18. 12 Skill-Building and Thinking about Career Diversity for Graduate Students 160
  19. Afterword From Action to Collective Action 176
  20. Appendix: Sample Syllabi for Adding Graduate Seminars to Curriculum 191
  21. Acknowledgments 199
  22. Bibliography 201
  23. Notes on Contributors 211
  24. Index 217
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https://doi.org/10.36019/9781978809154-008

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. Foreword: Toward a Sustainable Future ix
  4. Preface xiii
  5. Part 1 A Call to Normalize Careers beyond the Academy
  6. 1 An Honest Assessment: The State of Graduate Education 3
  7. 2 The Liberal Arts at Work The Engaged PhD 10
  8. 3 Diverse Careers, the Waning of the Prestige Regime, and the Rise of the Influence Economy in Academic Publishing 24
  9. 4 The PhD Adviser-Advisee Relationship Reimagined for the Twenty-First Century 42
  10. 5 Out of the Field and into the Woods: The PhD as Professional Compass 55
  11. Part 2 Beyond Plan B: Preparing for What’s Next
  12. 6 First-Generation Students and the Mission of Graduate Study 75
  13. 7 Building Professional Connections in Graduate School 88
  14. 8 Building Skill and Career Development Opportunities on Campus for Graduate Students and Postdocs 100
  15. 9 Expanding Horizons and Diversifying Skills Transforming Graduate Curriculum 119
  16. 10 Reimagining Graduate Pedagogy to Account for Career Diversity 132
  17. 11 Preparing for a Digital Humanities Career 142
  18. 12 Skill-Building and Thinking about Career Diversity for Graduate Students 160
  19. Afterword From Action to Collective Action 176
  20. Appendix: Sample Syllabi for Adding Graduate Seminars to Curriculum 191
  21. Acknowledgments 199
  22. Bibliography 201
  23. Notes on Contributors 211
  24. Index 217
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