Stephen Develops Scholarly Interests

 

Early in the semester I wrote about an area or topic you would like to conduct research on; now, I'm revisiting guided by the following questions: 

  • What is your current research interest? This may be a refinement of your earlier statement, or a new topic/area!
  • How have your experiences this semester have impacted this area of interest? This may include things you have blogged about and experienced as part of this class, other classes, or other experiences.
  • Based on what you have learned this semester, what do you see yourself doing when you graduate? How will this connect with your research interest?

Since I'm currently doing my prelims and preparing for my dissertation, my research topic has not shifted - although I think I've gotten a bit better at explaining it pithily, so I'll try again here. My current research interests are, broadly, humanizing/liberatory curricula in STEM, especially in the context of student leadership. My dissertation will explore narratives of leadership and liberation amongst undergraduate engineering student organization leaders. I'm also interested in humanizing/liberatory curricula in the area of public pedagogy, especially in the realm of social media and video games - but that won't make it into my dissertation. 

In addition to this seminar, I also took an independent study on Narrative Inquiry to see how I might incorporate it into my dissertation; originally, I had planned on using ethnographic methods and supplementing with narratives, but I've now decided that narrative inquiry will be the primary approach. My readings for that independent study have demonstrated that things like role and identity construction and navigating power structures are often better uncovered with narrative methods. 

When I graduate, I do not plan to pursue a tenure-track position, at least not at an R1 school. I'm somewhat interested in faculty positions that center teaching and service, as I've always been a pragmatist. However, my primary goal is continue my work in higher education administration. Currently, my role is to advise several of Engineering's student groups, including the Engineering Student Council - I love this work and these students, and feel I am able to see the impacts of my efforts directly. I believe my PhD and research line will help me to better articulate the value of these sorts of programs and to advocate for their continued or renewed support from the administration, while also giving me the skillset necessary to conduct programmatic research/evaluations, and stay informed on best practices. 







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