Fall Term, 2002
From: Elli Lester Roushanzamir
Cc: students in class
For the 8000 Guest:

The new Master's students want to learn about the faculty in ways which will illuminate the faculty's research interests and help the students make their transition from undergraduate education and/or professional work experience to graduate education. I'm asking that you personalize your scholarship by providing some history: academic, professional, and personal. Below are some of the prompts I'll provide if you wish me to, or feel free to construct your own narrative. The objective is to weave together your scholarly, professional and personal journey to date. But the goal remains to excite new graduate students about mass communication research and its relevance to their individual programs.

Please describe your educational background, including where you attended college, what you intended to study and did study, when relative to graduation you enrolled in graduate school, where you earned your advance degrees. Who/what influenced you to pursue a graduate education and what were your initial/eventual goals?

How would you describe your stream of research? Why do you do it? Where do you publish it? What impact does it have and on whom? Describe some recent projects.

Are there ethical concerns that you encounter in your research & what are they & how do you deal with them?

How does your work as a teacher interact with your work as a researcher? Describe the service component of academic work.

How and why did you make a transition from professional work to academia?

Do you maintain working relationships with industry professionals?

When do you "do research?" Which parts are "difficult" and/or "easy"?

Why do you work alone/or with whom do you collaborate and why?

What are your leisure time interests or hobbies-are they separate from your research or do leisure and work blend?

Do your "feelings," "thoughts," and/or "beliefs" influence your research and how?

What is the relevance of a research Master's (i.e. both the MMC and MA) to professional workplaces?

And then, the "Proust Questionnaire" questions: What is your most marked characteristic? What do you consider your greatest achievement? Which living person do you most admire? If you could practice a different profession or job, what would it be? Which talent would you like to have? Which historical figure, real or imaginary, do you most admire or identify with? What do you read for fun? What amazes or amuses you most?