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Poster grad school cover

Strategies for Navigating Graduate School and Beyond

Strategies for Navigating Graduate School and Beyond

Edited by Kevin G. Lorentz ii, Daniel J. Mallinson, Julia Marin Hellwege, Davin Phoenix, and J. Cherie Strachan

 

Download individual chapters by clicking the links in the table of contents below!

 

Earning a graduate degree in political science is the first step in pursuing an academic or alt-academic career. yet there is a large hidden curriculum in graduate school pertaining to strategies, norms, and practices which, when implemented, can help students navigate graduate school. yet these can be difficult to learn and navigate, even for the most successful undergraduate students and early career professionals who are beginning their graduate career. beyond gaining entry to graduate school, surviving, and thriving as a successful graduate student requires insights into academia and political science that most undergraduates, recent college graduates, or early career professionals simply will not know. additionally, lack of access to this hidden curriculum most disadvantages first generation and minoritized students, which maintains inequalities in the discipline.

 

Presently, the APSA leadership is enhancing its efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion across the profession by addressing issues of climate and culture, as well as institutional and systemic inequality through a variety of measures: diversity and inclusion programming, presidential task forces, and other council-backed initiatives. this resource guide is an essential component of APSA’s effort to fill the knowledge-gap for prospective and current graduate students, as it provides insights into everything from applying for admission and finding a mentor to landing that first job—and everything in between.

 

"This book is a road map for students in graduate school pursuing a degree in political science—one that i wished i had 30 years ago! graduate students can gain real insight into how to apply to graduate school and whether that is the right choice for them. they also can learn the importance of mentorship and service to the profession.  finally, after graduation—there are many helpful resources to navigate the job market and make the most of that first job in academia. Being a graduate student is a scary process and this book has answers to so many questions, all in one book. valuable!" —Dr. Terry L. Gilmour, Midland College and Executive Council, APSA

"Strategies for Navigating Graduate School and Beyond is a remarkably comprehensive resource for new and prospective students seeking to understand the "unwritten curriculum" of political science. Readers who are new to the field will get a broad overview of the culture of our profession and learn what issues they may confront during their academic career.”—Dr. Justin Esarey, Wake Forest University and Co-Editor of PS: Political Science and Politics

"This extensive volume, featuring advice from an impressive group of political scientists representing a diverse range of perspectives, is a helpful starter guide for anyone interested in pursuing a PhD in political science. For years, many of us have been cobbling together this kind of advice for prospective students—and now we can find it all in one place! Strategies for Navigating Graduate School and Beyond is an important addition to the professional development literature for early career political scientists." Dr. Tanya Schwarz, Executive Director of Pi Sigma Alpha

"This urgently needed book provides comprehensive, sage advice to current and prospective graduate students who are entering the field of political science. From navigating mentor relationships to conferences to teaching to the perilous job market, it lays out the previously unspoken information which graduate students really need to know from insiders. A must-read for anyone seeking to succeed during and after a political science graduate program!" —Dr. Alison Rios Millett McCartney, Towson University and associate editor for the Journal of Political Science Education

Table of Contents

Click on a chapter title for a downloadable pdf version of the chapter!

 

Front Matter (TOC)

 

Preface

John Ishiyama

 

1. Nevertheless, We Persisted: Pathways Through Grad School (Introduction)

Kevin G. Lorentz II, Daniel J. Mallinson, Julia Marin Hellwege, Davin Phoenix, and J. Cherie Strachan

 

Section I: The Application Process

 

2. How to Get In: A Roadmap for Navigating Decision-Making and the Application Process

Kelly Piazza, Chris Culver, and Lynne Chandler-Garcia

 

3.Financial Concerns: Taking on Student Loans, Graduate Assistant Positions, and Funding Considerations

Courtney N. Haun and Jennifer Schenk Sacco

 

4.Don’t You Forget About Me: The Application Process and Choosing a Program

Tara Chandra, Patricia C. Rodda, and William D. Adler

 

5. Seasoned Professionals Applying to and Navigating Doctoral Programs

Marty P. Jordan, Erika Rosebrook, and Eleanor Schiff

 

Section II: On Campus

 

6. Moving Beyond the One-Shot Orientation: Understanding and Making the Most of Ongoing Orientations

Anthony Petros Spanakos and Mishella Romo Rivas

 

7. Building a Supportive Mentoring Network

Mary Anne S. Mendoza and Samantha A. Vortherms

 

8. Speak of the Devil and (S)he Appears: The Role of Academic Administrators During Graduate School and Beyond

Lauren C. Bell

 

9. When Do Titles Matter and Why? A Guide for Graduate Students in Political Science

Meg K. Guliford, Meena Bose, and Dan Drezner

 

10. Relax! They’re Important, But Not Defining Choices: Choosing Your Subfield and Committees

Mike Widmeier and Joseph B. Phillips

 

11. Does an Internship Have Value for Political Science Graduate Students?

Susan E. Baer

 

12. The Explicit, Implicit, and Unknown: Comprehensive Exams

Samantha R. Cooney and David O. Monda

 

13. Selecting an Adviser: Professsional and Personal Considerations

Chris Macaulay, Mary McThomas, and Alisson Rowland

 

14. Getting Started on the Doctoral Dissertation

Brady Baybeck

 

15. The Doctoral Dissertation and MA Thesis: Managing the Process, Your Life, and Your Data

Michael Widmeier and Dessi Kirilova

 

16. Balancing Pregnancy, Parenthood, and Graduate School

Kimberly Saks McManaway, Regina Bateson, Marty P. Jordan, Karen Kedrowski, and Kyle

Harris

 

17. Practicing Effective Time Management

Samantha A. Vortherms and Coyle Neal

 

Section III: Professional Development—Scholarship

 

18. Professional Norms: Clearing a Barrier to Developing Meaningful Relationships

Benjamin Isaak Gross, Kevin M. Kearns, and Evan M. Lowe

 

19. Balancing Expectations for Research Transparency: Institutional Review Boards, Funders, and Journals

Mneesha Gellman, Matthew C. Ingram, Diana Kapiszewski, and Sebastian Karcher

 

20. Fieldwork

Kelebogile Zvobgo, Charmaine N. Willis, Myunghee Lee, Anne-Kathrin Kreft, and Ezgi Irgil

 

21. How to Conference

Kimberly N. Turner, Christina Boyes, Elizabeth Bennion, and James Newman

 

22. Hidden Expenses in Graduate School: Navigating Financial Precarity and Elitism

Devon Cantwell-Chavez and Alisson Rowland

 

23. Show Me the Money: Information, Strategies, and Guidelines for Applying to Grants and Fellowships in Graduate School

Angie Torres-Beltran, Cameron Mailhot, Elizabeth Dorssom, and Christina Boyes

 

24. Political Science Publications: Charting Your Own Path

Shane Nordyke

 

25. Turning Term Papers into Articles: Paths to a Productive Peer-Review Process

Michael P. A. Murphy

 

26. Managing Online Harassment in the Academy

Seth Masket, Angela Ocampo, and Jennifer Victor

 

27. To Twitter or Not to Twitter

Elizabeth (Bit) Meehan and Salah Ben Hammou

 

Section IV: Professional Development—Teaching

 

28. Serving as a Graduate Teaching Assistant: Tips and Strategies

Zoe Nemerever and Bianca Rubalcava

 

29. Preparing for the First Solo Teaching Experience: An Alternative to Learning as You Go

Christina Boyes, Mario Guerrero, Matt Lamb, and Mary Anne S. Mendoza

 

30. Resources for Teaching Excellence: APSA’s Education Section and the TLC

Megan Becker, Elizabeth A. Bennion, Colin M. Brown, and Eric Loepp

 

Section V: Professional Development—Service

 

31. Academic Service and Flourishing

Anthony Petros Spanakos and Ignangeli Salinas-Muniz

 

32. Towards a More Holistic Graduate Experience: Professional Service to the Discipline

Courtney N. Haun and Ivy A. M. Cargile

 

33. Community, Solidarity, and Collective Power: The Role of Graduate Student Organizations and Graduate Worker Unions

Samantha R. Cooney, Patrick J. Gauding, Anna A. Meier, and Kevin Reuning

 

Section VI: Professional Development—The Job Market

 

34. Expect the Unexpected: Choices and Challenges in the Political Science PhD Job Market

Bobbi G. Gentry, Kyla K. Stepp, and Jeremiah J. Castle

 

35. Mental Health and the Job Market

Anna A. Meier, Adnan Rasool, and Annelise Russell

 

36. What Your PhD Advisors Can’t Tell You Because They Don’t Know: Landing a Job at a Student-Focused Institution

Karen M. Kedrowski

 

37. A Commitment to Teaching, Learning, and Student Advocacy: Community College Careers

LaTasha Chaffin DeHaan, Josh Franco, Verónica Reyna, and Randy Villegas

 

38. More than Reordering the Cover Letter: Preparing for Careers at Small Liberal Arts Colleges

Kelly Bauer and Shamira Gelbman

 

39. Preparing for a Career at a Regional Comprehensive University

Elizabeth A. Bennion, Monica E. Lineberger, and Eric D. Loepp

 

40. Succeeding at a Research-Intensive Institution (R1 or R2)

Karen M. Kedrowski and Benjamin Melusky

 

41. Pushing the Boundaries of Your PhD: Exploring Careers Outside the Ivory Tower

Danielle Gilbert, S.R. Gubitz, Jennifer Kavanagh, and Kelly Piazza

 

42. Weighing Up the Options: The Adventure of an Academic Career Outside of the United States

Dale Mineshima-Lowe, Pablo Biderbost, and Guillermo Boscán Carrasquero

 

43. Making a Statement: Research, Teaching, and Diversity Statements for the Academic Job Market

Kelly Bauer, Colin M. Brown, Melissa L. Sands, and Maricruz Ariana Osorio

 

44. A Limited Time Offer: Exploring Adjunct, Visiting, and Fixed-Term Positions

Austin Trantham, Connor J.S. Sutton, Margaret Mary Ochner, and Jennifer E. Lamm

 

45. The Academic Interview/Marathon

Christopher Macaulay and Michelle D. Deardorff

 

46. You Have an Academic Job Offer…Now What? Negotiating Advice from Two Perspectives

William O’Brochta and Lori Poloni-Staudinger

 

47. Started from the Bottom, Now We’re Here: Navigating the Job Market Without a “Top Tier” PhD

Rachel E. Finnell and Alexandra T. Middlewood

 

48. Getting “Us” a Job: The Two+ Body Problem and the Academic Job Market

Tyler P. Yates

 

Section VII: Climate and Culture in the Department and Profession

 

49. Climate and Culture in Political Science: Diversifying our Institutions, Methods, and Identities to Combat Implicit Bias and Microaggressions

Natasha Altema McNeely, LaTasha Chaffin DeHaan, and Verónica Hoyo

 

50.  Feeling Like a Fraud: Imposter Syndrome in Political Science

Thomas S. Benson, Bobbi G. Gentry, and Sarah Shugars

 

51. Discrimination and Sexual Assault: Resources and Options for Responding and Reporting

Devon Cantwell-Chavez, Asif Siddiqui, and Christina Fattore

 

52. Sexual Harassment in Academia: What Every Graduate Student Should Know

Rebecca Gill and Valerie Sulfaro

 

53. What Do You Need to Know About the Culture of Overwork?

Thomas S. Benson

 

Section VIII: Strategies for Addressing Implicit Bias, Harassment, and Assault

 

54. Concerns for BIPOC Students and Scholars and a Model for Inclusive Excellence

Aleena Khan, Jair Moreira, Jessica S. Taghvaiee, and Andrea Benjamin

 

55. Political Science & LGBTQ Identity: Thoughts & Suggestions for LGBTQ Graduate Students

Monique Newton, Brian F. Harrison, and Edward F. Kammerer, Jr.

 

56. Gender and the Political Science Graduate Experience: When Leaning In Isn’t Enough

Maya Novak-Herzog, Alisson Rowland, Kimberly Saks McManaway, and Tabitha Bonilla

 

57. Concerns for International Graduate Students in Political Science

Thomas S. Benson and Silviya Gancheva

 

58. Teaching as an International Graduate Student

Irmak Yazici

 

59. Religious Minorities and the Graduate School Experience

Sierra Davis Thomander and Andrea Malji

 

60. Concerns for First-Gen Political Science Graduate Students

Thomas S. Benson and T. Mark Montoya

 

61. Disabilities and Chronic Health Issues

Eun A Jo, Sally Friedman, and Alan Babcock

 

Section IX: Health and Wellness in Graduate School

 

62. Why You’re Doing This: Sustaining Joy and Inspiration in the Scholarly Vocation

Yuna Blajer de la Garza, Patrick J. Egan, and Sarah Shugars

 

63. No Rapunzel in This Ivory Tower: Finding Your Collective and Overcoming Academic Isolation

Devon Cantwell-Chavez, Siobhan Kirkland, Hannah Lebovits, Maricruz Ariana Osorio, Natalie Rojas, Rosalie Rubio, Sarah Shugars, Rachel Torres, and Rachel Winter

 

64. Health and Well-Being in Graduate School: Preventing Burnout

Thomas S. Benson and Christina Boyes

 

65. Things that Can Go “Wrong”: Finding Our Own Way in Graduate School

Misbah Hyder, Dana El Kurd, Felicity Gray, Devon Cantwell-Chavez, and Alisson Rowland

 

66. Should I Stay or Should I Go? Making the Decision to Leave Your Graduate Program

Carmen J. Burlingame

 

67. Rest in Graduate School: Boundaries, Care-Taking Labor, Racial Capitalism, and Ill Health

Pyar Seth and Alexandra De Ciantis

 

68. Mental Health and Well-Being in Grad School: Dealing with Isolation, Depression, Anxiety, and Turmoil

Nasir Almasri and Dana El Kurd

 

69. Health and Well-Being in Graduate School: Counseling and Other Resources

Mikaela Karstens and Anne M. Whitesell

 

Back Matter (Contributor Biographies)