In article <v03102800b1c8dfe816e4@[130.127.121.123]>, "Caroline J. Walker"
<walkerc at CLEMSON.EDU> wrote:
> Is it my imagination or does this discussion look like a debate on hazing?
> The idea that toughening up students is a way to prepare them for the "real
> world"....give them a taste of what they are going to face so that they can
> handle it better etc. One feature of hazing is that those who went through
> it and survived are likely to advocate it as a good system and use it
> themselves. I think the number of anti hazing postings shows that there
> are many of us who don't believe in this system at all, and resent being
> subjected to it or seeing bright and able people falling through the cracks.
I disagree with the analogy. My dictionary describes hazing as "To
harass with silly, disagreeable or demeaning tasks". I imagine that this
can happen - a student is assigned to clean the floors after a failed
experiment, to make up an example - but not one here has suggested any such
thing. The intention of hazing is to subject the individual's identity to
that of the group. The intention of scientific training is to produce an
individual who thinks independently, exactly the opposite.
It's unfortunate that the discussion of mentoring styles seems to be
polarizing, as I suspect most of us reside in the grey area between.
Certainly I try to offer positive reinforcement. However, I think that an
advisor is remiss if she does not offer criticism of the students/postdocs
_work_ as well, taking into account the stage of training that person has
reached. Not personal attacks, not public humiliation, but constructive
criticism.
I can't understand why anyone thinks that it is preferable to give a
seminar in front of an outside audience without first giving it before
colleagues who are expected to ask the tough questions. The latter process
exposes the holes (everyone's work has weak spots) and allows you to think
up appropriate answers. The same rationale applies to drafts of papers and
grants. Sure, some people are idiots, but you just have to ignore them :).
Pam
--
Pamela A. Norton, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Medicine
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, PA 19107 p_norton at lac.jci.tju.edu
