PROF. JANE RHODES: RESEARCH IS NOT JUST FOR SCIENCE MAJORS

In her three years as a mentor in the Faculty Mentor Program and the McNair Program, Jane Rhodes, Ph.D., says she still meets undergraduates who are surprised to learn that stimulating academic research experiences can be received outside of such traditional scientific disciplines as biology, chemistry and physics.

“Social Sciences and Humanities majors need to know that there is a tremendous range of academic research opportunities in political science, music, literature, ethnic studies and other ‘non-scientific’ areas, says Rhodes, who has served as a UCSD faculty member in Ethnic Studies for six years.

Many of these research experiences, she says, cannot be found in the classroom, but can be obtained through research-oriented initiatives like the Faculty Mentor, and McNair programs.

“Students often don’t get to see what research is like in a lecture hall – they have to be allowed to immerse themselves in the proper setting,” says Rhodes.

The proper research setting for disciplines such as ethnic studies is not the traditional laboratory, but often centers on activities suited for more individualized investigation, such as intensive research in the library, or conducting interviews and focus groups in a community setting.
“Research in ethnic studies is enormous in scope,” says Rhodes. “For instance, it can range from studying specific racial and ethnic groups and their social and political experiences to studying the immigration patterns of various groups and the resulting social implications.” Rhodes’ particular area of expertise is the effects of mass media communication on racial and ethnic minorities, specifically how media can shape and create images and stereotypes.

While performing research under a mentor can definitely be academically rewarding and stimulating, Rhodes cautions that before committing to such a relationship, students should be self-motivated and ready for the task at hand. “Entering a mentor program often demonstrates that the student is willing to take personal responsibility for his or her education because most of the work involves independent study with limited supervision from the mentor,” she says. “The student gets no grade for the work performed, and the work done often is not measured in the student’s grade point average. For this reason, the student must be motivated and should not undertake a mentoring relationship during a period when he or she is overburdened and stretched to the limit.”

There is also a time commitment to consider. In a typical mentoring relationship, students should expect to meet with their mentor at least one to two hours per week to discuss the research project at hand, and to spend from five to 10 hours a week performing independent research, says Rhodes.

“When mentoring my students, I find weekly brainstorm meetings with them specifically good, especially in the early stages of the relationship, in helping them decide what they would like to research, guide them in developing their research strategies, and to generally keep them on track.”

Rhodes traditionally serves as mentor for one student per semester and one student during the summer. “Encouraging my students to consider graduate school is a major part of what I do,” however, I am not pushy about it since they must use this experience to decide if this is the next step they would like to take.”

A native of New York City, Rhodes worked as a news reporter in Syracuse and Rochester, NY, before entering graduate school. “I was not fortunate to have a mentor when I was thinking about grad school, although I could have benefited from one,” she recalls. “Maybe that’s what motivates me now to serve as a mentor – to help others along the way.”

It is for this reason she encourages other faculty to serve as mentors through the Faculty Mentor and McNair programs. “It’s a great way for faculty to open the world of research to students in a meaningful, exciting way, and to keep in touch with young minds and new potential ideas.”