Choosing a dissertation committee is one of the most
important decisions of a doctoral student's doctoral career. Although it may
seem like an easy and straight forward task, there are often complications and
issues that may arise as a result of dissertation committee choices.
Early in doctoral
studies, try to become involved in research. Finding out about faculty members'
interests and research pursuits is a way to ensure that you line yourself up
with a committee that not only understands your research interests, but is
interested in putting the time into seeing you through your dissertation. Read
department bulletins, publications and announcements to find out more about
faculty activities. However, while collaborating with faculty is an excellent
thing to do and can result in good opportunities for you, do not let this deter
you from exploring other options. If you stay focused on one faculty member you
could be doing yourself a disservice in the long run.
Be straight forward and honest with potential dissertation
committee members-be prepared with a line of research you are interested in
exploring so that you can let them know your interests and ask them if this
would be of interest to them. Inquire as to potential sabbaticals or other
plans they may have which could interfere with your dissertation. Remember, the
most important thing about selecting a dissertation committee is that you come
first. If you do not watch out for yourself and ensure you are able to complete
your dissertation, you cannot expect faculty to do this for you even though
they may appear to be looking out for your best interests. They are also
looking out for themselves and their careers.
Inquire as to which faculty members are tenured and which
are getting ready to go up for tenure. Faculty are typically extremely busy,
especially those who are not yet tenured. They are in the process of trying to
complete their own research, write articles for publication and make themselves
as indispensable to the department as they can. While these faculty members may
be more willing to become a dissertation committee member, they may also be
busier and less able to put in the time when it comes down to the wire for you
completing your dissertation.
While most schools may allow you to have a committee member
outside of the department, and in some cases this may be helpful, you also want
to be sure that this person is going to be accessible and has the necessary
background for you to be able to complete scholarly work. While this person may
be eager to assist you and become a member of your dissertation committee, if
they are extremely busy or you do not have easy access to them, you may find
you spend more time trying to track them down or waiting for them to return
work to you. They are also not accountable to the department chair or dean at
your school.
During courses, if
you enjoy the professor's style, their feedback on your work and their
willingness to work with students, inquire as to whether they are looking for a
Teaching or Graduate Assistant, or help with a research project. This is a
great way to get to know them better and may turn into a possible research or
dissertation opportunity for you.
Sit in on courses of
professors who you may be interested in working with on your dissertation.
Observe their teaching style, and most importantly, their interactions with
other students. This can tell you a lot about how they may interact with you
during the intimate working process of a dissertation. Read their research in
published journals, and if possible read their own dissertations. This will
give you an idea of their working style, writing style, attention to detail and
research methods preferred. You also want to inquire about professor's
willingness and ability to do qualitative versus quantitative research. If for
example you are planning on doing a qualitative research study for your
dissertation, you do not want a dissertation committee member who has never
done qualitative research and does not value this type of research.
Get to know the politics of the department. One of the
biggest challenges in choosing a dissertation committee is the member's ability
to "play well in the sandbox" together. You do not need or want the
stress of dealing with faculty conflict during your dissertation. You want your
dissertation members to not only respect one another, but to also respect the
other members' ability to do research, to teach and to critique work.
The most important person on your dissertation committee is
your dissertation chair. This is the person who can make the difference on
whether your ride is a smooth or rocky one. They are the person who will be the
first to read and critique your work, who will distribute your work when ready
to the other committee members and who you will turn to for support and
encouragement if you should find your motivation is low. You should be able to
trust this person, respect and value their feedback and want to spend some time
with them as the dissertation process is not only time consuming, but it can be
energy draining. Most importantly, be sure of this person's agenda. Do they
really want you to succeed and finish in a timely manner? Are they more
interested in their own work or research? This can be especially tricky if your
dissertation is using this person's data, or is a spin off on a project they
initiated. What is this person's management style? Are they going to
micromanage you or are they pretty much hands off and are willing to let you
pursue your interests? You may want or need a person who is going to be
constantly looking over your shoulder. Only you can truly answer this question.
Your work styles should match and your chair should be able to give you the
direction and help you need when you need it. Another indication of who to
select for your chair especially is their ability and quickness to respond to
emails, phone calls and the like. If weeks go by and emails and phone calls are
not responded to, this is not the person you want as chair or perhaps even on
your committee. This is a reflection of how difficult it will be to get them to
read and respond to your work.
Your dissertation
chair may also be able to help you select the rest of your committee. This can
be both good and bad. While it may make the selection process easier, if something
goes wrong with your chair (such as them leaving the department), the rest of
the committee may no longer be as on board with your research, or your chair
may be unwilling to work with other faculty who you would like to. Do not allow
your chair to dictate who you select or to limit you as to whom you select.
While this is the person you want to please the most, you also do not want to
be subject to their own personal nuances. In my experience, my chair who ended
up not getting tenure and leaving the department, "suggested" who I
should select on the committee and let me know who she felt was not
appropriate. The result was she became inaccessible once she left the
department, and I had committee members I did not necessarily want to work with.
You want your
committee to have strengths in different areas. While it may be easier to have
a committee who always work together, they may also not be willing to confront
or critique one another's work. You should have one member who is very good at
statistics, while another is excellent in editing. While dissertation members
do not have to be familiar with every aspect of your research, and depending on
the program, you may not have a faculty person who is, they should at least be
interested and able to understand materials you present them with, as well as
possess the ability to critique the literature and your research methods. You
also want your committee to have a balance of being able to be both supportive
and critical. While perhaps it would make your life easier, you do not want all
the dissertation members to push everything you send them through with few
comments, editing or criticisms. This could result in a disaster when you go to
defend your dissertation and are unable to answer audience questions or when
publishing your work and unable to answer editorial questions.
Finally, the most important person next to the dissertation
chair on the dissertation committee is you. You have to spend some time doing
self-exploration. What do you think are the most important qualities to have in
the dissertation committee members? What do you want the process to be like for
you? How much involvement and management do you feel you need and want? How
much space, support, guidance, encouragement, freedom or security do you
honestly need (and want) from your committee members. What is your timeline?
What do you want to do after your dissertation? (this can help guide you as to
who to select on your committee for interests). Do you need someone who is
going to be able to be there for you to talk to when you have difficulties? How
rigorous do you want your dissertation to be? Do you want it to be a scholarly
work that contributes something to the field or are you doing this to just do
it and get through your program? How much of a self-starter are you and do you
need someone on your committee to be able to push you and provide you with
deadlines and time management?
Choosing a
dissertation committee is not a process to be taken lightly as it can mean the
difference between you graduating when you want to, or much later than
expected. It can mean the difference between having numerous headaches as a
result of other people's personality, demands and expectations, or having a
pleasant and academically rigorous and rewarding dissertation process.
No comments:
Post a Comment