Volume 4, Issue 1 Superscript Fall 2013–Winter 2014 The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences | Columbia University Bringing Pedagogy into the 21st Century Superscript 1 Link back to contents page CONTENTS GSAS Alumni Association Board of Directors Louis A. Parks, President, M.A. ’95, Ancient Studies From the Dean 1 Lester Wigler, Vice President, M.A. ’80, Music Bringing Pedagogy into the Bridget M. Rowan, Secretary, M.A. ’80, English and Comparative Literature From the Dean 21st Century 2 Tyler Anbinder, M.A. ’85, M.Phil. ’87, Ph.D. ’90, History Alumni Profile: Judith Shapiro, Ph.D. Jillisa Brittan, Chair of Development Committee, M.A. ’86, English and ne of the principal raisons their personal lives and are continually searching for ’72, Anthropology 8 Comparative Literature d’être for the Graduate ways in which to make graduate life fit into their lives, as Gerrard Bushell, M.A. ’91, M.Phil. ’94, Ph.D. ’04, Political Science School of Arts and Sciences opposed to the other way around, which was the norm Report from the Field: Teaching at a Neena Chakrabarti, Student Representative, M.A. ’11, Chemistry is enhancing the academic traditionally. I do not have the space here to explore the Community College 12 Frank Chiodi, M.A. ’00, American Studies Oand professional life of our students. reasons for this development, which I would argue none- Kenneth W. Ciriacks, Ph.D. ’62, Geological Sciences But graduate students—both Master’s theless should be regarded as both healthy and welcome, Applied Humanities: Ramona Bajema, and doctoral—typically devote between since it demystifies graduate education and the graduate - Annette Clear, M.A. ’96, M.Phil. ’97, Ph.D. ’02, Political Science Ph.D. ’12 and the Tohoku Earthquake one and eight years in pursuit of the experience, and forces both to conform to realistic and Relief Effort 14 Michael S. Cornfeld, Chair of Nominating Committee, M.A. ’73, Political degree that brought them to Colum- humane parameters. This transformation requires, nev- Science bia. This investment of time means ertheless, that graduate school administrations and sup- Astrobiology: Modern Science Targets an Elizabeth Debreu, M.A. ’93, Art History and Archaeology that students often spend a significant port services evolve to accommodate our students’ novel Ancient Question 22 Robert Greenberg, Chair of Student Outreach Committee, M.A. ’88, Philos- number of their formative adult years understanding of their relationship to their programs, to ophy among us, years in which the realm of the institution, and to their discipline at large. Alumni News 26 George Khouri, M.A. ’69, Classics Carlos J. Alonso the personal usually takes a backseat Dean, Graduate School of Arts and to the requirements of the academic This development accounts, for instance, for two changes Sukhan Kim, M.A. ’78, Political Science Sciences; Morris A. and Alma pursuits that brought them to campus. in policy that the Graduate School instituted since I be- Alumni Profile: Steven G. Mandis, Lindsay Leard-Coolidge, M.Phil. ’87, Ph.D. ’92, Art History and Archaeolo- Schapiro Professor in the Humanities Graduate students have traditionally came dean: first, the existing policy on the “Suspension of gy M.A. ’10, M.Phil. ’13 28 postponed or set aside significant Responsibilities for Childbirth” was broadened two years Les B. Levi, M.A. ’76, M.Phil. ’78, Ph.D. ’82, English and Comparative Liter- personal decisions while in graduate school, owing to the ago to include male student parents, as well as instances On the Shelf: Faculty Publications 30 ature belief that life and its big choices resume upon receipt of adoption and foster parenthood; second, the Graduate Komal S. Sri-Kumar, Ph.D. ’77, Economics of the degree and after reintegration in the larger world School announced last year that graduate student parents On the Shelf: Alumni Publications 32 John Waldes, Co-chair of Marketing and Research Committee, M.S. ’68, outside the university. would be entitled to receive for each child a $1,000 Electrical Engineering, Ph.D. ’71, Plasma Physics subsidy to defray the cost of child care expenses. The Dissertations 34 The reality is, however, that there has never been such a realization that graduate school has to be better integrated Harriet Zuckerman, Ph.D. ’65, Sociology transparent split between life and the graduate experi- into our students’ lives was also one of the reasons behind Announcements 46 Tracy Zwick, M.A. ’11, Modern Art ence: graduate school IS life for our students. In fact, the creation of a new program of Internships in Academic graduate school is in most cases the first time in which Administration, in which graduate students explore non- Helpful Links 49 Letters to the Editor students will not be under the tutelage of someone in academic careers in university administration that may loco parentis—in other words, it is the first truly adult au- give them more flexibility at the moment they endeavor To share your thoughts about anything you tonomous experience some of them will entertain. It is to combine the personal and the professional. Our newly have read in this publication, please email also quite possible that graduate school be the first time created Office of Student Affairs in GSAS has been given [email protected]. Unless you note there is significant geographic distance from their family the consequent mandate to address the many facets of the otherwise in your message, any correspondence environment, since most students tend to remain rela- nonacademic dimension of our students lives, while rec- tively close to home when choosing an undergraduate ognizing the particular and specific needs of our Master’s received by the editor will be considered for institution. This is especially the case with international and doctoral constituencies. future publication. Please be sure to include in students, who cast a much wider net when applying to your message your name and affiliation to the institutions in which to pursue their postbaccalaureate Graduate school used to be regarded by students, faculty, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. education. Graduate school is not just what life is for our and administrators as a parenthesis or hiatus in the lives students, it is also a most significant season of that life of graduate students. The current move toward the closer SUPERSCRIPT is published twice annually by from an existential point of view. integration of life and the graduate experience is a sal- the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the utary transformation that nonetheless presents us with GSAS Alumni Association. In my time as a faculty member, and now as dean, I have new challenges that we in the Graduate School are ready noticed a gradual but quite significant change in student and eager to assume. I would be extremely interested in Dean: Carlos J. Alonso attitude toward their graduate experience. Students hearing from you, the alumni of the school, about how Editor: Robert Ast nowadays tend to see graduate school as coextensive with we could best fulfill that responsibility. Assistant Editor: Andrew Ng Senior Director for Alumni Relations: Jill Galas-Hickey Design, Editing, and Production: Columbia Creative Link back to contents page 2 Superscript Superscript 1 Link back to contents page Bringing Pedagogy into the 21st Century: The GSAS Teaching Center and the Science of Teaching and Learning By Alexander Gelfand One sunny day this past June, a clutch of doctoral students from various Now in its second year, the institute is part of a departments—Music, Sociology, Earth and Environmental Sciences—sat, larger three-year program, stood, and circulated in a large room on the fifth floor of Barnard College’s the Preparing Doctoral Diana Center. The space was crammed with themed tables devoted to Students for the 21st Century Initiative. Offered various digital tools: one bore a piece of paper with the word “SIMS,” for by the Teaching Center and computer simulations, scrawled in black sharpie; another proclaimed CCNMTL under a grant from the Teagle Foundation, “Blogs!” Many of the tables were littered with lists and diagrams and flow a nonprofit dedicated to charts, and each one was equipped with an educational technologist from improving the quality of undergraduate learning in the Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning (CCNMTL). the arts and sciences, the The students had all been appointed as teaching assistants or preceptors initiative seeks to equip for the coming year, and the technologists were there to show them how to graduate students to teach in the new millennium and, use the software to design and deliver assignments. by extension, to bring the quality of undergraduate In other rooms, students online resources or set bottled water and talking learning at Columbia to an munched on box lunches up a website where shop. even higher level. And it as presenters from students could upload and is emblematic of the way CCNMTL and the GSAS annotate text and images The setting was the second in which the University Teaching Center— for a class. All the while, day of the Teagle Summer is trying to rethink the including Mark Phillipson, informal groups of TAs Institute, a three-day-long role and function of the the Center’s interim lounged on comfy chairs series of workshops and Teaching Center at a director—demonstrated in a common area framed discussions devoted to pivotal moment in higher how to use the library’s by large windows, sipping pedagogy and technology. education. Link back to contents