CS 290: Reflections on Research
Welcome to the graduate seminar on "Reflections on Research."
Why did you choose to attend graduate school?
What motivates you to do research?
Can you balance the highs and lows of research?
What do you envision yourself doing in the future?
You might have all the answers figured out, be completely lost, or most likely, be somewhere in the middle (and it's all okay!).
In this seminar course, we will reflect on various facets of a research career through a combination of readings and discussions. Before each seminar, students are required to complete the assigned reading (less than one hour of reading per week). During the seminar, the instructor will present a high-level overview of the topic for ~15 min. The remaining 45 minutes will be for open discussions. From first-year graduate students who are only getting their feet wet with research to senior students who are approaching graduation and contemplating a career in research, this seminar can be helpful for all!
Instructor: Sangeetha Abdu Jyothi
Class Hours: Friday 1 - 2 pm PT (online seminar on Zoom)
Zoom: https://uci.zoom.us/j/96043615069?pwd=STRSYjBHNEs4R0VjdFRtRnR6MFc5UT09 Links to an external site.
Prerequisites: An interest in research and a willingness to introspect
Schedule: (this is an approximate schedule)
| Date | Topic | Required Reading | Optional |
| 1/7/2021 | Overview | ||
| 1/14/2021 | What is Research? (Most research is not earth-shattering and does not lead to what Kuhn calls a "paradigm shift." Most of the time, that's the kind of research we do -- and it's still very useful.) |
Chapter 3 of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Links to an external site., by Thomas Kuhn (starting page 23) |
How to pick a research topic Links to an external site., Irene Zhang, Microsoft Research |
| 1/21/2021 |
The Myth of the Lone Scientist
(Most of us will work in labs or research groups, but television portrays us as lone academics having genius breakthroughs in isolation.) |
The Matthew Effect Links to an external site., Robert Merton |
|
| 1/28/2021 |
Academic Culture Shock
(Most of us have no experience dealing with the hidden curriculum in academia) |
Breaking the Class Ceiling Links to an external site., Elisabeth Pain |
The Achievement of Desire Links to an external site., Richard Rodriguez |
| 2/4/2021 |
Imposter Syndrome
(Being treated as an expert often depends on how well an individual matches expected perceptions of what an expert looks like, and how well the individual "plays the part.") |
How I overcame impostor syndrome after leaving academia Links to an external site.
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| 2/11/2021 |
You are not your Research
(We associate ourselves with our research so much that we forget it is a job and not our lives. It makes rejections harder to deal with, and it leads to poor work-life balance.) |
The Awesomest 7-Year Postdoc or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Tenure-Track Faculty Life Links to an external site., Radhika Nagpal |
If you want to work hard, live well Links to an external site. |
| 2/18/2021 |
Rejection, Expectations, and Comparisons
(Formal rejection is common in academia. How do we deal with rejection, with how expectations vary across subfields, with the urge to compare to our peers?) |
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| 2/25/2021 |
Mental Health
(There is an often undiscussed mental health epidemic among graduate students and researchers. Does academia make us this way, or are people with mental health troubles more prone to becoming academics?) |
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| 3/4/2021 |
Research as a Political Act
(Research cannot be extricated from ethics, politics, and social norms.) |
The Ethical Dilemma at the Heart of Big Tech Companies Links to an external site., HBR |
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| 3/11/2021 |
Academia's Drop-Outs
(It's easy to get so focused on the degree, the diploma, that we forget the original goals that pushed us to pursue an intellectual life.) |
This seminar is inspired by Research Practices and Community Norms Links to an external site. (UC Berkeley) and Readings on Research Links to an external site. (CMU).