2015 Association for Women in Psychology Conference

Within the world of feminist scholarship, students rely on their teachers to educate them about the past as well as guide them into the future. Developing an effective relationship with a feminist mentor is critical for students who want to pursue feminist academia and is also beneficial to the mentors themselves. Students gain valuable guidance and support while advisors are offered new feminist perspectives as a result of engaging with fresh ideas. Both benefit from the enjoyment of pursuing a shared passion. This discussion will cover a range of topics relevant to both students and professors who are either considering or already involved in mentorship. By combining perspectives, we believe these groups can learn from each other about how to be a valuable mentee or mentor. We hope to address students’ concerns with questions such as: How do students determine what type of working relationship to commit to? How do they decide which professional complements their feminist interests? How might they pursue their passion through scholarship? Discussion points will give professors an opportunity to offer valuable insights from past experiences, as well as discover how they can more successfully connect with students and lead them to find answers to these questions. For example, how can teachers incorporate feminist theory into their lectures? Further, how can they encourage feminist praxis and individual development of ideas outside of the classroom? Of course, there are topics for continuous dialogue between professors and students looking to build a professional relationship. What makes a good mentor/mentee partnership? How can such a relationship be continued after the student graduates from their current institution? By creating and fostering relationships between students and professors, each subsequent generation of feminists can further the developments already made and reach new milestones of their own.