A special workshop “Career Seminar for Female Students who want to Study Empirical Political Economy” hosted by the Center for Positive/Empirical Analysis of Political Economy was held in person at Waseda campus on November 28.
Career Seminar for Female Students who want to Study Empirical Political Economy
The Center invited Dr. Yoko Okuyama as a moderator and four panelists who obtained their PhDs at American universities.
From the left in the picture above:
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Dr. Yoko Okuyama (Assistant Professor at Uppsala University, Sweden) Ph.D. in Economics, Yale University
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Dr. Min Hee Go (Associate Professor at Ehwa Womans University, South Korea) Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Chicago
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Dr. Yesola Kweon (Assistant Professor at Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea) Ph.D. in Political Science, Indiana University
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Dr. Ana Weeks (Senior Lecturer at the University of Bath, UK) Ph.D. in Political Science, Harvard University
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Dr. Wan-ying Yang (Professor at National Cheng-Chi University, Taiwan) Ph.D. in Political Science, Michigan State University
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Dr. Yoshikuni Ono (A host of the Seminar, Professor of Political Science, Faculty of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University) Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Michigan
They talked about their experiences, focusing on the difficulties unique to women: their motivations for entering graduate school, the process of selecting a graduate school, their training in graduate school including mastering quantitative analysis methods, their relationships with their academic advisors, their job hunting, and their experiences in research activities. They also shared important points of consideration that aspiring female researchers should know in advance when considering going on to graduate school.
Not only undergraduate and graduate students from Waseda University, but students from other universities and working adults who are preparing to enter graduate school also participated in this wonderful event. Participants listened intently to the panelists, and the seminar was lively thanks to a passionate Q&A session masterfully led by Associate Professor Okuyama, who frequently encouraged participants to ask questions.
The seminar closed successfully by providing a very valuable opportunity for participants to ponder their future careers post graduate school. We are so grateful to hold an event where participants could listen and learn from the wisdom and experiences of these extraordinary researchers and role models.
Picture with panelists and participants
Student’s comment: Gender Panel Thoughts
KAMINAGA, Karen, Graduate school of Economics M2
Academia is still a very male dominated field, and in this Gender panel I was very excited to hear the perspectives and thoughts of five very accomplished female scholars. It was especially interesting to hear career pathways and the ways that they had decided upon pursuing their expertise of study, as it is not a topic that one gets to hear in depth very often.
Since all of the five women in the panel had gotten their higher educational degrees from American universities, where many were not only minorities in terms of gender, but also in racial terms, listening in there were situations that I had not even considered that were shared experiences. These experiences really made me think more in depth about what being a female in academia is like. Being a woman particularly held challenges that may not occur for males, such as particularly dangerous situations within field research, often reoccurring micro-aggressions, and just overall the academic field itself is often being skewed towards a more male dominated structure. Especially as a female it is important to understand and to input the quantitative methods, as they are an integral part to appear as you understand what you want to do and are knowledgeable in your particular field.
For me, personally it was particularly reassuring to hear the reaffirmations of being able to back out, to have a non-conventional, non-linear path. As an academic sinks in hours and extra time to gain their knowledge and expertise, it is increasingly difficult to back out, as it may feel too costly to quit. However, hearing that quitting is not failure, and failure is not something that is essentially bad was very helpful. In the same strain, it was also very reassuring to hear that it isn’t anything that has to be rushed. There never is an exact “perfect” time that is the same for everybody, as some women in the panel went straight to graduate school, where other women had taken years of working and then returned to graduate school.
Another particularly important takeaway I had gotten was the importance of environment and the surrounding support that you gain as you go through the graduate studies, with each of the panel speakers emphasizing the importance of community. This community does not necessarily have to be created by those from the same department, but it is important to find a good support system. Don’t be afraid to ask people to help, and to ask people questions. Learning from the seniors, learning from those who have come before, is a wealth of knowledge. This concept of community and finding good connections and systems was one that I felt was particularly emphasized throughout the whole panel both during the discussions and the questionings, which reiterated the importance of it.
Especially as a current female graduate student at Waseda, I am extremely thankful that I was able to attend this panel discussion now, as it would help me in pondering for my future plans after a master’s degree. It definitely gave me a new perspective on what could be done, giving new considerations and ideas, listening to others that have already walked the path.
