17 Discussion Questions
These questions are drawn from our experience using the four scenes and are intended to help you facilitate discussion. Some questions lend themselves more to particular groups (faculty members, graduate students, mixed groups). None are mandatory. The discussions are meant to be organic in nature, led by the participants and the issues they feel to be important. Your groups may focus on some of the questions below or may raise entirely different issues. If participants are engaging with the video, rest assured that their contributions are relevant!
Warm-up Questions
- Before we start the discussion, did you find anything confusing or unclear in the scene?
- Did a particular character, or line in the dialogue, resonate for you?
International Experience
- What are some unique challenges that international graduate students face in graduate school?
- Similarly, what are some unique challenges that faculty or staff from abroad may face?
- How can a supervisor and graduate student having distinct cultural backgrounds positively or negatively impact their relationship?
- Are there steps that the department or university could take to mitigate potential harms or conflicts that might arise as the result of cultural misunderstandings?
Interpersonal Dynamics
The meeting begins with a somewhat awkward exchange between Judith and Ingrid about Ingrid’s top. Judith goes on to describe her own graduate school experience as “a big party and she is “amazed” to have graduated. Later in the conversation, Judith expresses “mothers are everything” and dabs her eyes with a tissue.
- If you were Ingrid, how would you experience these comments and the way they’re delivered?
- How could Judith have responded in a more supportive and helpful manner?
- Is it appropriate for Judith to disclose all of these personal details to Ingrid? How does Judith doing so impact the dynamics of the conversation?
- Should Ingrid be required to tell Judith the personal details of her mother’s health to secure a leave of absence?
Isolation
Towards the beginning of the scene, Judith asks Ingrid if she’s still feeling isolated in a dramatic hushed whisper. After Ingrid’s brief reply, Judith turns the subject to her own, much more enjoyable experience in graduate school in Montreal.
Why do you think Judith asks if Ingrid’s still feeling isolated in this manner? How might it come off to Ingrid?
- What role (if any) should supervisors play in supporting their graduate students with isolation or other aspects of graduate school that might impact one’s mental health?
- How could the department or university better support supervisors navigate these types of conversations with their graduate students?
- How could the department or university better support graduate students experiencing isolation or similar issues?
Intergenerational Interactions
- How might Judith’s own experiences in graduate school or with her mother influence how she engages in this situation or how she approaches her role as a supervisor more generally?
- How might this experience impact Ingrid’s approach to supervision if she finds herself supervising graduate students in the future?
Leave of Absence
Ingrid informs Judith that she’s already finalizing a leave of absence seemingly without having discussed the situation with Judith prior to this interaction. Judith initially responds out of what seems to be concern for Ingrid’s momentum, research, and future; however, the tone quickly changes.
- Should Ingrid have discussed taking a leave before this point? Why might she not have done so?
- If you were Judith, how would you feel when Ingrid informs you that she’s almost finalized a leave of absence?
- How much of Judith’s response do you think is actually motivated by genuine concern for Ingrid’s research and future career?
- Does Ingrid have any viable recourse as a response to Ingrid’s threat?
- How could the practice of using letters of recommendation as part of application process to schools and jobs be made more equitable and less open to abuse?
Resolution
It can be useful to consider this question from different points of view, e.g., advice given from a peer vs another faculty or staff advisor.
- What steps would you recommend to Ingrid to ensure her research project and relationship with Judith is successful?
- What advice would you offer to Judith to ensure her supervision is supportive and successful?
- Imagine yourself as a staff member whom Ingrid or Judith approaches for help. What advice would you give them and how would you go about it?
Wrap up
- If you could rewrite the ending to this scene, what would it look like and why?
