The Student – Scholar Partnership
(SSP) Journal
SPRING
2013
Enriching contributions to
society performed
collaboratively by
partnerships of Students and
Scholars.
The SSP is run out of The Women’s Studies Research Center, Brandeis University –
Epstein Building, 250 South Street, Waltham, MA 02453.
Student-Scholar Partnership Program Journal
volume six
spring 2013
table of contents
page
3
Letter from the Program Coordinator
4
About the Student - Scholar Partnership Program
5
Notable Quotes from Our Last Semester SSP Relationships
7
Full List of Spring 2012 Partnerships
Select SSP Project Essays
8
Scholar: Pnina Abir-Am
Student: Victoria Lee
Project: Hiring AND Firing Practices of Women Scientists during
the 1970’s and 1980’s
9
Scholar: Rosalind Barnett
Student: Clara Gray
Project: The New Soft War on Women
10
Scholar: Mary Berg
Student: Ivonne Moreno
Project: Spanish to English Translation of Peruvian Blockbuster Classic
Literature: ‘Aves sin nido” by CLorinda Matto de Turner
11
Scholar: Helen Berger
Student: John Nunes
Project: “ Does Worshipping the Goddess Make You a Feminist?” Study
1
page
SSP Project
12
Scholar: Linda Bond
Student: Kristina Pisarik
Project: One + One – Women Affected by War
13
Scholar: Janet Freedman
Student: Susannah Feinstein
Project: “Small Groups Around the Globe” Feminism Study
14
Scholar: Lois Isenman
Student: Donna Vatnick
Project: Science and Spirituality Weblog
15
Scholar: Brenda McSweeney
Student: Lucia Hsiao
Project: Gender Case Studies with the United Nations: an E-Book
16
Scholar: Ruth Nemzoff
Student: Marielle Temkin
Project: Married Into: Making New In-Law Bonds Work
2
Letter from the Program Coordinator
Welcome to the Student-Scholar P ar tner ship!
After r eflecting on the wor k we have done over the past year , it is my opinion that the SSP is one
of the best living examples of the idea of “enr ichment” that the Women’s Studies Resear ch Center
has to offer .
Enrichment: the act of making fuller or mor e meaningful or r ewar ding –
(from Freedictionary.com).
How does the SSP exemplify this? By investigating and adding value to the wor ld we live in and
the cultur e in which we lead our daily lives. The SSP opens up minds to new ways of thinking,
discussing, and taking action in thoughtful ways. Some instances of our “enr ichment”:

Star ted a deep discussion blog on the inter -connectedness of science and
spir ituality; Inter viewed elder ly men and women on their lifeviews at this age;

Launched an effor t to gr ow awar eness and pr ovide assistance to women in Afr ica
exper iencing devastating after effects of war ;

Intently studied and cur r ently wor king to r emedy in-law family r elationships in a
humane and car ing way;

Gar ner ed national attention with an ar t installation on Gender Equality in the
Tr ades;

published a book in conjunction with the United Nations which pr ovides a
snapshot of gender issues as they manifest themselves in differ ent contexts ar ound
the wor ld.
With a focused eye, inquisitive mindset, and cr itical thinking, our Scholar and Student P ar tner s
have come together to pr oduce significant r esults. Their thoughtful and r elevant pr ojects have
touched on var ying topics including Science, Religion, Equity Between the Sexes, Women Affected
by War , Spanish Tr anslation, Ar t, Aging and Feminism.
We ar e pr oud of all the accomplishments achieved by our P ar tner ships, and appr eciative of their
enriching and meaningful wor k. Thank you to all of our Women’s Studies Resear ch Center
Scholar s and Students for their dedication and contr ibution!
With an eye towar ds enr iching our futur e…..
Kr isten Mullin,
P r ogr am Coor dinator , Student Scholar P ar tner ship (SSP )
3
About the Student-Scholar Partnership Program
“T
he SSP P r ogr am is an excellent oppor tunity for our talented under gr aduates to
develop ser ious, pr oductive, and engaging r elationships with scholar s and
univer sity faculty. These par tner ships span so many diver se ar eas of intellectual inquir y and
pr ofessional development - it’s stunning to me to see how many differ ent pr ojects ar e available to
our students. This pr ogr am is tr uly a cr edit to the students, scholar s, and faculty who par ticipate.”
- former Provost Marty Krauss, June 2006
Program Overview
The Student - Scholar P ar tner ship (SSP ) was launched in the spr ing of 1997 as a pr oject of the
Women’s Studies P r ogr am at Br andeis Univer sity. Today, the P r ogr am continues as an impor tant
component of the Women’s Studies Resear ch Center (WSRC). This paid inter nship oppor tunity is
designed to give under gr aduate students a unique lear ning exper ience by allowing them to wor k
side by side with a Scholar fr om the Women’s Studies Resear ch Center in an inter disciplinar y
envir onment. Once accepted into the P r ogr am, students wor k collaboratively with established
pr ofessionals in their field of inter est. Scholar s benefit fr om the fr esh per spective and insights of
under gr aduate students, and Students gr eatly benefit fr om the mentor ing and exper ience of their
Scholar s.
4
Notable Quotes from Our Last Semester SSP Relationships:
Spring 2013
“I
am so gr ateful to have had the oppor tunity to wor k on this exciting pr oject, and to
inter act with many of the Scholar s at the Women’s Studies Resear ch Center as well as
with the inter national contr ibutor s to our publication…. I hope that futur e students at
Br andeis will continue to take advantage of the Student Scholar P ar tner sh ip as well as the
events that the WSRC offer s.”
Student Lucia Hsiao with Scholar Brenda McSweeney on “Gender Case Studies with
the United Nations: an E-Book ”
“I
-
am happy to have had the chance to develop and shar pen these skills that I will be using
thr oughout my educational and pr ofessional car eer – especially if I decide to pur sue
publication of my own wor k on the futur e.”
Student Clara Gray with Scholar R osalind Barnett on “T he New Soft War on
Women”
“I feel tr uly blessed to have J anet in my life as a mentor , boss, and most impor tantly a fr iend.”
-
“T
Student Susannah Feinstein with Scholar Janet Freedman on ‘“Small Groups Around
the Globe” Feminism Study’
his oppor tunity has begun to fulfill my biological per spectives by adher ing to my
human cur iosities. Hopefully, the wor k we do will shake up the minds of those who
want to unify science and spir ituality, and expand the minds of those who never
thought it was possible. “
-
Student Donna Vatnick with Scholar Lois Isenman on “Science and Spirituality
Weblog”
5
Quotes Continued…
“O
-
ver all, the SSP pr ogr am was a gr eat and unique exper ience for me. …... I hope I
can apply what I lear ned in this pr ogr am in my futur e car eer !”
Student Victoria Lee work ing with Scholar Pnina Abir-Am on “Hiring and
Firing Practices of Women Scientists during the 1970’s and 1980’s”
“I
've wor ked with Ruth for the last thr ee semester s thr ough the SSP pr ogr am, and I
can honestly say that they have been an amazing thr ee semester s. Wor king with
Ruth has taught me many things, among them being how to best communicate my
ideas, how to voice my opinion to my boss while still being r espectful, and how to wor k as a
ver y close-knit team…. Needless to say, I'm sad to be gr aduating because I will so miss
wor king with Ruth thr ough this wonder ful pr ogr am, but I am so pleased and feel so lucky to
have been a par t of it. “
Student Marielle T emk in with Scholar R uth Nemzoff on “Married Into:
Mak ing New In-Law Bonds Work ”
6
Student - Scholar Partnership (SSP) Internship Program
Partnership List Spring 2013
1. P nina Abir -Am (Resident Scholar ) and Victor ia Lee (Student) - “Hir ing and Fir ing P r actices
of Women Scientists dur ing the 70's and 80's”
2. Roz Bar nett (Resident Scholar ) and Clar a Gr ay (Student)- “The New Soft War on Women”
3. Mar y Ber g (Resident Scholar ) and Ivonne Mor eno (Student) – “Spanish to English
Tr anslation of P er uvian Blockbuster Classic Lit: ‘Aves sin nido’ by Clor inda Matto de
Tur ner ”
4. Helen Ber ger (Visiting Scholar ) and J ohn Nunes (Student) - “Does Wor shipping the Goddess
Make You a Feminist?”
5. Linda Bond (Visiting Scholar ) and Kr istina P isar ik (Student) – “One + One” Women Affected
by War ”
6. J ennifer Coplon (Visiting Scholar ) and Diana Wang (Student) – “Down But Not Out:
Empower ing Stor ies and P hotos of Elder s”
7. Susan Eisenber g (Resident Scholar ) and Zur i Gor don (Student) - “’On Equal Ter ms: Ar t
Installation on Gender Equality”
8. Fr an For man (Resident Scholar ) and Maya Himelfar b (Student) – “Ar tistr y and the Digital
Collage”
9. J anet Fr eedman (Visiting Scholar ) and Susannah Feinstein (Student) - “Small Gr oups Ar ound
the Globe
10. Flor ence Gr aves (Scholar ) and Damiana Andonova (Student) – Schuster Institute of
Investigative Resear ch
11. Lois Isenman () and Donna Vatnik (Student) – Science and Spir ituality Weblog
12. Br enda McSweeney (Resident Scholar ) / Lucia Hsiao (Student) – “Gender Case Studies with
United Nations: an e-book”
13. Ruth Nemzoff (Resident Scholar ) and Mar ielle Temkin (Student) - “Mar r ied Into: Making
New In-Law Family Bonds Wor k”
14. P hoebe Schnitzer (Visiting Scholar ) and Emily Duggar (Student) - “Gender Issues in
Achievement Concer ns: Is “Fear of Success” Still With Us?”
7
“Hiring AND Firing Practices of Women Scientists
during the 1970’s and 1980’s”
Scholar: Pnina Abir-Am
Student: Victoria Lee
This year , I had the oppor tunity to wor k on "Changing Str ategies for the Hir ing and Fir ing
P r actices of Women Scientists in the 1980s and 1970s" with WSRC Resident Scholar P nina Abir Am. We examined the tr ials that women in science faced, as well as what method of exposur e
(fr om book r eviews to mentions in the media) was the most effective in demonstr ating the
effectiveness of shar ing the stor ies of these women. All the wor k fr om this year culminated in
P nina's talk at the bi-annual AAAS (The Amer ican Association for the Advancement of Science)
Annual Meeting that took place in Febr uar y. A paper is also in the pr ocess of being wr itten for a
high impact jour nal.
Over all, the SSP pr ogr am was a gr eat and unique exper ience for me. Coming fr om a
science and public health/policy backgr ound, I found this pr oject r elevant to myself, as I am also a
woman in science. After r eading the pr oject pr oposal, I was intr igued with the idea that women in
science have and still ar e facing obstacles in this field. It was something that I never took the time
to think about, and I took advantage of this oppor tunity to better under stand the str uggles that my
pr edecessor s exper ienced and in some cases, over came. In addition, being able to wor k with a
scholar who is so pr onounced in her field was awesome. I hope I can apply what I lear ned in this
pr ogr am in my futur e car eer !
8
“The New Soft War on Women”
Scholar: Rosalind Barnett
Student: Clara Gray
This past year I wor ked with senior scientist Rosalind Bar nett at the Br andeis WSRC.
Thr ough my wor k with Dr . Bar nett I had the for tunate exper ience of helping with the completion
of one book and the initial stages of another . I lear ned about the var ious aspects of wr iting a social
science book.
Dur ing the fall of 2012 and par t of this spr ing I wor ked on Dr . Bar nett’s book on sexism
in the wor k place: T he New Soft War on Women (which will be available for sale this coming fall!).
I was in char ge of citations for the book, and r ealized how impor tant it is to stay or ganized
thr oughout the wr iting pr ocess. I lear ned how to use EndNote citation softwar e and I know it will
be an invaluable skill thr oughout my academic car eer . In the fall, I also helped or ganize, take
notes, and wr ite the follow-up confer ence r epor t for the Fifth Annual Ann R ichards Invitational
R oundtable on Gender and the Media, hosted by Dr . Bar nett and her wr iting par tner , Car yl
River s. It was inter esting to spend the after noon in a gr oup of passionate scholar s, r esear cher s and
jour nalist. Wr iting the confer ence r epor t helped me pr ocess the infor mation we discussed and
pr actice pr ofessional wr iting.
This semester I helped find and analyze liter atur e to conceptualize the fr amewor k for a
new book on lifespan planning, psychology, and development. This wor k involved active
engagement with the mater ial. I collected infor mation on facts, media nar r atives, ster eotypes,
r ecent r esear ch pr ojects, and population and demogr aphic statistics. I wr ote ar ticle summar ies
and wr ite-ups about themes in the r esear ch. I wor ked on a section for Dr . Bar nett’s book pr oposal
on changes in delayed par enthood, bir thr ate, and fer tility.
I have found the ar ticle sear ch, analysis and citation skills I lear ned this year to be
incr edibly helpful in my class wor k as well. So much of r esear ch involves liter atur e sear ch and
analysis. This pr ocess can be daunting because ther e is so much infor mation in the field of
academia. Finding and keeping tr ack of the r ight infor mation can be tedious, so efficiency and
accur acy is key. I am happy to have had the chance to develop and shar pen these skills that I will
be using thr oughout my educational and pr ofessional car eer – especially if I decide to pur sue
publication of my own wor k on the futur e.
9
“Spanish to English Translation of Peruvian
Blockbuster Classit Literature: ‘Aves sin nido” by
Clorinda Matto de Turner”
Scholar: Mary Berg
Student: Ivonne Moreno
For the past two semester , I have had the oppor tunity to wor k closely with scholar Mar y
Ber g, a kind and smart woman who has taught me a lot about topics that I did not know much
about. We have been wor king on her pr oject of tr anslating “Aves sin nidos”, book by P er uvian
wr iter and jour nalist Clor inda Matto de Tur ner , who was expelled fr om the Catholic Chur ch
because of her contr over sial wr itings.
This inter nship has given me the oppor tunity to lear n and do r esear ch in a topic that
other wise, I would not have the oppor tunity to wor k on. Fur ther mor e, it has opened my eyes to
many of the issues that Native Amer icans wer e facing in P er u dur ing those times. Mor eover , I have
been able to lear n about a ver y power ful woman and many other s fr om those times who can be
consider ed feminist today because they did not follow the status quo but they wer e fighter s for the
cause that they believed.
Wor king as a Student-Scholar P ar tner has been r ewar ding for me since I have had the
oppor tunity to fur ther develop my r esear ch skills which is a ver y impor tant skill to lear n.
Fur ther mor e, this par tner ship has helped to develop my bilingual skills since I have been wor king
on this pr oject which r equir es me to use my native language which has helped me expand my skills
in both languages. Mor eover , this inter nship has given me the oppor tunity to wor k with a ver y
incr edible woman who knows so much which inspir es me to lear n mor e ever yday.
10
“Does Worshipping the Goddess Make You a
Feminist?” Study”
Scholar: Helen Berger
Student: John Nunes
Wor king with Helen Ber ger in the Student-Scholar P r ogr am has pr oven to be a fun
exper ience as well as an inter esting and r ewar ding one. Helping Helen in her r esear ch into
contempor ar y P aganism has given me a chance to expand my knowledge and awar eness of an
inter esting subject by or ganizing and analyzing r aw data. In addition to giving me insight into the
specific ar ea of Helen's r esear ch, my wor k with her has developed my r esear ch skills in gener al
and developed my ability to cr itically inter pr et data. Ever yone involved in the pr ogr am has been
fr iendly and helpful: Kr istin Mullin is ver y welcoming and easy to contact, and Helen her self has
been flexible, engaging, and inter ested in the additional point of view I br ing to her r esear ch.
Thr ough her I have even begun to make academic connections outside of Br andeis, as she has put
me in contact with colleagues and fr iends in fields of study r elated to my own. Over all, the
Student-Scholar P r ogr am is one that I r ecommend highly.
11
“One + One – Women Affected by War”
Scholar: Linda Bond
Student: Kristina Pisarik
The goals of my par tner ship with Linda Bond wer e to find cur ator s who will pr ovide a place
for her installation, and to come up with ideas and details for her pr oject. I have been r esponsible
for finding cur ator s and people of inter est, wher eas she comes up with ideas on how to pr esent the
installation. Inver sely, I also help her br ainstor m, and she speaks with nonpr ofit or ganizations
who might be inter ested. I feel like the 1+1 pr oject has come a long way fr om its sketch of an idea
in the beginning, to the shape it is for ming now. I think it is going to cr eate awar eness and r aise
money for Afghani women and be a ver y successful installation once we find places to exhibit it.
12
“’Small Groups Around the Globe’ Feminism Study”
Scholar: Janet Freedman
Student: Susannah Feinstein
J anet Fr eedman and I have been wor king together thr ough the SSP pr ogr am for the past
two academic year s. J anet’s r esear ch focus is on the possibilities of consciousness r aising (defined
as shar ing, and also analyzing exper ience, with the goal of deter mining appr opr iate action for
feminist change). Together we have investigated many blogs and online infor mational sour ces.
J anet and I meet ever y Tuesday for tea and conver sation about that wor k that we have completed
that week. This semester the major ity of my wor k consisted of editing J anet’s chapter s and
pr oper ly configur ing lists of citations in MLA for mat. Our pr oject together has gone thr ough
countless stages and the final ver sion of the book is due this summer , a ver y exciting pr ospect
indeed! I feel tr uly blessed to have J anet in my life as a mentor , boss, and most impor tantly a
fr iend.
13
“Science and Spirituality Weblog”
Scholar: Lois Isenman
Student: Donna Vatnick
I always knew I wanted to be a scientist. Fr om second gr ade, when sticker s of deep-sea
cr eatur es lined my desk, to today, when amino acid str uctur es cr owd my walls, I knew that
discover y was my hunger . But somehow, ther e has always been incongr uence. How can one br idge
science, an entity so systematic and unbiased, with humanity, the unique consciousness that allows
us to pur sue knowledge? How can we exper ience science in a cr eative way? How can we under stand
spir ituality and intuition in a scientific way? Why is this cor r espondence impor tant? The mor e
specific questions expand endlessly until we r each the abstr act question: What is our pur pose?
Lois Isenman’s “Science and Spir ituality” caught my attention as I was leafing thr ough the WSRC
2012-2013 Scholar ’s Guide that my r oommate br ought home after visiting the center . I r ealized at
that moment that the answer had fallen into my lap.
Science and Spir ituality, at fir st glace, appear to be divor ced. Science, the sear ch for the
gener al tr uth in the pr imar y r eality cannot coexist with spir ituality, a fluid awar eness of self and
the nonphysical. So, how is it that they do, in fact, coexist in individuals, societies, and
civilizations? How is it that the two wer e once mar r ied?
Wor king with Dr . Isenman has been a philosophical and scientific explor ation of the
natur al wor ld, the r eality that we per ceive. Dissecting bodies of liter atur e (instead of bodies of
fr ogs) yielded stunning insights. We condensed the “Lectur es on Mysticism” fr om the Var ieties of
Religious Exper ience by William J ames (1842-1910), a well-known philosopher and physiologist.
We ar e continuing to explor e r ecently published ar ticles on meditation, cognition, and spir itual
exper iences. The fr uits of our wor k can be found on “The Br idge: A Science and Spir ituality
Resour ce”, a blog cr eated by Dr . Isenman her self (http://science-spir ituality.blogspot.com). This
oppor tunity has begun to fulfill my biological per spectives by adher ing to my human cur iosities.
Hopefully, the wor k we do will shake up the minds of those who want to unify science and
spir ituality, and expand the minds of those who never thought it was possible.
14
“Gender Case Studies with the United Nations: an EBook”
Scholar: Brenda McSweeney
Student: Lucia Hsiao
Over the past year , I’ve had the pr ivilege to wor k with WSRC Resident Scholar Br enda
Gael McSweeney. Br enda is an exper t in gender and global development, having executive
r esponsibilities and conducted r esear ch in Afr ica, India, and Ir eland. She is also a lectur er at
Boston Univer sity.
Our pr imar y pr oject this year was the publication of an e-book of gender case studies by
the Global Networ k of UNESCO Chair s on Gender . We have spent the bulk of our time cultivating
author s, editing their contr ibutions, and collabor ating with Br enda’s co-author . We wer e so
pleased to announce the r elease of our e-book in Mar ch, entitled Gender Perspectives in Case
Studies Across Continents. This publication included chapter s submitted fr om South Amer ica,
Bur kina Faso, Liber ia, and other s fr om five continents in all, and they pr ovide a snapshot of
gender issues as they manifest themselves in differ ent contexts ar ound the wor ld. At pr esent, we
ar e under going pr epar ation for a second e-book, to be published next year .
I am so gr ateful to have had the oppor tunity to wor k on this exciting pr oject, and to
inter act with many of the Scholar s at the Women’s Studies Resear ch Center as well as with the
inter national contr ibutor s to our publication. I also r eally enjoyed pr epar ing for and attending
two enlightening WSRC events this year , the Left on Pearl film scr eening and Zilka Spahić-šiljak’s
lectur e on women’s r oles in r ebuilding communities in Bosnia Her zegovina. I hope that futur e
students at Br andeis will continue to take advantage of the Student Scholar P ar tner ship as well as
the events that the WSRC offer s.
15
“Married Into: Making New In-Law Bonds Work”
Scholar: Ruth Nemzoff
Student: Marielle Temkin
I've wor ked with Ruth for the last thr ee semester s thr ough the SSP pr ogr am, and I can
honestly say that they have been an amazing thr ee semester s. Wor king with Ruth has taught me ma ny
things, among them being how to best communicate my ideas, how to voice my opinion to my boss
while still being r espectful, and how to wor k as a ver y close-knit team. The r ange of tasks I've wor ked
on with Ruth have exposed me to the wor ld of book publishing, mar keting, speech wr iting, blog
ar ticle wr iting, social media mar keting...the list goes on. The mentor ing aspect of the SSP is
absolutely the best par t of it. Having Ruth in my life to help me with job application ideas, how to
appr oach past employer s for advice, and what's necessar y to focus on in life in gener al when I get
over whelmed (just to list a few) has been an incr edible boon. She is a fabulous mentor and a fabulous
per son over all, and the mutual r espect we have for each other inspir es me. The fact that she does
r espect my ideas despite me being a student with much less exper ience than her has given me mor e
str ength in my own ideas and made me a better communicator of them. Needless to say, I'm sad to be
gr aduating because I will so miss wor king with Ruth thr ough this wonder ful pr ogr am, but I am so
pleased and feel so lucky to have been a par t of it.
16
Partnerships Not Able To Participate in this Journal:
“Down But Not Out: Empowering Stories and Photos of Elders”
Scholar: Jennifer Coplon Student: Diana Wang
Elder ly people who ar e living in near pover ty and who may have physical disabilities ar e
often viewed negatively by society, but in fact they have much to shar e and teach about
r esilience, per sistence, inner str ength and cour age. This scholar is inter viewing elder s
fr om Boston, MA and also fr om Uganda, Afr ica to cr eate an exhibit with their life-stor ies
and photos to fur ther the discussion on r esilience and appr eciation.
“On Equal Terms” Art Installation on Gender Equality”
Scholar: Susan Eisenberg
Student: Zuri Gordon
Wor king with SSP s Haley Bier man (fall semester ) and Zur i Gor don (spr ing semester ),
the On Equal Ter ms P roject was able to move ahead nationally on sever al fr onts that
advance the effor t to r efr ame public conver sation about gender segr egation in skilled
tr ades occupations in the constr uction and utility industr ies. We continued to post on the
Move the Decimal P oint blog; began r esear ch for Women Run Wor k, tr acking women who
have advanced into leader ship positions as for eman, super intendent, or pr oject manager ;
and accomplished a variety of wor k in pr epar ation for the Fall 2013 exhibition of the On
Equal Ter ms installation at the Clemente Soto Velez Center in New Yor k City.
“Gender Issues in Achievement Concerns: Is “Fear of Success” Still With Us?”
Scholar: Phoebe Schnitzer
Student: Emily Duggan
This pr oject str ives to under stand contempor ar y gender differ ences and similar ities in
young people’s concer ns about achievement. Replicating r esear ch done four decades ago,
the study will allow compar isons char ting the shift in gender r oles and attitudes as well as
in psychologists’ inter pr etative fr amewor ks.
17