Zoom Link for Virtual Attendees:
https://ubc.zoom.us/j/69323168033?pwd=SmpVa05yb01NbTU0WmlNbWdHUE9LUT09
Meeting ID: 693 2316 8033
Passcode: 670928
Biography:
Sarah Lyon is Associate Dean of Faculty and Professor of Anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky. Her scholarly research centers on a multi-faceted exploration of how alternative food networks, such as fair trade, work to create and sustain diverse economies and social justice in the United States and Latin America. She is committed to a praxis-based approach to anthropology, one that incorporates theory and practice in order to answer critically important questions. Sarah has a long-standing interest in applied anthropology and is committed to preparing graduate students for a diverse range of careers. A former Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, she also received a N.E.H. Next Generation Ph.D. Grant, which she used to develop the University of Kentucky’s Careers beyond the Professoriate program.
Abstract:
Doctoral students in Anthropology face challenging academic job market prospects with less than half of PhDs across all fields securing academic jobs (with fewer than 20% landing tenure-track appointments). While it is too soon to say for certain, there are indications that these trends have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially in field-based disciplines such as Anthropology (which is grappling with travel limitations and the questionable ethics of conducting human subjects-based research amidst a pandemic). Anthropology faculty have a responsibility to meet the challenges of the present moment by creating student-centered graduate programs. After outlining these challenges, this presentation will highlight the opportunities we have to train PhDs for successful careers within and outside of academia. These opportunities will only be realized through program innovations that include curricular reform and privilege diversity and equity. To thrive in graduate school and beyond, Doctoral students require (and deserve) programs that support their mental health, minimize their financial precarity, and provide comprehensive professional development opportunities. This presentation outlines some of the concrete steps departments can take to build student-centered graduate programs that achieve these goals.
