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Sherman Dorn, Ph.D.
Dissertation Committee Member/Chair FAQ

This document describes my academic background and other information for students who might ask me to be a member of their dissertation/doctoral committees or who are interested in me as a doctoral advisor. 

What is your research expertise?
I am an historian of education with a background in both social history and demography. 
What are your research interests?
How schools have treated typically marginalized students and how the process of educational politics defines acknowledged problems.  These are broad interests, and you should investigate my research pages or ask me to get a clearer sense of what I do.
Are there opportunities for us to collaborate in research?
Absolutely!  There are opportunities to work on one of my interests, for me to help you with a research project you initiate, or for us to work more evenly on a project that interests us equally.   
Do you have opportunities for graduate research assistants or teaching assistants?
At the moment, the social foundations area has limited opportunities for graduate assistants, unless I am on a grant that includes such work.  
What graduate courses do you teach?
I have taught EDF 6765 (Schools and the Future), EDF 7816 (Education in Metropolitan Areas), and EDF 6517 (Historical Foundations of Education in the U.S.).  Faculty in social foundations also occasionally teach special-topics courses, and the list of my courses may change over time.
How accessible are you to doctoral students?
I'm regularly on campus and in my office, and I check e-mail regularly.  I don't mind (and occasionally appreciate) e-mail nagging.
What planning do you expect from doctoral students you advise?
When we first sit down, I expect us to write a plan that goes through and beyond the receipt of the degree.  In other words, I want us to craft a plan to finish the degree and options for what a student might do afterwards.  It is important that students not rely on a single career path stemming from a doctorate.  (Case in point:  I received a Ph.D. from a regular history department, but my advisor encouraged me to earn an M.A. in demography and to apply to colleges of education.  That advice and early planning gave me three or four options at the end of graduate school.)
What type of feedback do you give?
I try to give honest and constructive feedback, sometimes very specific and sometimes more general.  My job is to support a graduate student in terms of encouragement with your academic goals and making those fit within the rest of your life.  I also give guidance to help you reach those goals.  Whether you want me as an advisor or not, you should take constructive advice as a positive sign that your ideas are interesting and that a faculty member wants you to succeed.   
How do I get feedback on my ideas?
For me, write!  I have no problems talking with students about any issue, but I can best respond to your ideas in writing. In most cases I will need approximately two weeks to respond to each chapter draft (or equivalent).
What do you expect from students outside social foundations?
I expect that you will make connections between my area of expertise and your specialization and cognate. You should have a sufficient grasp of the area  that you can find appropriate information where necessary for your research, both for your dissertation and in the future.  An acceptable level of knowledge and skills is a little beyond what you should accomplish in passing one course in social foundations.  Optimally, students will stay interested in and keep reading in the area, as time allows.
How should I prepare for comprehensive exams in social foundations (and what did that last sentence really mean)?
Whether your specialization is close to social foundations or not, the best way to organize your studying is to construct a reading list that includes everything in the social foundations course(s) that you have taken and also work to fill in the gaps in appropriate areas.  Those areas (and the gaps) will be larger if your specialization or cognate is within or close to social foundations.  You should then provide me your draft reading list at least two months before the comprehensive exams so we can negotiate the appropriate scope and be on the same page in terms of expectations before comprehensive exams.
What are your expectations for comprehensive exams (and specifically the foundations areas), if neither my specialization nor cognate is in social foundations?
For Option I exams (integrating foundations and other areas), I expect students to refer explicitly to appropriate research in both educational psychology and social foundations for the questions.  For Option II exams, the foundations-area question will be specific.
What if I'm in the middle of my program and I'm interested in adding you as a committee member or switching to you as an advisor?
It's always preferable to have taken at least one course with each committee member, so you know each other in another academic context.  If you have not taken a course with me, and there isn't an opportunity to, we need to set aside time to talk and see if there's a good match.  How long that talk needs to be depends on whether you're asking me to be a committee member of an advisor.  And the need to have a warm body/advisor is not sufficient!