Superpowers and Allies
Andrew Vosko talks with guest Dionne Bensonsmith, adjunct assistant professor of applied gender studies at Claremont Graduate University and visiting professor of government at Claremont McKenna College, on academic “superpowers,” the lifecycle of a discipline, and her work navigating academic and nonprofit worlds.
PostNormal Times · Dionne Bensonsmith, Andrew Vosko
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Show Notes
0:00: Host Andrew Vosko welcomes Dionne Bensonsmith, adjunct assistant professor of applied gender studies at Claremont Graduate University and visiting professor of government at Claremont McKenna College.
1:20: Dionne describes her work with the Reproductive Justice Community Institutional Review Board and Mothers on the Frontline, a nonprofit organization focused on children’s mental health.
4:00: Dionne discusses the challenge of reconciling disciplinary rules and requirements in a PhD program with her own needs.
5:48: Andrew talks about identity and professional roles and the need for agility to prepare oneself for multiple jobs and types of jobs in the future.
7:00: Dionne talks about working with new graduate students on identifying their “superpower.”
9:42: Dionne talks about her academic journey as, at first, a student-athlete.
11:58: Dionne talks about her pivot from political science into philosophy and navigating various disciplinary boundaries.
15:00: Dionne talks about her pivot to more personally motivated research.
16:11: Dionne talks about how finding a spot in gender studies (an inherently interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary field) allowed her to do research and teaching that was sustainable for her and her family.
18:00: Andrew describes the typical arc—inception to ossification—of a discipline.
19:30: Andrew talks about balancing the institutionalization of a field and dynamic growth.
21:00: Andrew talks about navigating one’s identity in one’s work and the opportunities in opening up new disciplinary spaces.
23:00: Dionne talks about deploying philosophy and philosophical frameworks in the contexts of her work with nonprofits focused on children’s mental health.
25:00: Andrew talks about transdisciplinary work in contrast to the “standing on the shoulders of giants” mode of thought.
27:00: Dionne talks about her entry into transdisciplinary thought via the notion of intersectionality.
30:00: Andrew describes what he calls “disciplinary awareness,” that is, the ability to assess a discipline from a sociological perspective.
32:00: Dionne elaborates on Andrew’s comments on the importance of reflexivity and bridge-building.
36:00: Andrew and Dionne discuss the value of applied knowledge.
37:53: Dionne describes her experience teaching in the Applied Gender Studies program. She talks about the classroom as a transitional place to develop theories toward practical ends.
44:05: Andrew talks about an important skill set for the future—that of the translator.
47:52: Dionne describes an applied gender studies class.
50:00: Dionne talks about humanities students encountering the issues of positionality and ethics in their research.
52:00: Andrew segues to the concept of allyship.