Brandt's lecture was titled "Taking Dorothy Smith Seriously: Doing Institutional Ethnography from a Feminist Perspective." Brandt is a third- year assistant professor of education in the Department of Teaching and Learning.
"It was when Dorothy Smith visited the University of New Mexico that I immediately realized the relevance of her research to my own," Brandt said. She explained that it was Smith's views on power structure in the institution and the studying "up" versus studying "down" argument led to her interest in institutional ethnography and how it related to her research.
The lecture was based upon the professor's dissertation research that was conducted at the University of New Mexico and was based on the study of Native Indian women in higher education. This study was what eventually led to her interest in institutional ethnography.
When asked what attracted her to studying Native American women in higher education Brandt said, "I knew I wanted to work with Native Indian women because they were so passionate about getting a degree. I wanted to understand why so few of them went on to doctoral research."
"It was the ways that the participants positioned themselves to accommodate science while resisting the assimilation into the norms of science," Brandt said. "Looking at positions allows us to tease apart and understand power in the institution."
"My research began with studying why so few Native Indian women went on to graduate school," Brandt said. This research was based on the effects of academic advising on Native American women in the institution. "They had so many different advisers, and they all had different levels of power, so they never knew if what they were hearing was correct," Brandt said.
Brandt spoke on the issue of the "paper chase" in regard to academic advising.
"They would have to go to one building to pick up a paper, then go to another building to get a signature, and then another building for another signature," Brandt said. This did not serve as an effective system in an increasing virtual world.
In an attempt to rectify the problems at UNM, an organization of 18 students, representing the different ethnic and gender groups on campus convened to draw up a plan on diversity. They cited such items as "multiculturalism not assimilation," and "empowering each individual group to be heard and participate equally in whatever activities, process, department or administrative structure one chooses to engage in," according to the plan laid out by the students.
It was because of the combination of these factors, along with "a lack of social and physical mobility," and their predicament, which inspired Brandt.
"(These lectures) gives us an opportunity to collaborate with Women's Studies in a way that will really benefit students," said Anna LoMascolo, co-director of the Women's Center. "We enjoy working together with the Women's Studies Department. We try to get a wide range of folks who do feminist research ... To give insight into feminist scholarship."
The next installment of the series is titled "Women's Violence and Global Politics," which will be given by political scientist Laura Sjoberg, and will take place on Nov. 12 in 3100 Torgersen Hall.
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