Itir Toksoz, writing from Istanbul, Turkey.

Many of you may think that this post is going to be about the different stages of professional maturity as academics progress in their careers, but no, this is not what I intend to write. My point will be the about the personal maturity of academics and the way it affects how they handle both their social and professional lives.

As early as when I was a graduate student, I came to realize one very bad habit of academics: they use knowledge to prove their superiority. Now, of course academics clash their theories, findings, arguments with those of others and they try to prove that theirs are superior. An academic, thanks to a focus on knowledge and his training to process knowledge (not just knowledge in his expertise area but knowledge in other fields in general), often knows much more than a non-specialist and some of the most intellectual and knowledgeable people I know are academics. But this is not what I am getting at.

Academia is also home to people who have higher opinions of themselves just because of their relationship with knowledge, and who use this self-perception to win in a race of “who is the best” in their personal as well as their professional lives. I cannot say that we are all like that. Luckily, we also have many people in this profession who have defeated their egos in a timely manner and who spend their time on better things than proving that they know everything and that they are always right. However, when we meet people who lack maturity in academia, it is not hard to detect them, and their number is not negligible either.

Some academics see themselves as superior to general folks, and I think we are all like that to a certain degree, whether we would like to admit it or not. The mere fact that we get great respect from those around us and that we do not think that those who respect us are wrong is proof that we internalize this state of being worthy of respect. There is nothing wrong with this unless the attitude surpasses just enjoying the respect and becomes demanding the respect. Then the academic person sees non-academics as second-class and fails to see that these “small people (!?!)” also make valuable contributions to society in a variety of ways.

Some take it even further and see themselves superior to other academic folks. They never acknowledge the great work others do, they seem to not know the importance of encouragement, they always find faults with the work of others and they become masters of ungrounded and overly-done self-promotion. They use their knowledge to “beat others up”, trying to belittle their colleagues or to inject a sense of superiority to the atmosphere they are in, not realizing that the way they see themselves and act, according to this self-perception, and the way they are seen by others never match as they become pretentious and conceited to the outside eyes, thanks to their over-aggrandized self-constructed images.

Unfortunately, the more years I spend in academic life, the more I come to the conclusion that maturity in academic life is the exception rather than the rule. I contemplate that the lack of such maturity can be a side effect of all the years spent in academic life, in limited contact with the people in the “real” world or all the years spent in competition with others for degrees, promotions, positions etc.

Knowledge is not a stick with which to beat others up. If it can be used as a stick, the only function it should play should be to raise the platform of the level of our students and of society as well as that of our peers. This is the only acceptable nurturing approach of academics with a sense of superiority that would feel right: to feel the need to educate others, to enlighten them, but not with the expectation that they realize how great we are, but with the hope that we can then all share this world and life in higher standards.

If one day I forget about all that I wrote here and I myself get to a point of boasting about myself too much just because I am an academic, please do me the favor of pinching me and telling me that I knew better when I was a younger academic.

This post was also published in Inside Higher Ed.

Itir Toksoz, writing from Istanbul, Turkey

“Dual use” is a term in my field, International Relations. Very simply put, it refers to the use of an item or technology for civilian and military purposes. Examples can be nuclear technology or satellites. One can use nuclear technology in order to build nuclear reactors for energy generation or to diagnose and treat illnesses in medical sciences (civilian use) or simply to build a bomb (military use). It is possible to launch into orbit a satellite monitoring the weather events on Earth (civilian use) or a satellite which the troops on ground use (let’s say for GPS) to accurately conduct their operations.

Although different in character, I believe academia also has dual uses: scientific and capitalistic. First and foremost, academia is a place where scientific research is conducted, where new theories, new methods, techniques, and applications are developed. In this role, the academia is responsible both for progress and innovation for the sake of pursuing the scientific truth, and thus contributes to humanity, while sharing this progress and innovation with the students and giving them the latest information. The symbolic image of academia in its scientific guise would be the mad professor, who has disconnected himself from the rest of the world. This image, although a bit weird, is mostly seen as noble and in this picture the students are those knowledge-hungry types who would enjoy being a part of academia.

Second, the academy is also a place where students are trained for a profession or to get the necessary skills to acquire a job upon their graduation. In this role, the academy is responsible for monitoring the developments in the national and global economy and the local and international job market and for making changes in the academic curriculum so that when their students graduate they can be ready to survive in the highly competitive job market and take part in the demanding professional world. The symbolic image of academia in its capitalistic guise is the student who enrolls in a zillion certificate programs while attending the courses at his university. This image is mostly seen as more in touch with the reality of the present day and in this picture the students try to maximize their profit of attending the university by keeping the vision of the job market conditions they will find themselves in upon graduation.

I am not sure if there ever was a balance between the two uses of academia; however, to me it seems that in the past, the scientific face of academia was more in balance with its capitalistic face and that now there is a change in the opposite direction all across the world. This observation may be truer for the developing countries where, for several reasons which may be the topic of another post, scientific research cannot be afforded to begin with.

There is nothing wrong with preparing the students for better chances in the job market. In the end, many come to universities to have a better future which is partially granted through adoption of a good job. However, risking loss of the scientific base in the meantime must be avoided at all costs. After all, there is no better place to do science than at universities.

This should be where we explore the secrets of Mother Earth and her inhabitants, the Universe and human anatomy, where we contemplate the meaning of our existence, where we dive into the depths of the human psyche, where we think of more effective ways of creating and distributing wealth and better ways of governance among many other things.

I would like to invite everyone to think about what we can do to bring more science and scientific thinking into universities.

 Itir Toksöz , writing from Istanbul, Turkey

Last month, I was invited to a conference in Kuwait to deliver a speech. I was given very little notice. After a speedy preparation of 3-4 days I made it to the Atatürk International Airport in Istanbul. As I handed my passport to the police officer at passport control, the officer looked at my passport, smiled at me and said, “I was the one who processed your passport the last time you went abroad.” It was only about a month ago that I had been in Poland within the context of the Erasmus Programme. I was appalled that he remembered me, which was probably just a coincidence. Still, it made me question the frequency of my conference and lecture related travelling.

Striking a balance between too few and too many conferences is hard. Some argue that if you travel to conferences too often, you run the risk of missing out on your primary duties to your institution. Some on the other hand argue that it is a way for an academic to enrich herself. I am of the second opinion.

In my view, when an academic attends no conferences or too few of them, his networking sphere shrinks; his awareness of what his colleagues do, the new trends in his field and her research agenda (if one targets a conference for taking up new research) are all negatively affected. I would doubt an academic who is not eager to engage in such scholarly exchanges.

I always get new ideas for research while I am at conferences, probably because this is where I am introduced to new ideas, find challenging brains in a meeting of the minds and enjoy myself as an academic; all of which have a positive impact on my professional self-confidence. At the university, where we are caught up in the academic routine, we hardly ever find the chance to applaud our successful peers and we all often miss a pat on the back for doing our jobs correctly. At conferences, we are applauded for the work we do and more importantly, we are given feedback, especially a good critique of our work, or we meet people who can later provide us such critique to make our work better. Academic conferences are where I have made most of my friends from within my field.

Universities often do not realize that when their faculty members travel to conferences and present successful papers, it is also publicity for their institution and that is one criteria we use to judge the level of different institutions: by the quality of their faculty members. Universities fail to realize that while the academic may not be present on campus, she is still working while at a conference.

Moreover, as I am in the field of International Relations, it is always a learning opportunity for me to travel to new countries where I add to my expertise. So far, I have been to 15 foreign countries and 13 of these were as a result of academic activities. Even when I travel to cities within Turkey, it allows me to increase my knowledge about my own country. Needless to say that it is not only the IR scholars who need to have a better understanding of the world; conference traveling is an enriching experience for all academics.

Despite the advantages of conference traveling, one needs to be selective. When one attends to too many conferences then the physical fatigue shows up, the quality of the papers presented may decrease, the same paper may be presented at multiple conferences and a discomfort occurs within one’s home institution from being away too frequently. These inconveniences are not groundless and should be taken seriously. I try to prioritize conferences during the times when classes are not in session. But even this principle is flexible and can be bent for an important conference in the middle of the year. An academic mind needs to be challenged and nourished and conferences are the best opportunity for an academic to get both.

Itir Toksöz, writing from Istanbul, Turkey

It is the beginning of the summer period again when I am no longer teaching and when I take some time to assess how the year went. After my experiences in the classroom this year, I am convinced more than ever that teaching with the traditional methods of lecturing does not work anymore on the students of the new generation. I am afraid that the failure to realize this is likely to create a gap between professors and the students, and thus stand as an obstacle to success in our classrooms.

The university undergraduate students of today are from a time when their major source of information is the media (TV and Internet especially) rather than the books. Instead of a more digestive way of learning where the students are diving into books, reading long chapters, writing long and detailed papers, using heavy encyclopedia volumes for reference, they are now fast consumers of information as they surf on the Internet and “Google” a topic, ask Wikipedia or watch the 7 pm news, in which all is abbreviated.

I am no neurologist, but I am under the impression that somehow the brains of these students have a different way of processing information. I am from a time when the major source of information was still books. Even I feel certain changes in myself in the way I handle information, which is inevitable as the modern day media require a faster processing of information. For example, lately I realized a change in my attention span: I am no longer capable of keeping myself attentive on a certain topic for a long time. Let’s say I am watching a film on a DVD, I constantly keep pausing the film as I remember doing many other things. This is probably a result of the multi-tasking a modern woman has to perform, and the way the brain has adapted to the constantly changing stimuli and focus.

Still, as I have also experienced a time where one had to sit down in front of books and write long papers, at least I am able to juggle between the two methods. It is both challenging and necessary for me to ask the following question: What should I be doing as an educator to attract the attention of my students, or in other words what should be included into our teaching methods for better results in the classroom?

Here are some tips:

• Traditional methods such as lecturing or assigning readings are still important because the students need to have a basis of information on a topic to continue adding on top of this basis on their own.
• Anything visual makes the students understand topics and issues better. Maps, charts, pictures as well as more unconventional ones such as cartoons, posters etc. are all welcome.
• An interactive classroom is key. Either letting the students pose many questions or making them engage in teamwork (such as a debate) during one part of the class hour is essential.
• Making the students question their own knowledge can create good results. For the first time this year, in one of my classes, I started my class by asking the students in small groups to write down and then report to the class whatever it is that they know about a topic. Assessing by themselves how much they know or they do not know about a topic can be a motivating factor for students to learn more.
• Unconventional courses increase interest in the student body: The International Relations Through Films course I have been teaching as an elective proved to me that students can learn efficiently through sources other than books if they are guided well and learn how to “read” such material.

What would be your suggestions for teaching to the new generation?

 Itir Toksöz, writing from Istanbul, Turkey

When I was a high school student, my friends and family and I, had a favorite topic of discussion: What kind of a city is ideal for a university student life?

Some claimed that a more manageable city such as Ankara or Izmir is better for the students, since life is relatively easier in these big cities and they still have good universities. Those who favored this option were insistent that in such cities, a student would have more time to concentrate on his coursework without being distracted by the challenges and opportunities of a metropolis. They were mostly the parents who were worried about their children ending up in a vast metropolitan ocean where they risk being lost or being lured into non-traditional lifestyles and the students who were insecure about how well they would adapt to a fast-pace, overcrowded city. I would argue that it was more the fear of the most complex and the biggest that made them shy away from Istanbul and seek refuge in smaller (yet still big) cities.

Some on the other hand, thought that university life should not be limited by what is learnt in the classroom only, that it was an experience on its own and therefore a metropolis such as Istanbul would give the student the best opportunities for developing his or her personality and skills as well as getting a degree. The people who favored this option emphasized more the assets of Istanbul such as the social and cultural richness of the city with its many activities, its status as the center of the business world, as well as its more cosmopolitan and increasingly international character and its fast pace, which prepares the students better for today’s professional life. They were mostly the parents who had a wider worldview and saw university life in this light and the students who had enough confidence in themselves to know that they would survive in this big ocean.

My family and I were of the second kind. I didn’t apply to any universities outside of Istanbul. While everybody complained about the traffic, the crowds, the distances, the prices in Istanbul, although these factors had an impact on me as well, I chose not to sweat them. I focused on what I could get from the city by attending plays, operas, exhibitions, museums, movies, and visiting many bookstores and participating the world class events the city hosts. For all the time I lived here, as a university student for 5 years, later as a professional working in the private sector for 1 year, then when I was back from the USA after my PhD coursework in Boston as a PhD candidate writing my dissertation for 3 years and now as an academic for 4 years, I never even once regretted being a part of this unique and magical experience.

Many of us, unconditional lovers of Istanbul, we see her as a wise but ageless lady who has a lot to offer to those who dare to live life in it. I think of her as one of the greatest professor of all times carrying the history of several centuries, the legacy of many civilizations, the wisdom of a female with her more detail oriented mind and her more fragile soul, the contrasts of life in its most eloquent format and the multiple identities, teaching us much more than a university life could.

I am 36 years old now, and from time to time, I get the feeling that I am getting tired and that I should slow down a bit. Slowing down might also mean moving to another city such as Izmir, where life is slower, easier, where people are more laid-back and where I am closer to my immediate family and my best friend, since they all live in and around Izmir. However, I do not dare to leave behind Istanbul. I cannot leave my tough, highly demanding but yet still affectionate and wise Professor.

I write these lines as a proud student of Prof. Ms. Istanbul all the more aware of what she has to offer for teaching as I and my institution have just hosted Northeastern University students for the last two weeks. I’m sure they’ve learnt a lot from Istanbul, as much as they have from the Professors who lectured them.