Faculty Development Keynote & Workshop
Open to All Touro University Faculty
Keynote
What's Your Problem? Choosing a Research Project that Matters to You (and the World)
In this talk, Drs. Mullaney and Rea explore the profound professional and personal value of understanding the problem that underlies your research. To truly grasp your research problem—not merely “what” you research, but “why” this topic is of such critical importance to you—leads to a cascade of benefits. Your research unfolds and matures more rapidly; you become more versatile and adept at navigating research impediments; your grant and fellowship applications become more persuasive; your lectures and presentations become more engaging; a sense of purpose and community propels you through challenging periods and stagnations; and you connect with like-minded colleagues more promptly. When you understand your identity as a scholar, the realization of your research goals is expedited, benefiting both you as a scholar and the world at large.
Interactive Workshop
Stop Trying to Sound Smart: Meaningless Questions and Other Secrets to Better Research Projects
Join Drs. Mullaney and Rea about the most common pitfalls faced by researchers, and how they can overcome them with an eye toward building a career that is personally meaningful to them. Drawing on their new book, Where Research Begins: Choosing a Research Project That Matters to You, Mullaney and Rea will share practical tips for making key decisions about which research projects to choose; how to make them your own; and how to communicate the significance of your research to diverse audiences within and beyond academia.
Presenters
Dr. Tom Mullaney
Professor of Chinese History, Stanford University
Tom Mullaney is a Guggenheim Fellow and the recipient of Stanford’s highest award for excellence in teaching, the Gores Award. He earned his B.A. and M.A. from the Johns Hopkins University and his Ph.D. from Columbia University; he is the author or lead editor of 7 books, including: The Chinese Typewriter (winner of the Fairbank prize), Your Computer is on Fire, Coming to Terms with the Nation: Ethnic Classification in Modern China, and the forthcoming The Chinese Computer—the first comprehensive history of Chinese-language computing.
Dr. Christopher Rea
Professor of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia
Christopher Rea is the former director of the Centre for Chinese Research at the University of British Columbia. A recipient of UBC’s Killam Research Prize in 2023, he earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. from Columbia University, and his other books include: Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949, The Book of Swindles: Selections from a Late Ming Collection (with Bruce Rusk), and The Age of Irreverence: A New History of Laughter in China.
