Reviews for The African American Student's Guide to Surviving Graduate School

The average rating for The African American Student's Guide to Surviving Graduate School based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-05-03 00:00:00 William Lanphier Very enlightening and disturbing. The authors describe pervasive patterns of racial discrimination, harassment, marginalization, and alienation of black students, based on data gathered from focus groups of students and parents at a large state university. They back up their data with many studies conducted at colleges and universities across the country from the 1970's to the early 1990's, when this book was written. (One of the most disturbing facts is that the studies seem to show a steady increase in racial victimization of black students over this period, although by page 187, the authors haven't commented on this.) Critics of higher education have often attributed black students' lower achievement and graduation rates to individual and familial factors such as motivation, intelligence, and family priorities. This book demonstrates that at a historically white university, black students face challenges that can distract them from intellectual and personal development, ones that white students (especially men, although the authors seldom mention this) do not face. Large majorities in the cited studies often report verbal abuse by white students, and many report physical threats or attcks, or property damage. The focus group members describe being frozen out by white students in computer labs and dining halls, being told by professors that they would fail, and being expected to represent all black people in class discussions. The authors introduce anthropological ideas to ground their discussion, especially the idea of the meaning of space--in this case, "white space." They show how historically white universities are seen by white students and faculty as "white space" and black people (and also, presumably, others of color) as intruders. When a black person appears in "white space," white people may not be consciously aware of intrusion, but they are aware of something amiss, and they react with more or less hostility, more or less judgment, more or less threat. This book is fascinating, well-constructed, tightly written, and painful for me to read as a white person. White people seldom have the opportunity or the need to face our own internal racism. We rationalize it: "I didn't move my purse away because he is black, I did it because..." Actually, I did it because he is black. It was a knee-jerk reaction and I need to face it. The shame of facing, accepting, and really trying to change my racism costs me far less than my racist actions cost the black people I meet. In this book, the students' and parents' anecdotes are the best part: personal, vivid and real. The depictions of "white space" especially resonate with me. I have been reading this book on the bus which, in my town, is used mostly by people of color. It is defninitely not white space, and I often feel like an intruder, an outsider. Often, no one sits with me. In the final chapter, the authors describe racism not as a set of ideas but as a thought process, a lens by which people process information. I like this; it explains why racism is so intransigent, so difficult to get rid of, and why new racist ideas keep popping up in my mind. A male grad school colleague once told me there was "no more sexism in this country," and I said to myself, "who am I to assume there is no more racism?"

Review # 2 was written on 2016-02-02 00:00:00 Colin Wheat This is a hard book to read. I noted that it has a 1996 copyright and has probably sat on my "unread books" pile for the best part of a decade. The book chronicles the struggles of black students at a predominantly white, large State University that is not identified. The big question for me in reading this book is whether to accept the "racialized society" approach in analyzing the experience of black students. This sees white students as insensitive and at least latently racist, university structures as unfriendly to blacks and favorable to whites, and university administrators and faculty (mostly white) as perpetuators of this system, despite their liberal pretensions. The evidence of this study makes a strong case for all these structures being in place and making the experience of blacks in such institutions one of agony. Students experience differential treatment from advisors and faculty, are assumed to be there simply because of affirmative action rather than ability, and often get the subtle message of "not welcome here." Universities in North America are embedded in a larger social context. One of the unanswered questions in this study for me was how the experience of racialized society effects the "entry posture" of black students coming into white institutions. How do their prior experiences shape their experience of the university? The authors call for a mix of university leadership, multiculturalism, and greater representation of blacks in faculty and administration as steps toward remedying this situation. The one thing not discussed is the importance of experiential or action-based learning in breaking down racialized structures. Reading this book sixteen years after its publication date also left me wondering whether there has been progress (or regress) during this time. My own anecdotal observation of the university where I do campus ministry is that there has been good university leadership and a multicultural ethos fostered and yet incidents of racism persist and in listening to black students responses, one senses the continuing pain and frustration over the lack of progress on many fronts, ranging from racial stereotyping to faculty hiring. It seems we are yet a long way from King's "beloved community."