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Author, women’s studies professor to give job market talk March 23

Karen Cardozo speaks on the job market and the decision-making process for female graduate students and researchers.
Karen CardozoKaren Cardozo, assistant professor of interdisciplinary studies and coordinator of the women’s studies and leadership studies programs at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, will present “Behaving Badly, Balancing Gladly: Women, Work and Life in the Wild New World” Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Mountainlair’s Rhododendron Room. 

The talk is the inaugural presentation in the Seehra Lecture Series, coordinated by the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies. 

Cardozo’s lecture will discuss the current state of the job market and the decision-making process for female graduate students and researchers who may feel pressured to stay in a job that they are unhappy with. 

“There’s a lot of talk right now about alternate careers among academics,” said Cari Carpenter, interim director of the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies. 

A lot of graduate students are concerned about the job market." 

The rise of entrepreneurship and the changing political climate makes it the ideal time for women to pursue new endeavors, Cardozo says, and that multifaceted and integrative thinking is key to disrupting what may be a monotonous balance between work and personal lives. 

She has published on diverse topics in ethnic, gender, literary, trauma and feminist science studies as well as on pedagogy and the academic profession. Her courses include “Leading Women,” which integrates women’s studies and leadership studies; “World of Work,” which introduces life design to the rapidly changing work landscape; and “East Meets West,” which suggests how practicing mindfulness can enable more genuine cross-cultural engagements. 

“Cardozo is really good about making people feel more empowered to make choices," Carpenter said. Two workshops will follow Cardozo’s lecture. The first, “Keeping Your Options Open: Exploring Both Academic and Alternative Careers,” will be Friday at noon in the Mountainlair’s Mountaineer Room, and will discuss how to approach making holistic career choices and how diverse experiences can make women researchers stand out to potential employers. This workshop is open to all students. 

The second, “The Versatile Humanities PhD: Launching a Cross-Sector Job Search,” will discuss the same and will be at 4 p.m. on Friday. This workshop is reserved for English and history majors.

Cardozo will have one-on-one sessions with students during both workshops, and will review curriculum vitaes. 

The Seehra Lecture Series was established by Mohindar Seehra, the Eberly Family Distinguished Professor of Physics, and supports the professional development of women.

Seehra has guided the research and careers of 65 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, including more than two dozen women. He retired in August 2016 after 47 years of teaching and research at West Virginia University.

The lectures cover topics like work-life balance, including both historical and contemporary issues and the influence of today’s economy. 

The gift was made in conjunction with A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia’s University which runs through December 2017. 

For more information, contact Cari Carpenter at Cari.Carpenter@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-9709 to be placed on a waitlist for a workshop.