Mentoring

with Dr. Jeff R. Warren

This page has information about mentoring. If you would like to meet with me, please sign up for a appointment.

Milestones for Mentees

Below are expectations for completion of degree requirements for my mentees. Mentees may propose an alternative schedule, but it must be proposed and accepted in advance of deadlines.

Summer after 2nd year

  • by June 1: submit a revised version of your Question Proposal (ideally, you will also have passed your Question SPG).
  • Complete at least 2 of your Touchstone readings. Please submit a 1-2 page reflection on each reading by September 1.

For guidance on writing a good proposal, please look at the Question proposal writer’s guide.

3rd year

  • January 10: deadline for the first draft of your Experiential Learning Proposal. Deadlines for subsequent drafts will be set after receipt of your proposal. The final draft should be ready to go before February 1.
  • April 1: first draft of your Keystone Proposal
  • May 1: complete at least one more Touchstone readings (at least three total by this point). Please submit a 1-2 page reflection on each reading.

4th year

  • September 1, 2014: complete the rest of your Touchstone readings. Please submit a 1-2 page reflection on each reading.
  • January 10: First draft of your Keystone
  • March 1: Complete draft of your Keystone.
  • See here for details on entering Keystone block.

Mentoring with Jeff

Please take a look at the information below and then set up a meeting if you are interested in having Jeff as your mentor.

About Jeff

  • PhD (Music and Philosophy), MA (Religion, Culture, and Ethics), BA (Music)
  • My main research question: How does music change the ways people relate to each other?
  • Before coming to meet with me, take a look at my websiteto get some ideas about points of contact between my expertise/interests and your question/interests. You’ll find details about my written scholarship, artistic work, current research, and the courses I teach (which includes: Musical Improvisation, Songwriting & Recording, Phenomenology Education Place, Ethics, The Phenomenon of Music, Music in the 20th Century).

Areas of Interest

  • I’m especially interested in mentoring students interested in:
    • just about anything related to music or sonic studies
    • European philosophy / phenomenology
    • ethics
    • interdisciplinary arts and design
    • philosophy of education
    • links between arts and politics
  • I have a wide range of other interests, including: links between athletics and arts (I played five years of university volleyball); arts and faith(s)/religion(s); arts and culture / social change / revolution; alternatives to late capitalism; copyright and open access; arts, culture, food, fashion (I want to write a book on ‘music and pants’ sometime!); Paris in the 1960s-1980s (see my current research on the topic)

Mentoring style

I want to spend my time with you discussing your question, from the big ideas to the small details. I want to hear about your educational journey. I want to guide you as much as I am able. I expect you to be interested in your question and engaged in your own educational journey. I expect you to be responsible for your work, and provide you with set of milestone dates as a starting point. You may adjust these dates, but I expect you to adhere to them, work hard, and stay organized and self-motivated. I will hold you to your commitments. In short, I want to help guide you through a rewarding self-designed educational journey.


Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some questions I am often asked. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me.

Are you taking new mentees? Who are your other mentees? What are their Questions? Will you have time to meet with me?

Wow. That was a lot of questions. Yes, I am taking a small amount of new mentees. Yes, I will have time to meet with you. I very much enjoy working with students on their educational journeys. You can ask me initial questions via email, or set up a meeting with me here.

What you expect from your mentees?

I expect you to pursue your chosen Question and educational path with diligence, self motivation, and integrity. I am here for academic support, but this journey is yours. To ensure a fruitful and meaningful working relationship, I expect my mentees to:

  • Respond to my emails within 24 hours (during the semester)
  • Work with a “no excuses” attitude – and get done what you promise to get done. If life circumstances (e.g. a sudden illness, family crisis) prevent you from delivering on what you have committed to, you must contact me right away, so we can make alternative arrangements.
  • Stick to the deadlines of your work plan.
  • Arrange your own experiential learning credit, and fill out the paperwork at least one month before starting your experiential learning.
  • Be responsible for making sure you meet the requirements for graduation.
  • Keep me up to date on your work.

Failure to complete requirements by agreed upon deadlines or meet the expectations above will jeopardize our mentee/mentor relationship.

What happens at a Question SPG?

A Question SPG is a meeting between you, me, and another tutor. This is where you present and defend Question Proposal. Tutors recommend changes as necessary; sometimes major, sometimes minor. Rarely do we pass something without some revision. Once the proposal has been revised and resubmitted, you pass through the gates, learn the secret handshake, and enter your Concentration program.

How do I plan my Question SPG?

Your QSPG should be done before the end of the April block of the year you take Question, preferably sooner. In certain circumstances this can be delayed to the summer or, at the latest, the following September block. To make arrangements for your SPG, follow these simple steps:

  • revise your Question Proposal as necessary (in dialogue with me)
  • identify another tutor who you think could offer meaningful insights into your Question Proposal (you can ask for my advice if you aren’t sure)
  • after my approval, email this tutor to confirm their willingness to join your QSPG
  • identify mutually agreeable times for everyone. I recommend proposing several possible times in your email. The location for the SPG will be my office;
  • once a time is established, send a confirmation email to all parties, and include the latest version of your Question Proposal.

What do I do with my Question Proposal once I’ve passed my Question SPG, and made all the necessary revisions?

I recommend that you upload your plan in your Quest OneDrive account, and share the link with me. You should keep your plan up to date (adjust your course schedule as you go, revisit your academic statement as your thinking changes, etc.). By sharing this document with me, I can always check and see what you are up to, and keep abreast of your plans (as they inevitably change). You will have to update your Question Plan during the Keystone block anyways, so you might as well keep it up to date.

What are your expectations for my Experiential Learning?

There are many ways to achieve a meaningful EL experience. Regardless of what your Question is, we will need to decide which opportunities are right for you, what you will do, and what the deliverables are. You are expected to arrange your own EL, but I will send any meaningful opportunities your way as I encounter them, and at very least I can discuss opportunities and approaches to EL with you. I require that you put me in touch with your on-site supervisor before your EL commences, and that they write me a short (less than 1-page) evaluation of your performance of your EL duties, asking questions including: what did the student do during the EL? How many hours were worked? What did the student do well? In which areas might the student improve upon? If I don’t get this email, you don’t pass your EL. Other typical deliverables include: a daily journal/log of what you did during your EL, a summary report of what you learned, and other relevant information. When you craft your EL syllabus, you should set learning outcomes and align your deliverables with your learning outcomes.

How do I set up an Independent Study?

Refer to this video for a description of Independent Studies at Quest. To develop an Independent Study with me, you should start by asking if I am willing and available to supervise your Independent Study. Then, you will need to write a syllabus for your course, including: a course description, a list of learning objectives, a list of readings, clear and specific assignments with due dates, and an overall timeline for the course. Independent Studies cannot be developed at the last minute. You’ll need at least 1.5 months advance notice: 3 weeks to develop your syllabus, and the mandatory 3-week University paperwork deadline before the beginning of your Independent study. The Independent Study Application form can be found on the Portal. Note that unless the Independent Study is key to your Question plan and you have shown yourself to be a responsible independent learner, I am unlikely to agree to an Independent Study.

Can I take longer than four academic years to finish my degree?

Yes. If you plan on doing so, please propose alternative dates for the completion of your Milestones (see above)

What are some characteristics of your favourite mentees?

I most enjoy working with mentees who are innately curious, intrinsically motivated, and who care about their own academic success. You will develop some of your own ideas about how to move your progress forward. You will occasionally surprise me with the intellectual connections that you make and the novel ways to approach problems. You will be aware of what the next few steps are, and always be working towards the next accomplishment. You will arrive at our meetings prepared, and on time, and we will engage in interesting and challenging discussions about your question. You will consider my advice and incorporate the ideas that are relevant, and you will carefully consider, but reject my other ideas. You will introduce me to the relevant literature and thinking about your question. When you are creatively or intellectually blocked, you will present several options for moving forward, and I will help you decide which option is best. We will talk about other interesting things, unrelated to your question, and we will get to know each other as people.