Reflection on Mentorship Networks: Building Undergraduate Writing Studies Research as a Stem Major

Abstract

Undergraduate research in Writing Studies continues to grow, and recent scholarship has begun to explore how mentorship supports these experiences. The majority of current mentorship research comes from STEM fields, however, the Writing Studies field offers distinctive undergraduate research contexts shaped by collaborative methods, varied outputs, and complex methodologies. Continued attention to mentorship in these contexts can help identify the practices most beneficial for undergraduate researchers and their mentors. Through an autoethnographic review of my own Writing Studies research, I highlight the ways my professional, collaborative, and research capabilities have grown through my use of a mentorship network. I demonstrate how various mentors have aided in each step of my research project and offer suggestions for mentors and students considering their own joint projects. By highlighting the symbiotic nature of my mentorship relationships, I hope to lay the groundwork for the Writing Studies community and other adjacent disciplines to adopt undergraduate mentorship strategies that can support the complex nature of the methodologies employed in the humanities.