Episode 5 – Supervising Across Different (Academic) Cultures

Show notes

Academic cultures differ around the world, shaped by distinct education systems, disciplinary traditions and societal expectations of what it means to be a doctoral candidate. These differences run deep: how the hierarchy between supervisor and candidate is understood, how much guidance is expected and how much independence assumed, and how openly disagreement or criticism can be voiced. When supervisors and candidates bring different assumptions about authority, closeness and autonomy into their relationship, how do they find a shared way of working? Our host Katharina Limacher explores these questions with Chi Zhang (Department of Meteorology and Geophysics) and Gunter Prüller-Jagenteufel (Department of Systematic Theology and Ethics), who share their experiences of navigating cultural difference and the different ways of working with and alongside a supervisor that can emerge from it.