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Mentorship is a unique relationship that combines academic, professional, and personal development.
The concept of mentoring has deep roots: many accounts trace the modern English term “mentor” to Homer’s Odyssey, where Odysseus entrusts his friend Mentor with advising, guiding, and supporting Odysseus’s son Telemachus. A 17th-century retelling of the story by an Enlightenment philosophe helped popularize the modern term's meaning of a "caring, older adult" who guides students to wisdom. (Rhodes)
The working definition for mentoring used throughout this course is as follows:
"Mentoring is a collaborative professional relationship to help mentees acquire the key competencies and relationships they need to succeed in their current work and future goals." (Bland, 21)
"Mentor and Telemachus", Museo de la Historia, Madrid. Image by Javier Perez Montes, Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons license, 2023.
Academic mentoring combines aspects of the roles of a research instructor, academic adviser, and guide to the profession. Students benefit when a mentor provides training in disciplinary research skills as well as interpersonal and professional dynamics. Mentors are most effective when they work collaboratively and adjust to the individual needs of the student. Ultimately, the support, direction, motivation, and training a mentor provides can have a huge impact on a student’s future success.
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