Mentoring is an integral part of the Master's programme in Transdisciplinary Studies at ZHdK, which I am currently pursuing. By examining different contexts in which mentoring relationships – or related forms of encounter – are practised and discussed, the project reflects on mentoring as a practice and explores ways of extending it beyond institutional educational frameworks.
The starting point of my research process will be the following questions:
- What resources are needed in order to enter into mentoring relationships?
- How are mentoring relationships initiated?
- What role do differences in experience play in this form of relationship – or can they be understood as peer-to-peer encounters?
- How does group mentoring differ from one-on-one mentoring situations?
- How do mentoring relationships relate to other social forms such as friendship, partnership, or (chosen) family? Could mentoring perhaps be understood as a conversational mode that friendships, partnerships, and other relationships may temporarily adopt? Or does mentoring extend beyond the moment of speaking?
- Do mentoring relationships serve a broader purpose that exceeds the one-on-one encounter?