I would also note that many members of this list are not either a professor or ph.d. student. We have many professionals and practitioners. In regards to the issues of the 'imposter syndrome' in academia. Which I've known people to express all the way through their careers. I know full professors who still don't think they 'belong', 'know what they are supposed to', and/or feel like an imposter. I think this is a great tragedy. I think that is clear that it exists in many graduate students. I think that it is more of a condition of dare i say it.... 'postmodernity' than anything else. It is related to the 'fragmentation' of knowledge(though it was never whole), hyper-specialization, desconstruction of canons(if there was ever any fixed canons). It is no longer possible to be an expert in the field of communication within the academy... you have to be x clarified y, limited by z communication:), whereas compared to outside the academy... knowledge creation and maintenance are clearly the basis of broad category expertise, even when people seem to have little more than opinions, they can be an expert outside. thus there is an insider/outsider dynamic too, but it is complicated by constructions of differing constructions of expertise. Outside expertise is constructed as broad knowledges, inside it is constructed as exacting knowledges. Everyone in the cable-tv/USA Today generations likely feels that as an origin of imposter syndrome. However, I for one would like students to know that... they are experts, and knowledged people before they start their programs, and the process of education is one of refinement of that knowledge through addition of tools, concepts, experiences, etc. I think AoIR has tried to be inclusive and encouraging, though we could probably do more:) On May 17, 2007, at 10:43 PM, Suzana Sukovic wrote: