Friday, November 15, 2019

A Letter to a Graduate Student: An Alternative View to the Oral Examination


My dear friend,

Since I left academia, I never thought I would write a letter like this again. But because you will soon be defending your dissertation in an oral examination, through the "viva voce” - your "living voice"; I write this with you in mind. I felt this would encourage you because, like me, you are a teacher at heart.

The highest degrees awarded by a university are those of "doctor" or "master". Did you know in their original usage, they both mean “teacher”? "Doctor" shares the same root as "doctrine" or teaching. “Master" comes from the root word "magister" which also means teacher. Hence, earning these degrees makes its recipients teachers of the knowledge they have received and created.

This explains the format of the oral examination. The candidate first presents an oral exposition of the thesis and then defends it in dialogue with the examiners. This parallels the two modes of teaching: the lecture and disputation. Hence, the oral examination is the ultimate test of subject matter expertise, examining the candidate's ability to teach a subject using a lecture and discussion (Shulman, 1986).

I hope you will remember this, during that frightful day when you are expected to prove your worth. No, you’re not proving anything that you not already are. You are there to educate your audience and have a discussion with them on a subject that you have chosen and made the centerpiece of your many years of education. You, my friend, are the expert and teacher. And we are your students.

You have my full support,

Shuyi




References
Shulman, L. S. (1986). Those who understand: knowledge growth in teaching. In S. Wilson (ed.) (2004). The wisdom of practice: essays on teaching, learning and learning to teach (pp. 189-215) USA: Jossey Bass.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Seeing Yourself as a Scholar


As a graduate student studying your area, you are a master of what you study. Few people have read as much material and given your topic as much thought as you have. Act like a scholar, speak to other experts as your peers. Don't be afraid! Here is one of my favourite tips by Evelyn Hunt Ogden from pages 54-55 of her book.

"Remember the university descriptions of dissertations, in which the word scholarly was used? Start to think of yourself as a member of the scholarly community. Calling or e-mailing other scholars can save untold hours of library work and give you confidence concerning another dissertation requirement, establishing credibility of sources.

Build into your budget long-distance phone calls. E-mail ahead of time to ask for a time you might be able to talk to the person. A $100 phone bill can save you a whole semester in costs. It is amazing how helpful most of the top people in the various fields can be. Identify these people in your field, read at least their most recent articles, then e-mail and call them. Find out what they are currently working on that may relate to your topic. Get the names of other graduate students or professors who are working on related research. Check your understanding of how this scholar's theory or work differs from some other noted researchers in the field. Talking with practicing researchers saves time by getting immediately the most recent and relevant findings for inclusion in your literature search chapter. Such direct conversations can help you to further define your topic and/or methodology; it can also be extremely effective in the defense of your proposal and then of the dissertation itself. If asked a question on method or interpretation of another's research, you will be able to respond with, "I talked to Barbara Jones about that, and her view was..." Finally, conversations with people who have devoted years of study to a field is downright interesting and can make dissertation research much more enjoyable.

Consider travel as an extension of the telephone. Sometimes while talking to a scholar you will be told about planned conferences or seminars that will focus on research very relevant to your dissertation topic. Such meetings will bring together several of the people whose work you will be using in your literature search. From your conversation with a particular researcher, you may find that the department in that university or the professor has a library of related published and unpublished research that you can use. Hop on a plane, bus, or train, or drive your car and go. Make a list of what you want to accomplish and who you want to see. Time can be conserved, dissertation quality increased, and in the long run money saved. You have spent thousands of dollars on this degree; don't quibble over a few hundred dollars more. Build into your trip budget funds to possibly take the professor and/or others to lunch or dinner as gesture of thanks for valuable information. Remember you are making important contacts in your field."


Reference
Ogden, E. H. (2007). Complete your dissertation or thesis in two semesters or less. Rowman & Littlefield.