However, I also tend to think the thesis itself may be separate from the
research and my interactions with my mentors.. I don't know why it's so
stressful... well, I guess looking back at things will make the process
look more educative than painful... but when you're in the middle of
it... :-} (well, I guess part of the stress also comes from the time
pressure... e.g., when your scholarship is running out and you've got to
finish!)
Best,
Angel
On Mon, 18 Dec 1995, Eugene Matusov wrote:
> Hello everybody--
>
> I might be in some disagreement with mostly what has been said about =
> usefulness of the dissertation process so far. As I was told by one of =
> my dissertation committee members, dissertation is the only time when =
> 3-5 academicians focus on and discuss seriously your work. Of course, =
> it was a half joke but in the half it was a quite serious statement. I =
> consider my dissertation not as the last word to the humankind before =
> I'm going to die (it is a Russian saying) but as an important learning =
> process for me. I had four senior scientists seriously examining with me =
> the research that I had done. Their helpful comments and doubts led me =
> to produce a good draft (but not the final one) for a future =
> publication. I consider my dissertation manuscript as "unreadable" in a =
> sense that it had too strong incomplete dialogic features (using =
> Bakhtin's terms). I think it may be difficult to read someone else =
> without knowing the discussions my four committee members and I had.
>
> Is the dissertation process often unnecessary painful process? =
> Unfortunately, yes (at least, too many of my friends say so). I agree =
> with Jay that gatekeeping and _rite de passage_ are approaches that =
> often contribute a lot to adding pain to the process. However, it is =
> important to develop new approaches to this process. I know that some =
> people (including members of my dissertation committee) try to modify =
> the process and its ideology to make the dissertation process less =
> painful and more useful for the student and the academic community.
>
> Here is my vision on the dissertation process defined from a =
> "meaningful" approach:
>
> Dissertation as a process:
> 1. Dissertation is the culmination of student's ZPD ("the zone of =
> proximal development") in graduate school. Collaboration with the =
> advisor and other faculty members reaches its peak.
> 2. Dissertation is the process of joining the academic community through =
> student's efforts to ground his/her dissertation research, to be =
> relevant and interesting, to foresee future development of the =
> community, and to articulate findings and their importance to the =
> community.
> 3. Dissertation is the way of getting a place in the academic community =
> via getting a job. Usually job talk, vita, and cover letter are heavily =
> based on the dissertation research.
>
> Fortunately for me, my dissertation committee was "in a search of =
> meaning" and collaborated with me in ways to try to design a =
> dissertation process that was both useful and comfortable for me. They =
> struggled with mainstream traditional ideology and traditions developed =
> in the academia and described by Jay. But what maybe most important is =
> my participation as a student was open in this process. I really =
> thankful to them for this learning experience (although not =
> non-problematic one). I was not traumatized by the dissertation =
> experience.
>
> Eugene Matusov
> UC Santa Cruz
>