Assessing unorthodox dissertations

[TexasHookEm]

People of advanced learning:

FYI - Joseph Lopez began the MA program in Radio Television and Film at the same time I did; Fall 2003. He finished and went on for a PHD. Last week I attended his dissertation defense. He was awarded a PHD by a committee including Sandy Stone, Joseph Straubhaar, Andy Garrison, Susan McLeland and a gentleman named Dan from anthropology.

This is the work he submitted and discussed:

http://dissertation.jtlopez.com/

I bring this to your attention as something that brought into question what it means to obtain the terminal degree in our field.

[rooster34]

People of advanced learning:

FYI - Joseph Lopez began the MA program in Radio Television and Film at the same time I did; Fall 2003. He finished and went on for a PHD. Last week I attended his dissertation defense. He was awarded a PHD by a committee including Sandy Stone, Joseph Straubhaar, Andy Garrison, Susan McLeland and a gentleman named Dan from anthropology.

This is the work he submitted and discussed:

http://dissertation.jtlopez.com/

I bring this to your attention as something that brought into question what it means to obtain the terminal degree in our field.

Wow. I am just about speechless.

[BadWolf]

As a student of "new media" myself, I do like the idea of non-traditional presentations of dissertation materials. I think electronic presentations are totally legit, but...this isn't research. This is a blog - not just in form, but in content.

[milsyobtaf]

TexasHookEm,

Glad you paid such close attention during the defense, accurately listing all of the faculty like that, including Dan from anthropology. Oh wait, sorry, I mean John Hartigan.

Maybe if any of the other faculty in the department had bothered to come to the defense or even bothered reading even part of the way through the online dissertation (though I do hear websites are kind hard sometimes), they could have a leg to stand on in insulting the work of a newly fellow PhD and tenure track professor like Joey.

Pardon any perceived impudence, I'm a bit new to this site, having recently discovered this hotbed of academic navel-gazing at its finest. I guess I was too busy applying to and getting accepted into a graduate program to seek out web forums to talk about applying to and waiting to get accepted into a graduate program. My bad.

Do any of you have links to your dissertations so we can compare the amount of research that went into it?

[DoctorDonna]

TexasHookEm:

I notice you've neglected to disclose where you'll be receiving your doctorate from, so I assume you don't have one. In fact, you even fail to mention that you obtained your MA along with Dr. Lopez. Perhaps you're not the most qualified person to be asking what it means to obtain a terminal degree in "our" field.

Fucking you gently with a chainsaw,

DoctorDonna

[Kuro]

People of advanced learning:

FYI - Joseph Lopez began the MA program in Radio Television and Film at the same time I did; Fall 2003. He finished and went on for a PHD. Last week I attended his dissertation defense. He was awarded a PHD by a committee including Sandy Stone, Joseph Straubhaar, Andy Garrison, Susan McLeland and a gentleman named Dan from anthropology.

This is the work he submitted and discussed:

http://dissertation.jtlopez.com/

I bring this to your attention as something that brought into question what it means to obtain the terminal degree in our field.

Edited May 6, 2010 by bgk
Keep discussions civil. I am locking this thread and I have removed personal info.