tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322739827777311964.post4430001777863621713..comments2023-11-30T13:15:01.893+01:00Comments on Drang naar Samenhang: Let the Sabers Rattle: A Cross-cultural Comparison of Doctoral DefensesRolf Zwaanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07617143491249303266noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322739827777311964.post-37240462633081800392016-02-19T19:46:25.967+01:002016-02-19T19:46:25.967+01:00Thanks. Since this post, I've done one more vi...Thanks. Since this post, I've done one more viva in the UK. It was as I described here, with only an internal and an external examiner. I didn't know there could be a chairperson.Rolf Zwaanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07617143491249303266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322739827777311964.post-38569498775335048122016-02-19T19:21:50.240+01:002016-02-19T19:21:50.240+01:00Great post! Your description of UK vivas isn't...Great post! Your description of UK vivas isn't quite right though. Usually there is an external and an internal examiner and a chairperson. The supervisor (who may or may not be a "major professor") may be present but only if the candidate agrees to it. In my viva this was part of the ritual where the first person the chairperson asked was whether I wanted my supervisor to be there. Two external examiners are typically only there in certain circumstances. For instance in my university this was the case if the candidate was employed as research assistant rather than being a student. I have no idea why that is to be honest. Generally, these rules and rituals differ a bit between institutions.<br /><br />The degree conferral happens in a very ritualistic ceremony in academic regalia and in some institutions this is in Latin or - in mine - it was in Welsh. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08650498486195818917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322739827777311964.post-19977423125663160602014-02-06T00:10:16.549+01:002014-02-06T00:10:16.549+01:00I went to a few defenses while I was a postdoc in ...I went to a few defenses while I was a postdoc in the Netherlands, and they were great. Really made me feel like I had missed out, because Australian universities don't have them any more. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13857003168971413363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322739827777311964.post-30875254584517900692013-07-16T20:50:01.025+02:002013-07-16T20:50:01.025+02:00In Sweden the defense is also public and normally ...In Sweden the defense is also public and normally takes 2-4 hours. First the opponent asks questions, then a committee consisting of 3 members ask questions, then the audience is allowed to ask questions.Anders Eklundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04585807162496448781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322739827777311964.post-82826267468035910072013-07-15T20:59:22.422+02:002013-07-15T20:59:22.422+02:00Thanks, Sanjay. Your system sounds similar to what...Thanks, Sanjay. Your system sounds similar to what we had at FSU. In Holland, there laos is a committee that reads and comments on the manuscript. However, for the public defense the committee is expanded by several people who have not had a prior chance to comment on the manuscript. Failing students is extremely rare in Holland and, as was my experience, also in the US. I once called off a dissertation defense when I was a beginning assistant professor and served on a committee in a different department. The next day, the student stormed into my office, threw a stack of paper on the floor and yelled: "So you think this is a pile of shit!" I was first taken aback but then I said, "Well, not ALL of it." She ended up defending six months later with a much better manuscript.Rolf Zwaanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07617143491249303266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322739827777311964.post-52085872463728396682013-07-15T20:01:12.275+02:002013-07-15T20:01:12.275+02:00Interesting collection of observations! I definite...Interesting collection of observations! I definitely want the Finnish whisky tradition to come to the USA.<br /><br />At my institution (University of Oregon, in the USA) candidates are required to send their dissertations to the committee at least 3 weeks before the defense. The candidate will have up to 2 weeks after the defense to make any revisions requested by the committee. So committee members are instructed that if we anticipate any major revisions (ones that would take more than 2 weeks to make), we should ask for the defense to be called off and rescheduled. Failure at a defense is final, so the idea is to give the candidate a chance to get back on track before it gets past the point of no return.<br /><br />Of course, in practice defenses very rarely get called off, and it can be a big mess when it does. Especially because most major advisors won't let the dissertation get sent to the committee until they think it's ready -- so it can set up a conflict between faculty. Probably a good thing no weapons are involved.Sanjay Srivastavahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03677223120010904540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322739827777311964.post-37842751500963654922013-07-15T18:27:23.795+02:002013-07-15T18:27:23.795+02:00Hey Chris, thanks! You're right. I remember t...Hey Chris, thanks! You're right. I remember that about the neuroscience area. I actually prefer their approach over the one we used. <br /><br />Here is how I picture my ideal defense. The candidate is seated in the pouch of a trebuchet. If they fail, they are launched into oblivion. Maybe a tad harsh but we're talking about a doctoral degree here.Rolf Zwaanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07617143491249303266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6322739827777311964.post-39108590065724881102013-07-15T18:15:57.921+02:002013-07-15T18:15:57.921+02:00Hey Rolf - Great article. I've heard stories ...Hey Rolf - Great article. I've heard stories about how defenses are done in other places. Even in our own department we seem to have different traditions. Our neuroscience program has a tradition where everyone in the program (including all grad students and faculty) attends and the Ph.D. candidate gives what amounts to an hour long "job talk". Then everyone (except the committee) clears the room and the candidate answers further questions from the committee. Other areas the candidate treats the defense as their "own private hell" and absolutely no one is in the room except for the committee and the candidate. It's interesting.<br /><br />But I agree completely - some kind of medieval weaponry should be worn by the external examiner. That would give it that little extra edge that these defenses are missing.Schotzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02042026526736437860noreply@blogger.com