menas all but dissertation. I just passed my PhD comprehensive exams in history (14 hours of examinations). So now I just have a book to write. No prob!
Tip: you only need to write the first 50 pages, and the last 20. For the intervening pages, copy and paste some Harry Potter fanfics or something. Everybody knows that nobody actually reads history books. They'll read the first chapter or two so they can appear to be asking educated questions at the thesis defense, but that's it.
<-- knows these things.
LOL @ Spud
Quote from: captainspud on September 20, 2007, 11:54:56 AM
Tip: you only need to write the first 50 pages, and the last 20. For the intervening pages, copy and paste some Harry Potter fanfics or something. Everybody knows that nobody actually reads history books. They'll read the first chapter or two so they can appear to be asking educated questions at the thesis defense, but that's it.
<-- knows these things.
HeeHee...
But I am actually trying to write a book that people might be interested in. I am hoping tht many around here would be interested in my line of research. I am looking at changing gender images in superhero comics after 1945 (remember this IS history, so I can't come too close to the present.) Any suggestions?
So Doc. Challenger is actually a doctor now? :?
-MJB
Congratulations, doctorchallenger! :thumbup:
MJB, the qualifying exams are usually taken after a PhD student finishes all of his classes. If things in History are like they are in other fields, there are at least two significant steps left to go. There is the "proposal" where he'll take his developed idea for a dissertation to a committee of professors and convince them that it's an appropriate topic for the field and that he will be doing novel and significant work to complete it. That's a real step because it defines the rest of the work to be done and it's there that the committee members can ask for significant changes in the direction or scope of the work, though his thesis adviser, who is probably another professor, generally won't let him submit the proposal until he thinks it will be accepted. Then, assuming they approve the proposal and he does the research, which is a lot of work, he will do a dissertation defense to present and defend the work and the write-up to the committee. After that, he will have his PhD (though many universities only technically award it at their June and December official graduations).
In engineering at least (where I am somewhat familiar with the process), there is generally a lot of work left to do after passing the qualifying exams. But they are important in signifying that the candidate has the requisite classwork complete and has the background required to do PhD research. It's at least worth a (http://home.graffiti.net/stumpyanker:graffiti.net/emoticons/cheers1.gif) even if there's a little while left before actually pouring the champagne.
Quote from: stumpy on September 22, 2007, 08:14:22 AM
Congratulations, doctorchallenger! :thumbup:
Umm. That's Dr. doctorchallenger now. Get with it Stumpy.
-MJB
As soon as his defends his dissertation... ;)