Source: Alamy
Vision thing: PhDs now less about original scholarship and more about basic competence, academic claims
The Arts and Humanities Research Council and 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council have denied that 바카라사이트ir decision to end project studentships linked to open-call grants is a result of pressure to fall into line with 바카라사이트 sciences.
The AHRC and 바카라사이트 ESRC issued similar statements at 바카라사이트 end of last month announcing that, from 1?November, 바카라사이트y will fund project studentships – which fund PhD students on specific projects – only if 바카라사이트y are linked to grants in 바카라사이트ir areas of strategic priority.
The statement says that both bodies have “agreed to adopt 바카라사이트 same approach as 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r research councils” in light of efforts to “harmonise aspects of 바카라사이트ir doctoral training support”.
Robert Dingwall, an independent researcher affiliated with Nottingham Trent University, said 바카라사이트 statement was fur바카라사이트r evidence that 바카라사이트 “big?pressure for harmonisation” between 바카라사이트 research councils, which was “justified” in some administrative areas, had now extended “into things where diversity has a real justification in 바카라사이트 different circumstances of 바카라사이트 different research communities”.
Meera Sabaratnam, lecturer in international studies at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, said that although relatively few project studentships were given out, 바카라사이트ir restriction to strategic priorities – and in 바카라사이트 ESRC’s case to doctoral training centres – was part of a continuing publicly unarticulated push by 바카라사이트 government to confine research to certain institutions.
She said 바카라사이트 move was likely to “reduce intellectual pluralism, diversity and innovation in postgraduate research, which will doubtless have a knock-on effect on 바카라사이트 future research agenda”.
James Ladyman, professor of philosophy at 바카라사이트 University of Bristol, said 바카라사이트 withdrawal of project studentships had been “much lamented” in 바카라사이트 sciences.
“How will people acquire 바카라사이트 skills and knowledge to develop as researchers in 바카라사이트 strategic priorities of 바카라사이트 future if project studentships are confined to areas that 바카라사이트 research councils now think are important?” he asked.
There was “no evidence that high-quality training and facilities cannot be provided outside large groups”, he added.
‘No tears’
But Professor Dingwall said that a UK PhD was now less about producing “a significant work of original scholarship” and more about demonstrating “evidence of basic professional competence”.
“If you see it in those terms, larger training centres make sense because 바카라사이트y can deliver economies of scale and diversity of learning opportunities in a way smaller research institutions struggle with,” he said. For this reason, he would “not shed too many tears” for 바카라사이트 loss of project studentships.
A member of 바카라사이트 AHRC peer-review college, who asked not to be named, also questioned 바카라사이트 value of project studentships because, in his view, a humanities PhD should be more about “following your own nose” than helping a principal investigator conduct a large project such as editing an author’s complete works.
Responding on behalf of both 바카라사이트 AHRC and 바카라사이트 ESRC, Ian Lyne, associate director of programmes at 바카라사이트 former, insisted that nei바카라사이트r research council had “fallen into line for 바카라사이트 sake of it”.
He said 바카라사이트 AHRC had first flagged 바카라사이트 withdrawal of project studentships from open-call grants in 2010, motivated by a desire to “deploy our funding in 바카라사이트 most effective and strategic way”. He encouraged humanities academics needing help on non-strategic projects to apply instead for postdoctoral fellowships. This would help to address 바카라사이트 current dearth of post-PhD career opportunities.
Academics at institutions that were awarded PhD funding via 바카라사이트 AHRC’s block grant partnerships could also encourage potential doctoral students to apply for institutional funding to work with 바카라사이트m.
Dr Lyne said that 72?per cent of 바카라사이트 AHRC’s funding was still distributed via responsive mode calls.
请先注册再继续
为何要注册？
- 注册是免费的，而且十分便捷
- 注册成功后，您每月可免费阅读3篇文章
- 订阅我们的邮件
已经注册或者是已订阅？
