Very Intersting US Based Foreign PHD in the Social Sciences

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by chris, Jan 16, 2004.

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  1. chris

    chris New Member

  2. uncle janko

    uncle janko member

    Tilburg may have come up here before. There might be a poster involved in their program--not sure.
     
  3. agilham

    agilham New Member

  4. chris

    chris New Member

    I should mention...

    what I thought was really interesting was a United States based research body sponsoring a PHD from a foreign university. It appears that a member of the Taos Institute is a professor with Tilburg and he manages the cohorts here in the USA. One gets a foreign degree with the benefits of stateside supervison. If you take 3 years to complete the program it would still be way cheaper than say Capella. This is an interesting model.
     
  5. Re: I should mention...

    Ken Gergen, Ph.D. (probably the world's leading expert on social constructionism) is a professor based in the USA (Swarthmore College). He also holds an associate professorship at Tilburg U. specifically around the delivery of this program. The other two Tilburg professors are Dian Hosking, PhD, and John Rijsman, PhD (both are my core advisors). I recently pulled in a leading family therapy theorist from Taos Institute to be on my committee (who also happens to be a Union grad). She's in Tilburg right now, and my profs and her are sorting out her role.

    I got into the program, not via Taos, but by invitation from Dr. Hosking. I have no connection to Taos whatsoever, but the coordinators of the Taos program happen to be my advisors and it is the same model exactly. I understand Taos only takes a small number of participants into the program, or at least that's what the Taos website states. I don't get any stateside supervision but have regular contact by phone with Tilburg U., and have had two residencies there (one in 2002 and one in 2003). I have thoroughly enjoyed my involvement to date and will probably graduate the end of this year or in the new year.

    Incidently, I used the John Bear method for getting into a research doctorate. I describe the process in my own experience.

    (1) Find an academic whose work you're interested in, and familar with.
    (2) Make contact, show appreciation and familiarity with their work. Be able to discuss it, push it further. Share some of your own work.
    (3) Propose to become their Ph.D. student
    Academics love it when this kind of learner comes along.
    (4) They might test you (Hosking gave me two book chapters to write. After the first chaper was complete she made the invitation to study with her).
    Earon
     
  6. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    Welcome back, Earon!
     
  7. Dr. Gina

    Dr. Gina New Member

    Very interesting...worth a look at.
     
  8. Thanks, Bruce!
    Good to be here,
    Earon
     
  9. warguns

    warguns Member

    re: TAOS PhD

    Although all educationed Dutch speak English well, I think it's a bit strange that apparently one can earn this PhD from a Dutch university without being able to read and write Dutch.
     
  10. Re: re: TAOS PhD

    Warguns,
    see Articles 16 and 17 of Tilburg University Ph.D. Regulations, below (I also include a related regulation from Utrecht University). Normally I would direct you to the regulations so you can satisfy your own curiousity (rather than having someone do it for you). But this might be good information for the entire site, and anyone thinking of approaching a Dutch University prof as a potential PhD advisor.

    Tilburg University:
    Article 16
    The PhD thesis is written either in Dutch or in English, French or German. For other languages permission must be obtained from the doctorate board.
    If the PhD thesis is written in Dutch, a translation of the title and a summary of the contents must be added to it in English, French or German. If it is written in English, French or German, it must at least contain a translation into Dutch of the title and the summary of its contents.
    If, after approval by the doctorate board, a PhD thesis is written in a language other than Dutch, English, French, or German, a translation of the title and of the summary of the thesis in Dutch will be added, as well as a translation of the title and of this summary in English, German, or French.

    Article 17
    Besides the title, the text on the title page must read as follows: "Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit van Tilburg, op gezag van de rector magnificus, prof. ....., in het openbaar te verdedigen ten overstaan van een door het college voor promoties aangewezen commissie in de aula van de Universiteit op .... (date), om ....(time) uur door .... (Christian names and surname), geboren op ... (date of birth) te ... (place of birth)". ...


    The entire Regulations are found here:

    http://www.tilburguniversity.nl/services/bu/bo/phd/regulations/

    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

    Incidently, the same rule applies to the Dutch universities, as many are cultivating offerings to international students. Here, for example, is the related article from the University of Utrecht:

    Article 23
    1. The dissertation is written in Dutch, German, English or French, or, subject to the approval of the
    Board for the Conferral of Doctoral Degrees, in another language.
    2. If the dissertation is written in Dutch, an English translation of the title and the summary is
    appended. The candidate may provide a German or French translation of the title and the
    summary. If the dissertation is written in German, English or French, a Dutch translation of the title
    and the summary is required.
    3. If the dissertation is written in a language other than Dutch, German, English or French, Dutch and
    English translations of the title and summary are appended. The candidate is given the option to
    provide a French or German translation of the title and the summary.

    I hope that helps clarify the matter.
    Earon
     
  11. Rob Coates

    Rob Coates New Member

    Re: Re: I should mention...

    This is a really interesting program. Could you give a brief synopsis of what social constructionism is?
     
  12. Re: Re: Re: I should mention...

    Social constructionism is a relational approach that looks at how
    realities are formed by practices, language, story-making, etc. "Appreciative Inquiry" is becoming a well known approach to developing organizations and it emerged from social constructionism. Narrative Therapy is also related to social constructionism.

    My website has some related reading. The link is in this thread. The TAOS Institute website and its links page should also have a lot on social construction:
    http://www.taosinstitute.net/

    My area of interest is known as 'relational constructionism' and it looks at the processes of how realities are constructed. See this page for more:
    http://www.geocities.com/dian_marie_hosking/Header.htm

    My PhD dissertation deals with taken-for-granted conventions and social drama in a variety of communities but is not yet finished. Finally, my version of social constructionism might be different than that of someone else, so it's good to read a variety of sources.
    Earon
     
  13. warguns

    warguns Member

    Re: Re: re: TAOS PhD

    Even odder, a PhD thesis in English, French, or German for Tilburg U. NEVER has to be translated into Dutch.

    I suppose it is just being realistic. Except for people in the Netherlands, a few Flems, and few colonial remnants, no one else in the world uses or cares about the Dutch language. Still, it does seem rather sad.
     
  14. Re: Re: Re: re: TAOS PhD

    It seems that in Europe, English is now becoming the main language, in business, for example. In Estonia, for example, just about everyone of the younger persons now speaks English. Two conferences I attended there were also in English.

    I have a few Tilburg U. PhD theses in my possession from the social sciences faculty, and usually the first 2-3 pages are in Dutch. Still, some theses in my faculty are also done completely in Dutch (there's one on Dr. Hosking's website). Others choose to have their work published and translated into Dutch, if they see it as having some value. I think this applies to all of the Dutch Universities, and many of them seem to be very focused on international business and appealing to all of the diverse local countries. Many faculty speak several languages. It seems to have something to do with working with diverse populations. It's actually very interesting over there and I'd love to move there.
    Earon
     

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