No, no I'm not attempting to give out doctorates for just anything. Hypothetically, let's say that: There is a distance learning site It teaches a course in a "new" or generally unknown subject It is currently the only site to offer a course in it Since it is technically the highest level of education in this course, would it be wise to give it as a non-traditional doctorate?
A thousand times no. I doubt that the topic is entirely new in the sense of being independent from a broader field of study. Sure, it might be a new sub-field, but you could probably still view it from the perspective of at least one established academic discipline. Furthermore, offering a doctorate is best suited for institutions with existing programs at the MA/MS level.
A doctorate isn't necessarily the highest possible award in a discipline. Social work, fine arts, maybe a few others I'm forgetting have teh Master's as the terminal degree. What a doctorate is, at least in this context, is a research program. If you're specfically talking about students doing significant research projects overseen by supervisors who themselves have doctorates, then yes, maybe. Otherwise I'm with Stefan: No.
Since you're being especially vague it's difficult to give an especially precise answer. However, I'd say that if you were to follow this plan these "doctoral degrees" would be worthless or very close to it. Who would pay for such a program and who would recognize these degrees? I respect knowledge for the sake of knowledge but a doctoral degree is something else, something more.
What Stefan and Steve said. It would be difficult to envision a "new" subject that wasn't already part of an academic discipline. Also, what does and does not make a doctorate is not specific to a discipline. Perhaps, as Steve implies, one could (or would) only take it to a master's level. Then that's the degree that would be appropriate.
It's in the eye of the beholder, but a degree would be considered "nontraditional" if it varied from the norm in terms of content or delivery. It's a vague and moving target.
Someone expressed the norm in this forum sometime ago. It's a bit comical but is spot on: "butt-in-seat at a B&M college or university."
And, although not absolutely essential, increased consumption of ramen noodles is very strongly correlated to such an experience.