I was delighted to learn, in today's newspaper, that Gary Hart's* well-reviewed new book, "Restoration of the Republic: the Jeffersonian ideal in 21st century America," is, in fact, his dissertation from the Oxford University Ph.D. he earned last year at age 64. Beats renting a cottage on the Isle of Wight (if it's not too dear). _______ * Donna Rice. Monkey Business. Etc.
Man, was I a Hart fan. This guy was just smarter than the other Democrats, not to mention the incumbent. It was clear, however, that the Democratic party owed Fritz the nomination. Although he was the VP of a failed (by many accounts, but not mine) presidency, he was a party animal (as it were), and everybody owed him. Will they--we--repeat the same mistake--with the same "Gorey" results in 2004? I'm thrilled for Dr. Hart, BTW.
Not nit picking! I quite understand why Dr Bear used the designation PhD and dissertation. This is the common usage in the USA. Technically, however, what Hart submitted to Oxford (this institution's designation) was a thesis and earned the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil). With one or two exceptions, in the UK the term 'dissertation' is reserved for master's degree level projects/extended pieces of work between 12,000-25,000 words and the term 'thesis' is used for doctoral degree submissions - typically 80,000 words (100,000 words at Oxford!). Where a master's degree is earned by research (e.g. MPhil, MLitt, etc) leading to the submission of a piece of work of 40,000 words or more then in the British system the work may be termed a 'thesis' rather than a dissertation. Just posted this for interest, not to correct anyone. Dr Hart is to be congratulated. By the way, is there an age limit in the USA whereby someone is permitted to undertake a doctorate? I recall once upon a time someone telling me you cannot register for a doctoral degree in the US if you are over 60 years of age? Is this true? 'telfax'.
No. That doesn't discount the age discrimination that might occur at some schools. But I don't think you'll find a written policy to that effect.
Thanks for the clarification, Mr. or Ms. Telfax. While most doctoral programs have unwritten age provisions, it is unlikely there are any written ones. Typically much lower maxima in the sciences, especially medicine, where the Caribbean schools used to thrive by taking well qualified but widely rejected Americans in their forties. In my book, I tell the story of the 96 year old man who was thrown out of the doctoral program at Columbia in 1913, and who wrote me that he was bored and lonely after his wife of 70 years died, and he kind of wanted to finish the Ph.D. I thought it would be a terrific public relations thing for Columbia to take him back, but they declined. He actually did find a school -- my recollection is that it was Union -- and finished his doctorate at 99. Columbia, he said, threw him out in 1913 because he wanted to do his political science dissertation on the causes of what he believed was a coming world war. He was told that this was such an absurd idea, Columbia did not wish to be associated with him.
