[iDC] Praxis-based Ph.D.s

[Margaret Morse]

Dear IDCs,
so sorry I haven't moderated since my last post Wednesday.  I had 
lots to do, but it was exhaustion from "working hard with cold" 
aftermath that felled me.  I enjoyed the interaction on IDC and will 
miss that aspect now that I am a "normal" subscriber, mostly lurker 
again. Thanks to Trebor for the opportunity and the idea to have a 
series of media education related themes!

  I'd like to respond to the posts made since I last posted and thank 
Andrew for setting up a wiki!  My home department's "hybrid" practice 
and critical based Ph.D. has gone through the next to the last 
hurdle, so the issues we've discussed will be of value once we go 
about realizing our long-anticipated degree.  I will want to identify 
the concerns and considerations raised in this conversation  for 
myself and colleagues and when I do, I'll post them on the wiki. 
Please post any additional information or thoughts you 
have--especially if you have ideas or urls or material in hand and 
are wondering where to put them.

--Nina noted;
"I do miss contributions on the subject from countries beyond
North America, Australia and West Europe - as I am aware
of emerging and established programs in for example
East Europe and Asia -  relevant information would benefit the
overall picture."

If you are involved or come across such valuable information, the 
wiki and list) would be a good place to share it.  Her is our call to 
you Eastern Europeans and Asians (and Africans and South Americans) 
to let us know about art-practice based (Ph.D. or ?) programs and 
concerns.

--"A. G-C" 's post on the subject of "Several educational aspects" in 
response to Patrick and the University of Al Aqsa reminds me that 
survival issues include not only the forms in which we educate, how 
we are sorted and our access or not to which educational 
institutions, but also existential matters regarding the possibility 
[and necessity] of educating at all in difficult to disastrous 
circumstances.

--Dew Harrison heeded the call (Thank you!) and posted on the 
practice-based Ph.D. at CAiiA and the value of applying "a long term 
of intense in-depth critical thinking to ... usual working methods 
can be an enhancing and rewarding experience."  Later in his post:" I 
have to disagree with Myron Turner by saying that artists ARE 
intellectuals (particularly after Duchamp!), they are creative and 
critical thinkers who enjoy the rigour of a good debate - look at the 
postings on this list! Artists think their way through their work and 
read and contextualise in order to do this."  Dew suggests the 
importance of intertwining of art practice and critical research and 
the need to reconform a Ph.D. model that has been developed in the 
sciences and humanities for the arts.
--Simon stressed the difference between academic and general analysis 
and acknowledging the role of artists who function beyond and without 
academia.
--Myron also wanted to inflect the argument as not one of either 
academia or street but of stages in an artist's development.  A Ph.D. 
program at a more seasoned stage of an artist's development may 
retain the possibility of an exchange with peers beyond academia.

--the issue of approval mechanisms was broached by Danny, batted 
around a little and returned to again in posts by Ellis and Myron. 
My impression is that is a truly thorny issue since it involves both 
honoring interdisciplinary differences and the specialness of the 
arts while maintaining legitimacy in the context of other more 
powerful academic disciplines.

--Dew ends his most recent post with "Art praxis-based PhDs are 
evolving and it is up to us to determine our own methodologies within 
this new research area and make the PhD exercise fit our needs rather 
than the other way round."

Many thanks for making this discussion such a pleasure.

-- 
Margaret Morse
Chair of the Digital Arts and New Media MFA Program
Professor of Film and Digital Media
University of California Santa Cruz
DANM Chair's Phone:  831.459.3948
web: http://digitalarts.ucsc.edu/