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Dissertation Defense Workshop
Ken
Baake
Amy
Koerber
Spring
2007
History of the Defense
•Oral presentation of t=
he
diss. Research
•Started in late Middle
Ages to prove student’s mastery of classical authors.&#=
13;
•Usually was contentiou=
s,
with established scholars trying to shoot down the newbie.
<=
/span>
•Post Enlightenment
Germany—focus shifted to presentation of new resea=
rch and
knowledge.
•<=
/span>Sources: =
http://www.education.duq.edu/pdf/defensesguideli.pdf
Peters, Robert. Getting What You Came For.
Peters, Robert. Getting What You Came For.
•
Today at Texas Tech TCR
ØPresent
your study to the public, answer questions.
ØTypical defense
lasts 1 1/2-2 hours.
ØAlmost
always accompanied by Power Point or other visual aid.
ØCommittee
members and you should have your diss at the defense
=
ØOutside
Dean’s representative is there to ensure process is kosher.<=
/span>
Opening monologue
ØSummarize
dissertation for maybe 10-15 minutes
(20 maximum), say =
why this
issue mattered and was w=
orth
research, how you researc=
hed,
what you found, and how your findings
point to directions for the field.
ØSuggestions:
–<=
/span>In the problem statement, connect your study to ot=
her studies in the field.
–<=
/span>Highlight the main points.
–<=
/span>Explain significance as well as specific results. =
•Source:
http://english.ttu.edu/tc/PhD/PhDhome.htm
Public questioning
ØUsually
chair and committee members ask questions until all are
satisfied.
<=
span
style=3D'mso-special-format:bullet;position:absolute;left:-4.43%;font-fami=
ly:
Wingdings'>ØDiscussion, debate can ensue.
ØIf time allows, chair opens questions to the floor,
which may include fellow grad students, other faculty,
friends, etc.
ØChair asks ever=
yone
not on committee to leave.Private questioning, deliberation<=
/div>
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ØCommittee
addresses remaining concerns
ØCommittee a=
nd
candidate discuss revisions:
–<=
/span>Often minor, such as fixing some typos, clarifying=
a passage, etc.
–<=
/span>Can be more substantial, such as rewriting the conclusion, etc.
ØCandidate a=
sked
to leave while committee deliberates.
–<=
/span>Vote to approve or not (almost always yes)
–<=
/span>Candidate returns for congratulations, final edict=
on revisions.
–<=
/span>Committee members sign diss. cover page unless they withhold signing pending revisions (rare).=
3;
•
Advice for preparation
•<=
/span>Stay in contact with your committee chair frequently in days leading up.
•Make sure each member has a copy weeks in advance (or e-version if they prefer).
•<=
/span>Attend other defenses to see the process.
•Challenge your own diss. in advance (look for problem areas).
•Brainstorm possible questions you may face.
•<=
/span>Don’t prepare too many slides for the time you have to talk.
•<=
/span>Test the technology and room in advance.
•<=
/span>Practice alone and in a mock defense among other students, your chair, anyone.
•
Most problems with oral presentations in general, =
including dissertation defenses, begin within the =
=
first five minutes, for the following reasons:
=
;
•→
•<=
/span>Failing to acclimate audience to your setting.
=
;
•Appearing out of breath trying to cover too many
slides.
•<=
/span>Failing to make audience understand the need for y=
our research, the gap, the problem (Failure to excite).
•<=
/span>Dwelling too long on second-tier information and m=
inutia
(every step of your methods, e=
very
book in lit. review).
•<=
/span>Using too specialized jargon.
•<=
/span>Failing to forecast your defense plan (“In t=
his
talk, I will do X, =
then
Y,” etc.)
•Failing to make the findings and significance to t=
he
field crystal clear ear=
ly on
and again in conclusion.
•<=
/span>Not listening carefully to questions, thus not ans=
wering
them well.
<=
/div>
•Note:
None of these faux pas are bad enough to ensure failure, but you will have wasted=
a lot
of people’s time.
An audience member’s thoughts at =
the beginning of a dissertatio=
n talk—or any talk for that
matter—are fragmented, primal, careless, egocentric, and erratic. Your =
job is
to erase th=
ese
thoughts and replace them with concentration, enthusiasm, and compassionate =
concern for your project.
![](3D"slide0011_image001.jpg")
![](3D"slide0011_image002.gif")
I shouldn’t have had all
that =
coffee.
I’ll have to leave to go pee before the questions start.
That guy from the Dean̵=
7;s
office, Joe =
Johnston,
or Johnson, whatever; he is kind of cute.
<=
/div>
that like hemorrhoids?
I like Ken, a lot, but
I’m not sure what got him jazzed about the Santa Fe Institute or its <=
/span>metaphors?
I can’t read the last
line of =
this slide because of the window glare.
.
This is=
a
brain at a bad defense
…and at a good one.
I can see how debate over word meaning is at the =
heart
of scientific inquiry.
This methodology in slide 4 would really be useful in my research.
I’ve got to pee, but I’l=
l hold it.
I need to ask Ken if <=
span
style=3D'position:absolute;top:54.5%;left:69.28%;width:19.85%;height:3.5%'=
>he thinks these same problems apply in less esoteric scientific settings.
Any
questions?
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