Dear PhD-Design colleagues,
I thought that I should intervene (as one of the listowners) in order
to clear up any misunderstandings that may have arisen in recent
discussions about the nature of discussions that may be held here, and
membership of this list. I refer particularly to the assertion (if I
interpret it correctly) that firstly some threads should be curtailed
because further discussion of them may prove vacuous, and secondly that
PhD students are a minority and would not be missed.
I have no wish to repeat Ken Friedman's assiduous history of events
leading to the creation and development of this list, except to confirm
for newcomers that the desire for continuing discussion about PhD
studies came about after the Ohio conference on doctoral education, and
this developed further after the La Clusaz conference. Before La
Clusaz, the list had something like 160 subscribers. Now, we have over
900, and we have more doctoral candidates among our subscribers than we
earlier had total subscribers.
While there is a focus on PhD studies in design, it is reasonable for
any subject related to design research to be aired here. Design
research is a field rich in diversity, and I would expect to see this
mirrored here. Threads spring up, are explored, some conclusions
reached, and simmer down again. It is not the prerogative of an
individual to close a thread - the list members will do that in their
own good time.
It is not possible to discuss doctoral studies in isolation. Many of
the topics explored here have links to the generality of research
methodologies and methods, and current issues both in design and in
other fields. However, not all threads are equally interesting (to me
at least). I would have thought though, that the recent thread on
creativity has stimulated some genuine interest. If we lose interest
then a thread will close - naturally. It does not require someone to
state that it is a dead end. The list will decide that.
For those who believe that "the world (on this list) gets bleaker"
perhaps it is time to leave? I see nothing bleak about this list, it
is one of the richest playgrounds in our field, and I hope that all who
persist in reading our output get the same pleasure that I do.
The majority of our subscribers are professors, lecturers, research
directors, deans, consultants and others with interests in research and
doctoral programmes. We deal with all aspects of design research, and
we address all the many kinds of issues involved in doctoral study.
Doctoral students are obviously welcome on PhD-Design, both in
discussing doctoral education and all other topics. At La Clusaz, we
specifically made available a number of student scholarships to
encourage student participation. Invitations to subscribe to the list
always emphasise the fact that we invite doctoral students to subscribe.
Personally, I have always seen this list as primarily a resource for
PhD students. It is a place where questions may be asked by students,
and responses made by experienced supervisors. Students may be a
minority on this list in numbers, but they are valued members of our
community, indeed they are our future. I completely disagree with the
insinuation that they would not be missed. I want to see more students
joining us, testing their ideas against those who are more experienced,
but also giving us the benefit of their views, their enthusiasm, and
their enjoyment of these debates.
With best wishes,
David
ARi_____________________________________________
Dr David Durling
Director, Advanced Research Institute
School of Art & Design, Staffordshire University
College Road, Stoke on Trent, ST4 2XN, UK
tel: +44 (0)1782 294556 (direct)
tel: +44 (0)1782 294602 (ARi office)
fax: +44 (0)1782 294530
email: [log in to unmask]
web: http://www.ari.staffs.ac.uk
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