Hi again,
The discussion is getting more interesting. And it is getting complicated. A few problem areas emerge. We evidently need a theory of doctoral studies in the professions. And, when I read that a Ph.D. in design doesn't improve design capabilities, I feel said. There should be training programs that can move design skills to the highest level, just like there are doctoral programs in a number of professions. Actually, I would say that scholarly engagements with particular topics might increase design competence.
I realize that we have terminological and conceptual deficit. This area is not traversed. Plus, there are a lot of preconceptions, old practices, and stereotypes.
One peculiarity of the professions is that when people do research on professional topics, their topics vary over a very wide range of disciplines. Research on sociocultural aspects of architecture is almost social science. I would not hesitate to state directly that it is social science. Now the confusion starts because of the ramifications and gradual creep into the design field. The boundaries are blurred. Research in architectural structures might come close to typical civil engineering or physics topics, and so on. Studying topics in architectural theory might be tantamount to philosophy, in many instances. Then, what is architectural research?
This question is posed every 20 years, but there is still no satisfactory answer. Architects want to believe that there is architectural research and want to do it in their own way. Even when it is social science research (social aspects of built environment, user needs, etc.) At the other side of the divide, sociologists claim that every time we study the relations of people to something (built environment) we make sociology. Every time there is a relation between social agents and something, this is a social relation. Sociologists are right. In particular, from a methodological standpoint. If we study social relations, we need social methodology.
The thread starts well, the question is, would we have time to make something out of this chaos of beliefs, practices, and habits. However, it is an interesting thematic area for investigation. It is not just about Ph.D. and doctorates. It is far more than that. It is about everything in the profession and then back to the Ph.D. However, Ph.D. is not the greatest thing in the world. I still believe design is greater. The problems is that even designers are not sure in that. They want to be researchers. A good example how motivation and aspiration are forged by the social environment.
Just a few thoughts,
Lubomir
Lubomir Popov, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Interior Design Program
American Culture Studies affiliated faculty
309 Johnston Hall
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403-0059
phone: (419) 372-7935
fax: (419) 372-7854
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