OSK PhD Seminar: The Architecture of the PhD Thesis | Register before 1 February 2025
Dates: Friday afternoons 21 March, 28 March, 4 April
Time: 13.00-16.00
Venue: Utrecht
Open to: OSK PhD Candidates
Credits: 2 EC
Teacher: Prof. Cadence Kinsey (UU)
Instruction language: English
If you would like to enroll, register via our website and please send an e-mail to osk-fgw@uva.nl, stating your name, supervisor/s, (working) title of your dissertation and percentage of dissertation progress (e.g. 50% means half of the chapters written, 100% means thesis submitted). Register before 1 February 2025.
The seminar explores different ways of structuring a PhD thesis in art history or history of architecture. Participants examine and discuss published examples and also present the (provisory) structure of their own thesis for further discussion. The course is useful for PhD candidates in their second or third year and for those working on the definitive structure of their thesis.
PROGRAMME
This seminar explores the different ways of structuring a PhD thesis in art history or history of architecture. Participants examine and discuss published examples and also present the (provisory) structure of their own thesis for further discussion. The course is useful for PhD candidates in their second or third year and for those working on the definitive structure of their thesis.
Session 1: Exploration (21st March 2025)
In this first session we will discuss existing research plans and explore current models for structuring the thesis. This session is devoted to understanding the relationship between the research question and the structure, and diagnosing where existing strengths and weaknesses may lie in the arrangement of the material.
Preparatory work: Please come prepared to speak for around five to ten minutes about your PhD project. As well as giving an overview of the topic, your research question(s), and potential case studies, please outline your current chapter divisions. You may use a powerpoint presentation if you wish (please bring on memory stick).
Session 2: Analysis (28th March 2025)
For our second meeting we will turn our attention to the analysis and comparison of recent and not-so-recent dissertations. The aim is to think carefully and critically about what makes a ‘good’ structure and, most importantly, why. We will use this session to identify key strategies and principles that we could take forward in our own work.
Preparatory work: Please come ready to present your critical reflections on two books: one that you find good and one that you find less productive. Ideally, the books should be based on a PhD thesis but must be research monographs (i.e. no biography or catalogue). You should pay particular attention to how the project is described in the introduction and conclusion. Please bring along a handout with the books’ table of contents.
Session 3: Application (4th April 2025)
In this final meeting, we will reflect on our findings and ‘stress-test’ different potential ways of organizing the material in the thesis. We will also think about how the question of structure connects to questions of writing, and together discuss approaches to planning and troubleshoot writing problems.
Preparatory work: Please read Joli Jensen, Write No Matter What (2017), excerpts on ‘Craftsmanship’ and ‘Taming Techniques’ [handout attached]
You can find a full overview of the OSK Education Programma for the academic year 2024-2025 here.