The Infinite Thesis: Discussion, Synthesis, and Conclusions

Author(s): Todd Riggs

Discussion, Synthesis, and Conclusions

General Reactions from Faculty

Sources of Misunderstanding

Before the Fact: Preventing Miscommunication

Options Available, Formal and Informal

Personal Experiences

Conclusions, aka The Hidden Curriculum Revisited

1970

1992

Footnotes

Discussion, Synthesis, and Conclusions

The general trends I discovered from interview to interview are presented here briefly, as well as comments relating to their accordance with The Hidden Curriculum.1

General Reactions from Faculty

All of the faculty basically agreed, at least ostensibly, that this scenario could happen and that something wrong happened; there was much disagreement as to how or why. 'First Reactions' ranged from "What a nightmare!" (Prof A) to "So What?" (Prof. D) though the following was softened a bit later in the interview. At the very least, Professor Z was negligent in reviewing whole chapters and not bringing up problems then and there; at worst, he is guilty of trying to wring as much work out of 1 as he can.

Sources of Misunderstanding

Ben Snyder would have had a field day with the similarities between my discoveries and his conclusions, on this topic and elsewhere.

1. The 'excuse' of sloppiness was mentioned by three out of the four interviewees, often using words reminiscent of Snyder's, i.e. talking about how busy faculty members really are, and how going over the draft chapters with a fine-tooth comb might have just been swept aside in all of the things a professor does in the course of a day; again, professors' constraints on time is one of the exact factors Snyder mentions as a reason for the continuance of the hidden curriculum.
2. Again echoing Snyder, two sources mentioned the factor of different levels of understanding, different priorities: the student wants to 'finish the job' and graduate, while the professor is concerned with how best to ensure the student's readiness, and growth, "wanting the student to see the project through to completion in all its complexities, for his own sake, his own development." (Professor D)
3. One source vote had as his most likely explanation for this phenomenon the possibility that Prof. Z has gained some insight/outside input about project, it being of an ongoing nature like any other Ph.D. thesis.

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Before the Fact: Preventing Miscommunication

1. Although only one source mentioned it explicitly, it seems like excellent advice to develop a personal relationship with one's advisor, treating the first term of work as a probationary period. If, after that first term, the personalities don't seem to click, one should not hesitate to switch professors and projects, sooner rather than later.
2. For humor's sake: "Just avoid the ones with the bad reputations."
3. Two professors mentioned the student and professor sitting down together very early in the project and attempting then to come to a decent understanding of what the project will entail in terms of goals, time, and deliverables. There was, however, some disagreement regarding whether or not this understanding should be written down and signed or not. I personally favor writing it down as long as one recognizes that it should be flexible; I think an oral agreement alone leaves too much potential for 'creative interpretation' or misinterpretation.
4. Every source mentioned the thesis committee to a greater or lesser extent. Though its importance is not always made clear to students, it is a key safeguard before the fact, as well as an effective option afterward.

Options Available, Formal and Informal

On this point, suggestions varied greatly; some were more familiar with institutional remedies, some less so; all seemed to like informal remedies first and foremost:

1. Again, for humor's sake: "There's nothing else to do other than finish it, I guess... That's tough luck." (Prof. C)
2. Again, every interviewee brought up the thesis committee at some point in the discourse. If the student has done his or her homework and kept the committee abreast of details (in writing?) they will be a key resource to enlist in the situation described by the scenario.
3. Two spoke about giving tensions time to subside, giving Z the benefit of the doubt at least initially, and continuing a dialog with him, and attempting to reach an amicable compromise - or perhaps defend oneself adequately.
4. Two faculty also mentioned going to see another faculty member, if the student is well-enough acquainted with any.
5. All of the faculty except one mentioned essentially the same formalized options: department heads, deans, and ombuds.

Personal Experiences

Three out of the four professors interviewed had had some experience with the subject matter of this report; the examples of the two who cared to elaborate on their experiences proved to be quite instructive. However, I 'saved the best for last:'

Basically, Prof. D thought he was done with his thesis, yet his supervisor (there was no committee) demanded "at least another year of work." Instead, Prof D took what is now his own advice, and cooled off for a while rather than further exacerbating the issue. He then met with his supervisor, very confident of his work and his position; he negotiated and defended himself. They eventually compromised, and Prof. D finished his work in three additional months, time which he felt "made the whole project worthwhile," a time of extreme professional growth apparently.

Further, a similar 'misunderstanding' presented happened relatively recently between a Ph.D. student and Prof. D; it was resolved in an exactly similar manner, over lunch, with the compromise this time being six months. How might Ben Snyder interpret this? Whether he knows it or not - and he is a brilliant man - Prof D was measured and judged by his supervisor, consciously or unconsciously, according to his ability to defend his work, and indeed himself, not in front of a committee at a formal thesis defense, but from a completely unexpected tack. His supervisor, intending to or not, judged his professional, emotional and intellectual growth upon his reaction to essentially unreasonable demands. He successfully found "his own voice and unique talent," (Snyder, p.73, quoted earlier) and went on to MIT, where knowingly or no, he perpetuates the hidden curriculum.

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Conclusions, aka The Hidden Curriculum Revisited

My thoughts on what would be the most efficacious things to have done and/or be prepared to do in dealing with 'the infinite thesis' are:

1. I definitely favor Prof. A's idea of a written 'pre-conceptualization,' not just for ethical reasons but also because it will more often than not smooth the path towards successful and timely completion of any project.
2. If you are a student in Course 2 at MIT, establish your Thesis Committee as early as is possible, and conscientiously work to keep them up to date, ideally in writing - the committee is required for a reason. Because this requirement differs from department to department and university to university, it would be wise to scout out as far in advance as is possible the requirements and resources available in a given educational situation: determine what is there and why, and use it!
3. The Thesis Committee is no panacea; to rephrase Prof. Kiang's question, yes, they can and do "fall asleep." Perhaps the best recommendation I can possibly make to anyone who has a) gone to MIT; b) is coming to MIT; or c) likes reading thought-provoking material is to read The Hidden Curriculum. The parallels between what Snyder wrote and what my subjects commented upon, despite over two decades of time intervention, is stunning, astonishing, even frightening. This report concludes with one last pair of quotes, yet another example of the clear presence today of the hidden curriculum. While it may not be the only explanation for 'the infinite thesis,' phenomenon, it was and is still an extremely insidious factor in countless professor- student relationships:

1970

"The separation of the formal and hidden curricula in the minds of the faculty creates another set of problems. In the effort to reduce the noise and the conflicts around them, professors often misread the cues which their students signal, and rely instead on images of family and nurturing or the ethic of hard work." (p. 118, emphasis added)

1992

"Here we have two people who have been working hard together, who have been very driven. It's like a marriage!... Students who have been working with me for, let's say, two years. They know me better than my mother." (Prof. D, emphasis added)

Footnotes

• 1.The Hidden Curriculum, Benson R. Snyder, (New York: Knopf, 1971)

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