The PhD and the Autonomous Self

Gender, rationality and postgraduate pedagogy

Bibliographic Data

ID4096689
AuthorsLesley Johnson (0000-0001-9551-9224, a University of Technology , Sydney , Australia), Alison Lee (0000-0001-5518-5442, a University of Technology , Sydney , Australia), Bill Green (0000-0002-8598-6619, a University of Technology , Sydney , Australia)
Year2000
Volume25
Issue2
Pages135-147
Publication date2000-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueStudies in Higher Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0307-5079 • E-ISSN: 1470-174X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/713696141
OpenAlexW2122648334
LanguageEN
Citations received83
References cited10

Interventions in the quality of research training provided in universities today focus largely on educating supervisors and monitoring their performance as well as student progress. More private than any other scene of teaching and learning, postgraduate supervision-and more generally the pedagogic practices of the PhD-has largely remained unscrutinised and unquestioned. This article explores the problematic character of ideas of autonomy and the independent scholar that underpin the traditional practices of postgraduate pedagogy, particularly in the humanities and social sciences disciplines. These ideas are found to guide the practices of several different models of the supervisory relationship, whether they be of a pastoral care or more distant kind. The gendered character of the ideas of autonomy and the subject of knowledge that underlie these practices of postgraduate pedagogy are examined, as is the paradoxical nature of the processes of the production of the autonomous scholar self. The article concludes by suggesting some possible lines of thought for the future in addressing the problems in doctoral education identified through this analysis

Doctoral Education Challenges and Solutions · Higher Education Practises and Engagement · Social Work Education and Practice

Tools

Open DOISci-HubOpen Access