Opening the Dissertation: Overcoming Cultural Calcification and Agoraphobia

This article places the struggle to open access to the dissertation in the context of the crisis in doctoral education and the transition from print to digital literacy. It explores the underlying cultural calcification and agoraphobia that deter engagement with openness. Solving the problems will r...

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Main Author: Denise Troll Covey
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Paderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research Group 2013-11-01
Series:tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/522
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author Denise Troll Covey
author_facet Denise Troll Covey
author_sort Denise Troll Covey
collection DOAJ
description This article places the struggle to open access to the dissertation in the context of the crisis in doctoral education and the transition from print to digital literacy. It explores the underlying cultural calcification and agoraphobia that deter engagement with openness. Solving the problems will require overhauling the curriculum and conventions of doctoral education. Opening access to dissertations is an important first step, but insufficient to end the crisis. Only opening other dimensions of the dissertation – the structure, media, notion of authorship, and methods of assessment – can foster the digital literacy needed to save PhD programs from extinction. If higher education institutions invested heavily in remedying obsolete practices, the remedies would reverberate throughout the academy, accelerate advancement in the disciplines, and revolutionize scholarly publishing. The article ends with a discussion of the significant role librarians could play in facilitating needed changes given appropriate institutional commitment.
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institution Kabale University
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publisher Paderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research Group
record_format Article
series tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique
spelling doaj-art-af75a180827c449abc3fc368529114272025-08-20T03:39:21ZengPaderborn University: Media Systems and Media Organisation Research GrouptripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique1726-670X2013-11-0111210.31269/triplec.v11i2.522522Opening the Dissertation: Overcoming Cultural Calcification and AgoraphobiaDenise Troll CoveyThis article places the struggle to open access to the dissertation in the context of the crisis in doctoral education and the transition from print to digital literacy. It explores the underlying cultural calcification and agoraphobia that deter engagement with openness. Solving the problems will require overhauling the curriculum and conventions of doctoral education. Opening access to dissertations is an important first step, but insufficient to end the crisis. Only opening other dimensions of the dissertation – the structure, media, notion of authorship, and methods of assessment – can foster the digital literacy needed to save PhD programs from extinction. If higher education institutions invested heavily in remedying obsolete practices, the remedies would reverberate throughout the academy, accelerate advancement in the disciplines, and revolutionize scholarly publishing. The article ends with a discussion of the significant role librarians could play in facilitating needed changes given appropriate institutional commitment. https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/522open accessdoctoral educationcultural agoraphobiaETD programsProQuest/UMIliteracy
spellingShingle Denise Troll Covey
Opening the Dissertation: Overcoming Cultural Calcification and Agoraphobia
tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique
open access
doctoral education
cultural agoraphobia
ETD programs
ProQuest/UMI
literacy
title Opening the Dissertation: Overcoming Cultural Calcification and Agoraphobia
title_full Opening the Dissertation: Overcoming Cultural Calcification and Agoraphobia
title_fullStr Opening the Dissertation: Overcoming Cultural Calcification and Agoraphobia
title_full_unstemmed Opening the Dissertation: Overcoming Cultural Calcification and Agoraphobia
title_short Opening the Dissertation: Overcoming Cultural Calcification and Agoraphobia
title_sort opening the dissertation overcoming cultural calcification and agoraphobia
topic open access
doctoral education
cultural agoraphobia
ETD programs
ProQuest/UMI
literacy
url https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/522
work_keys_str_mv AT denisetrollcovey openingthedissertationovercomingculturalcalcificationandagoraphobia