Well, that's the thesis. We have no idea how good it is yet, but it is reassuringly thick. There's no date for the viva as yet, but the latest news is that it may be possible to do it in December rather than January, which is good.
I actually handed the thesis in on 26th September, my final deadline day. I've been meaning to post about it here for a while, because not everyone who reads this is on Facebook yet. Handing in the thesis is a strange thing: everyone other than you seems to be quite excited by it. Really for me it wasn't all that special, other than that I could stop working quite so hard for a bit.
People find this lack of excitement strange, so I should probably explain it a bit. It's not, of course, that handing in is not A Good Thing. It's just that, for people who are still keen on having a career in academia, handing in is really a minor step. Finding out whether I'm any good at research is more important, and that's what the viva will tell me. Getting a job is what it's all about, and as far as I can tell I'm as close to that as I was four years ago. These, for me, are the milestones that will count.
In the post-thesis phase, I'm staying busy, thanks mostly to the fact that I'm now lecturing in the ancient warfare module at the university. So far student feedback has been quite good, which is encouraging. The teaching of ancient warfare does, however, have some fairly unique problems, such as the fact that you find yourself having to repeatedly use phrases such as "thrusting strokes" in front of an audience of 18 year-olds.
Like Jen, I think i'm going to try and make a post a week here from now on. We'll see how that goes.
4 comments:
Well done sir!
We shall have to celebrate somehow. I hope things continue to work out for you :)
Thrusting strokes is nothing, Stephen, you should hear the things I lecture about in my gender and sexuality lectures. Never thought I'd be discussing size matters with a group of second years...
Also: I'm on Facebook now. Since there are 271 Stephens of your variety on there, how about *you* find *me*?
And another thing: don't worry about the table. It was a disaster waiting to happen!
Oh yes, and congratulations on your submission!!
Someone told me recently, if you're still excited about your PhD, you're not yet ready to hand it in a thesis.
Good luck with the viva. I have a similar situation with my upcoming transfer meeting - everyone is keen I fill out the right forms and satisfy the bureaucrats; I am much more keen to be told whether I am barking up the right tree.
Nonetheless, congratulations on handing in a suitably thick thesis. And on teaching, which I have been doing a little of myself. Are you also writing the notes? Another post suggests it will only run if enough people sign up. I have only so far taught other people's material.
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