Hey Veeky Forums

tékkaðu á hi.is

>you are LITERALLY at the PhD level and asking a canadian basket weaving internet imageboard for advice on where to go for your degree and what to study

>you are LITERALLY at the PhD level and asking a canadian basket weaving internet imageboard for advice on where to go for your degree and what to study

I'm going to consider their advice and look into it, but that doesn't infer that I'll take the advice gave at face value and do whatever people say.

Strongly recommend Tuskegee University. Strongly.

Also, for a Taiwanese fingerpainting journal Veeky Forums tends to have some good output.

Can you elaborate? Are you a student or member of faculty?

>Strongly recommend Tuskegee University. Strongly.

"Tuskegee University is a historically black university . . . with four doctoral programs". OK, I think I'm being trolled, haha.

I work with a guy who is just finishing his PhD (finalizing dissertation-writing this summer, in his 8th year) in Old Norse, I think.

He has no interest in it whatsoever. It's weird. I think he stopped caring in like third year.

That being said, apparently our Centre for Mediaeval Studies is one of the better ones (UToronto).

Nothing to do with this thread but if you were at UToronto a while back did you ever happen to read the Gargoyle semi regularly?

That's weird. Why would you continue if you're not interested?

UCL is great for Anglo-Saxon, Icelandic and Old Norse literature.

Nah sorry, I thumbed through a couple of the student papers once or twice and found nothing but Tumblr flavour of the week horseshit so I gave up.

Think he just settled into it. He talks pretty openly about how he's only finishing because he "might as well at this point."

Hey OP, I'm really interested in this topic as well. I was wondering if you or anyone else here could recommend me some of your favorite works on Pagan (Celtic, Norse, Slavic, etc.) and pre-Christian life and culture in Europe. Thanks.

>I work with a guy who is just finishing his PhD (finalizing dissertation-writing this summer, in his 8th year) in Old Norse, I think.
>8th year

Where does it take 8 years to do a PhD!? 3, 4 tops in Europe.

>our Centre for Mediaeval Studies is one of the better ones (UToronto

Looked on the website and they require French, German and Latin. I already speak English, Norwegian, Danish, can read Swedish, and can understand Icelandic . . . also Old Norse and to a lesser extent Old English. I have some Latin.

I don't see why I need French and German at all. I also don't consider Latin particularly important when my interest is primarily Norse-Icelandic native literature/culture.

What's with the crazy requirements? Is this normal for North America?

Because those are the hothouses of most scholarship.

I dunno if you're actually interested in the UofT CMS (I'm not vouching for it or anything - I was admitted but didn't attend), BUT if you are, rules are fairly flexible in my experience. If you are interested, get in touch with the head of the program. He's a good guy. I think your background would qualify you for certain adjustments, but YMMV.

Euro PhDs are less prestigious than NA ones, so the story goes, precisely because they are shorter. Or at least that's what I heard about British PhDs. I was advised to avoid Britain. Though they also have excellent Mediaeval programs, obviously (Leeds, St. Andrews).

The average in NA is like 7~ years I think, but lots of people go over. It's because your first two years are typically pissed away on coursework, then comps, and you only really settle into research for your project by year 3. Many people have only the vaguest idea of what their project even IS, still in years 3 and 4.

>Because those are the hothouses of most scholarship.

Didn't mean to be dickish when I said this. I just meant that that is the rationale, from what I heard.

>Because those are the hothouses of most scholarship.

Not for Old Norse, in my experience. English, Icelandic and Mainland Scandinavian but not German or French.

>Euro PhDs are less prestigious than NA ones

I've never heard that, maybe just in NA. A PhD is a PhD, IMO. Other than Oxbridge and Harvard I've never thought of some PhD programs being much more prestigious than others - the Bologna process has pretty much standardised everything.

>It's because your first two years are typically pissed away on coursework, then comps

Is that what your Master's is for, preparing you for the PhD?

>Didn't mean to be dickish when I said this. I just meant that that is the rationale, from what I heard.

No, I didn't take it like that at all. I just disagree with that being the case in ON/Icelandic.

>Is that what your Master's is for, preparing you for the PhD?

*isn't

>Other than Oxbridge and Harvard I've never thought of some PhD programs being much more prestigious than others

Wow, Europe must be very, VERY different. Here I was told that a PhD from anything *short* of Harvard tier is basically "reconsider your career choices, m8."

Jesus. What a difference. Sounds much better. Almost all I thought about for two years is "am I going to get into the sufficiently prestigious schools? Did I waste thousands of dollars on applications, and years of my life, for nothing?" Constantly worrying about prestige was torture.

My advisers suggested applying to some European universities mostly for a comedy option if all my other apps were denied. I believe the exact quote is
>You'll never work in academia, but you'll have a nice few well-funded years living in Central Europe!

As for the French/German requirements, I think it's partly the CMS trying to construct its own legend as the most rigorous language-training place ever, partly that NA students are notoriously godawful at being multilingual, and partly that most of the programs are aimed at areas more traditionally dominated by German/French. In any event, the exams are pretty easy.

>Is that what your Master's is for, preparing you for the PhD?

MA's in the states are traditionally just part of the PhD, so it's the first leg of that (ideally) 5-7 year process. But these days, lots of people are getting 1-3 year MA's and then going to PhD. It's getting pretty crazy.

Could my having a 2-year MA cut out coursework requirements for a PhD in North America? I don't really feel like having to do MA-level coursework again since I've already proven my capability of working at that level.

Also, can European (specifically, British) students get student loans for PhDs or would it have to be self-funded (I couldn't afford that)?

>Wow, Europe must be very, VERY different. Here I was told that a PhD from anything *short* of Harvard tier is basically "reconsider your career choices, m8."

Why would faculties in European countries value American degree programs higher than their own?