Good anglophone friends might have noticed that my feed turned Danish and did a very long thread on Friday. I was at a Danish doctoral defense. That's a wild creature. Here is a public information thread on the Danish Doctoral defense. https://twitter.com/SuneAuken/status/1114120979092000768

First thing to know is that a doctoral defense is not a PhD defense. A PhD defense is a PhD defense. A doctoral defense is a whole different kettle of fish.

The reason: Denmark has two different doctoral degrees; the - to an extent newer - PhD and that older and crueller creature the doctoral degree, eller "doktorgraden". It is called the "Dr. Phil."/"Dr.Scient"/" http://Dr.Med ." etc NOT a PhD.

It equals the German "Habilitation", so Germans can stop reading now. Except that there is this language mess in which the Germans call the PhD the "Dr.Phil", the lower degree, whereas the Danish "Dr.Phil." is the higher degree. Good clean fun for the whole academic family.

Giving me, obviously, the chance to brag about my own doctoral degree. I don´t have a PhD; I'm a doctor. https://twitter.com/GenreResearch/status/1114121354192748544

In the anglophone world the "Dr." in my name will be assumed to be a PhD; the higher degree wins me confusion more that recognition.

And as the anglophone world tends to ahor anything it doesn't immediately recognize ( #Anglonormativity) it will also be assumed to be of slightly inferior value at best, a structural misunderstanding at worst.

Anyway, the PhD is the PhD, but the doctorate is a senior degree. There is no education leading there, there are no course, no prerequisites; you hand in a work of research; and it is accepted if it moves a field in a significant and mature way.

So it's the epithome of an academic contact sport.

- I did not have time for xxxx
- Then you should have taken more time xxx
There is no room for xxx
- Well, write longer
(seconds later)
This book is too long and bulky
- Well, but you just said ...
- It's still too long

etc.

So on to the doctoral defense itself.

It's a behemoth.

It's in full public view.
Life-streamed and often reported in the media.
A maximum of 6 hrs.
And no-holes-barred debate.

(hiatus - doing other stuff)

So, the full doctorate is a senior researcher defending a senior work of research for title you can go through a full academic career without achieving.

(NB: It took me 4 years to get my doctorate through the system. It was handed in in 2001 and defended in 2005, and not because anybody had been lax)

So the day opens with ½ hr in which the doctor to be (doktoranden) presents the work. Friday there were at least 200 people staring at him - he is quite a start. And it's a star moment.

Then the first official opponent steps up and has 1½ hrs for a full-on exchange.

Then a break.

Then anyone - yep: anyone - can step up from the audience to do an "opposition ex auditorio" and not just ask question but take up to 45 minutes to interrogate doktoranden. If there are many, the time might be shortened. THe second assessor speaks ex auditorio too btw.

In the case friday this was quite dramatic, as the second assessor had actually wanted the dissertation to fail. Fire and brimstone ... my thread from the defense went almost silent, and I posted a full analysis the day after.

Then another break. Everyone is exhausted.

(and another hiatus from me)

Anyway, after the second break and app. 4 hrs in, everyone qre dying in their seats from exhaustion, and everyone are tense as f...!

In comes the second official opponent.

The second official opponent is by definition af bad muthaf...; s(he) is the official representative of the institution, representing the university's honor in letting the dissertation through to the defense, and also the unversity's will to strict norms and high standards.

So doktoranden, already mauled by the other opponents, is in for a good right kickin' ...

However, doktoranden her/himself is also there because s(he) is a baaaad mutha; there to kick ass and chew gum; and there isn´t any gum provided.

And (s)he has the advantage of being warmed up and having the end in sight, even as the second official opponent is out of warm-up.

At my own defense this was the absolute high of the defense. It was SUCH a brawl.

Everyone thought that the second official opponent and I would hate each others afterwards, but we both had the time of our lives.

At the defense friday the second official opponent had to spend a little more time establishing the worth of the dissertation, as it had been under attack, and a little less time shaking the tree.

But the second official opponent friday was a true master of his trade, and did both. I really was a grad shaking, and the most fun I had all day.

Anyway, after the full session everybody is flattened like a Danish pancakes, and Danish pancakes are like really flat.

And everyone present who is not a full-on member of the academy is convinced that the book is absolutely dead. However, nothing of the sort has happened. But MAAAM what a spectacle and what a drama.

To me this has always been academia done right. Demanding, but generous, cutting nobody any slack; holding standards without holding grudges. But my physique can only take one ever 2-3 years.