Come along to Cabaret Voltaire (36-38 Blair St, Edinburgh, EH1 1QR), doors open at 6.30pm and the talk starts from 7pm. Come along for a bite of food, a chance to discuss the post modern doctorate…
 

Title of talk:

The Post Modern Doctorate – Short Presentation and Discussion

Bullet points of what you would like to talk about:

• How is knowledge valued in the community context
• Are people interested in being involved in academic journals and conferences
• The idea of a ‘post modern doctorate’
• Owning and using the conventions of formal education
• I want to hear your thoughts on ways which people can be valued for their knowledge

A short presentation and discussion about the development through the Ragged University of the idea of a Post Modern Doctorate

Ragged University as a project has been running for 8 years now at points over four different cities. In the background to the events lots of conversations have been had with universities and colleges about the knowledge and skills people develop in their own lives independent of formal education.
Through these conversations with formal educators an idea has emerged which is being brought together called the ‘post modern doctorate’ and I am interested to gauge the interest of people in being involved in the development.
As I prepare to attend two conferences on the basis of the Ragged University project (no formal qualifications are involved), one in Blackburn College and one in Oxford University, would like to get a sense of the interest which people have on producing their own body of research using some of the conventions of formal education.
In short, is there something which you would study and create a sort or PhD about in your own time ? This is what I have been doing and it has got the interests of formal educators from various universities from the University of the Highlands and Islands in the north all the way to Oxford University in the south.
I would like to meet and hear the thoughts of people who would be interested in writing and submitting papers to journals, doing presentations at educational conferences, writing essays which follow conventions of learning and creating your own PhD. This discussion will form the basis of much to come, please register your interest if it is attractive as an idea.
 
 

A few paragraphs about you:

I have been coordinating the Ragged University project for the past 8 years.  Without any formal qualifications or access to formal education, in my personal life it has been important on many different levels to create the educational opportunities which I have needed to thrive.  This has been largely through friendships and friendly circumstances with people who are passionate about their subject and who wanted to have seen me gain an understanding in it too.
The knowledge which is produced beyond the setting of formal education is considerable.  It is very important that ways of valuing what people have created and are capable of are developed if we are to have a society which acknowledges people for what they are.  Developing the notion of a ‘post modern doctorate’ has been the result of numerous conversations with people involved in the formal education sector where I have been asking the question ‘what body of evidence is sufficient to acknowledge a contribution to a field of knowledge’.  Informal education has become something which is central to my life.
 

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