What would you do for your PhD?

[Barrister]

Something within geology, I've always had an interested but never did anything about it after getting a just an O-level in it at school.

So I practically did a B Sc in geology.  I took an intro course and found the topic fascinating (and at that level I still do).  The ways that geology can help us understand what the earth was like millions, even billions of years ago, the way that geologic processes have shaped and formed the way the earth looks today is cool.  But as you dug deeper into the topic, the more you needed to understand the granular details, was not so interesting.  Having to memorize hundreds of different rock and mineral types, and their accompanying chemical formulas and crystal structures.

[Oexmelin]

Having done a history PhD, if I had to do another one, I would pick a different discipline, and do one in contemporary anthropology about current bureaucracy and bureaucratic practices.

[Sheilbh]

I'd like to do a PHD when I retire. The Abercrombie plan would be my subject of choice. It was a hugely ambitous  plan for the complete redesign of London characterised by ring roads (the South Circular and the Westway are amongst the legacies), a complete disregard for heritage (Covent Garden and many historic buildings would have been demolished) and a utopian belief in the ability or architecture and town planning to solve all of society's ills. It would have made Robert Moses' redevelopment of NYC look conservative.

That'd be fascinating. I'd love someone to do a Caro-ish take on that project because whenever you see plans for it is just insane in its scope.

I've always liked the idea of studying history at some point - maybe at Birkbeck or similar - but I don't really know how to jump in given my degree's in a different area.

[Oexmelin]

I've always liked the idea of studying history at some point - maybe at Birkbeck or similar - but I don't really know how to jump in given my degree's in a different area.

Usually, admission in graduate studies does not need an undergraduate degree in your exact discipline. With a B.A. in English, there would usually be no problem, unless going into really different areas of history (history of science, or economic history at LSE, for instance). 

I can ask friends at York (I only know distantly people at Birkbeck) should you ever want exact details.   

[Barrister]

I really don't think I'd ever be interested in doing a PhD in any topic.  A PhD is going to require original research on a topic.  I can't think of any topic I'd be so interested in I'd spend that amount of time wanting to learn about.

If money was no object I'd love to get an LL.M., just for the opportunity to study law again in university.

I could also totally see getting a BA in History when I'm retired, as that would allow me to study a wider variety of topics.

[Sheilbh]

Thanks

I mention Birkbeck just because I know they specialise in evening courses/mature students. But I imagine post-covid more flexible/remote options are probably going to be an increasing norm (that people probably won't be compensated for). I know someone who did a Masters I think at UCL or KCL entirely remotely during covid, despite living in London - but even before covid most of it was designed to be remote.

[Josquius]

I've given thought to doing one at some point. I doubt I will but I have certainly considered it.
An area I've thought about is different national design cultures and the different expectations of what is good design, where they come from, how they sit in terms of chicken and egg, etc... One thing that particularly fascinates me is the whole concept of Japanese as a text-first language as opposed to a spoken-first language which leads to Japanese interfaces being so text heavy. Alas this heavily crosses over with linguistics probably which isn't an area I know much about at all. Plus it would require language skills far above what I'm ever likely to attain, especially now I'm going backwards.

I'd like to do a PHD when I retire. The Abercrombie plan would be my subject of choice. It was a hugely ambitous  plan for the complete redesign of London characterised by ring roads (the South Circular and the Westway are amongst the legacies), a complete disregard for heritage (Covent Garden and many historic buildings would have been demolished) and a utopian belief in the ability or architecture and town planning to solve all of society's ills. It would have made Robert Moses' redevelopment of NYC look conservative.

That'd be fascinating. I'd love someone to do a Caro-ish take on that project because whenever you see plans for it is just insane in its scope.

I've always liked the idea of studying history at some point - maybe at Birkbeck or similar - but I don't really know how to jump in given my degree's in a different area.

Yeah, I want to do a bachelors in history at some point. But the cost is prohibitive. I'm not paying regular British tuition fees for it. And what distance courses are available tend towards the technical (and are cut off from me at the moment).

[HisMajestyBOB]

I got my masters and that left me completely unwilling to pursue even a hypothetical PhD.

[PDH]

I got accepted into a history PhD program, but that came when I was crashing and burning out, so I ended up not taking the offer.  Later, I had some pretty good boosters to get into a cultural anthropology PhD program, but by that point the bullshit was too strong.

Most times I am glad for these choices, the first time I wouldn't have completed anything most likely, the second time I was fed up with recent experiences and it had tainted me.

[viper37]

Completely theoretically asking here. It matters not whether you actually have any interest in doing a PhD or think it at all remotely likely you'd be ever accepted to do this PhD....

But....assuming you were going to go off to university to do a PhD.
What would be your topic?

Is there an area of your field that really fascinates you and you think would be really interesting to study in depth for a few years? Perhaps something where you think you could do useful work, perhaps something ridiculous that it'd be nice to academically wank over for a spell. What would it be?

No specific subject in mind, but I would like to explore the use of derivative products for SMBs, currently inaccessible, due to the expertise required and the costs involved.

[Savonarola]

If I had world enough and time I'd do a PhD in history and write a history of The Purple Gang.   

[Zanza]

I had an offer to do a PhD in information systems a decade ago. That's probably still my area of expertise.

[Maximus]

I actually looked into it while I was doing my master's. I would go into cognitive science, specifically knowledge representation and human-computer interaction.

I've pretty much given up on it though. That would require a much more stable mental state than I have going.

[viper37]

do one in contemporary anthropology about current bureaucracy and bureaucratic practices.

you don't need that to turn right wing.  Just start you own business, you'll get to hate the government too.

[grumbler]

I wouldn't do it for a PhD thesis, but someday I'd like the chance to really research and write about the operations of the Allied (primarily British) submarines in the Sea of Marmara during WW1.  It's really a pretty gripping story; odds of getting sunk in transit were about 2 in 3, so there was a real premium to keeping the subs in place, even though there were no bases to support them.   The RN and MN used all kinds of innovative schemes to resupply the subs (even with torpedoes) via seaplane and the like.  One sub lashed a fishing boat to its conning tower and captured enemy ships by boarding, to save on ammo.  The full story hasn't been told, as far as I know (and if it has I will make up something about newly declassified documents and tell the story again!).