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The
Christchurch Civic Creche Case |
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A
letter questioning the doctor of literature degree awarded to writer Dr
Lynley Hood has been dismissed by both the writer and the University of
Otago. A letter to the editor
of the Otago Daily Times, written under a nom de plume, claimed the doctorate
was not "earned", and had caused "considerable debate" in
the university community. But University of Otago
research higher degrees and scholarships director Dr Charles Tustin said the
procedure for awarding it was stringent. Dr Hood, who wrote A
City Possessed, about the Christchurch Civic Creche sex abuse case, said she
was "outraged" by the suggestion. Last week, Dr Hood
complained to Creative New Zealand about a CD-Rom that incorrectly stated her
degree was honorary. The letter writer, who
claimed to have graduated with a doctorate, said Dr Hood was not required to
submit her writing to "the academic review of national and international
experts in her field, nor was she required to `defend' her thesis from the
rigorous examination of those same experts, to account for discrepancies or
idiosyncratic interpretations, or to justify her methodology". "Those of us who
do `earn' their doctorates are required to do all of these things," the
letter writer said. Approached for comment,
Dr Tustin said there were three types of degrees. There were honorary
degrees, which were not examined, and research-based degrees completed at a
university, usually done by younger students under supervision. The third type was a
"higher degree", which Dr Hood received. Higher degrees were
given in science, medicine, literature, music and law. They were awarded to
people who had "quite substantial careers", and had made
"quite a contribution" in their field, Dr Tustin said. People had to apply for
them, and had to have studied or been a staff member at the university. Their work was
submitted and examined by three external examiners, at least one from outside
New Zealand. It was stringent, and
examiners sometimes did not pass work |
