The original phrase of the title of this article originated from a scholar, Gundula Bosch, of the Graduate Science Institute at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. She posited in her research article, “Train PhD Students to be Thinkers Not Just Specialists,” that many doctoral curricula aim to produce narrowly focused researchers rather than thinkers.
This got me thinking about the first assignment given to all PhD students of the Department of Mass Communication of Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State, to prepare their minds for the task, challenges and expectations ahead of any PhD programme.
The word “Philosophy” means the love of wisdom. Those who profess this field of study are philosophers regarded as lovers of wisdom.
Every academic craves to add a Doctor of Philosophy to their garlands of academic honours. It is the third and highest academic university degree across the globe. A PhD degree cuts across all disciplines in science, humanities, arts, environmental and social sciences and the holders are usually held in high esteem.
Hence, there is Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Law, Philosophy of Literature, Philosophy of Arts, Philosophy of Mind, among others, according to the Florida State University website (2022).
Many of us have read about Plato, Karl Marx, Mahatma Gandhi, Aristotle, John Locke, Descartes, Kant, Nelson Mandela and several other lovers of wisdom— regarded as philosophers because of their impacts on their society in critical thinking and forecast of tomorrow.
What exactly is a PhD and what are the expectations of the holder of the prestigious degree? A PhD is expected to be the zenith of any specialised knowledge in any field of study.
According to the University of Arizona, “A 2019 analysis found that the number of doctoral degree holders has more than doubled since 2000 to 4.5 million.” What this implies is that people at this pinnacle of academic careers are in high demand to solve global problems. A PhD holder is expected to be a philosopher, thinker, bookworm, sage, speaker, writer, listener and forecaster of social politico-economy.
He should be an all-rounder who knows everything about something and something about everything. She as a matter of her vantage academic position should be able to contribute meaningfully to every discussion, although she may not be an expert in all. Holders of PhDs should be able to read their environment and solve critical problems.
As PhD holders, we should not be limited in knowledge exploration but strive to be diverse as much as our capacity can take us. By implication, we should not be cocooned into our speciality or the four walls of the academic terrain since we are leading lights to the world
In our field of communication, a PhD holder should be able to circumambulate the cardinal areas like journalism, broadcasting, digitisation, advertising, public relations, new media, photography, development communication, films, videography, cinematography, graphic communication and all other areas because the field of communication is diverse. This knowledge should go beyond the theories and textbook definitions only.
A PhD in communications should neither be half empty nor half full. They should be full or strive to be at every point in time. They should firmly key into the new technology which is the nerve centre of various professions. They should not only be able to teach different areas of communication but should practically be able to solve, for instance, a public relations problem in the government and/or private sectors.
PhD holders as thinkers, philosophers, planners and forecasters should be seen in finding solutions to problems in their immediate environment. They should be able to think outside the box and not be limited to theories and the copious teaching of textbook manuals. This is where the gap between the town and gown will be bridged.
A writer, Folorunsho Fatai Adisa (2022), notes on his social media page, “I’m a relentless reader and sleuthhound for knowledge. Whenever I see or hear things I do not know about, I will quickly find a way to read up on them. I saw the picture below on a group, and I didn’t know what it was all about until I read about the substance on www.webmd.com.” This should be the remit of PhD holders as it will enable them to philosophise and impact directly on society.
As PhD holders, we should not be limited in knowledge exploration but strive to be diverse as much as our capacity can take us. By implication, we should not be cocooned into our speciality or the four walls of the academic terrain since we are leading lights to the world.
People in this class should expand their frontiers of knowledge and expertise to be more relevant and useful to their immediate society and the world at large. We can achieve this height through constant learning from professionals and colleagues in many areas.
The process starts with searching and researching and never ends until we have made a landmark on the walls of history.
* Katib can be reached via 08096629914
