Time budgeting
How should I define 'essential' and 'non-essential' activities: archival research, investigation of secondary sources, conferences, organising and/or attending seminars, etc. What is relevant and irrelevant for my PhD and my CV?
* This is a process of self-negotiation – there is no algorithm. All these activities are important. Doing a PhD is training for a profession, and upon its completion you should be poised to have some shot at getting a job. Some publication will improve your chances. You must become as well-known as possible so that, for example, letters from referees will be informal and more convincing.
* Although all these activities are important, they should run in parallel, not in series. You should not read everything before you write. Revise as you go along. Don't fear the writing stage!
* Don't attend conferences and give papers if this will take you away from your thesis. MPhil essays can be the source of good conference papers. Do attend conferences and give papers of relevance to your PhD; they can be a source of very useful deadlines.
* Do read widely in the first year of your PhD. You need a broad background for your work; you never know where you'll find useful information and ideas; and later on you'll be far too busy to read around.
* Do attend lectures in other departments (particularly in your first year): they can be a very valuable source of new ideas and inspiration.
* Especially for historians: At an early stage, discuss with your supervisor the resources you'll need. In many cases proper planning of your research is impossible until you know precisely where the relevant archives (or instruments) are located, in what languages, etc.
* Cambridge HPS PhDs are unusual. Many departments – in Holland or the US, for example – do not suppose that after nine months of a taught masters course you are simply to be left alone with your supervisor and advisor to write a PhD. Here, everything after your Masters is self-directed and informal.
* However, HPS is idiosyncratic in the number of seminars, colloquia and supervision demands placed upon graduates. The doctoral programme may be relatively informal – but is baroque in other terms.
* Remember that much of the literature is written by professionals who have been working on your topic for a long time. To avoid perfectionism, go to conferences, look at recent PhD dissertations, and read really bad writing.
* Manage the teaching load you take on! Keep your supervisor informed on what your teaching commitments are and take their advice as to what to take on...
Rabu, 20 Mei 2009
How to get a PhD General
How to get a PhD
General
These informal suggestions come from students and members of staff attending previous meetings of the PhD workshop. For the regulations governing the PhD you should consult the Graduate Handbook (PDF file).
HPS PhDs cover such a broad range of possible topics that anything more than general advice is bound to be ad hominem. In the first few meetings with your supervisor, a relatively full account of research should be extracted. PhD topics are always revised massively and amazingly fast...
Scope, form, topic
* You need to end up with a project that is interesting and on a thesis-sized topic. A thesis-sized topic should be something that can be achieved within three years.
* There is always a danger, especially in history theses, that you will put off defining the topic until you know more about it. Don't keep an ideal, multivalent thesis in mind as a model, and in so doing delay making clear statements of your thesis. A thesis is not a utopian project.
* While looking at material, you will come up with original ideas. As you re-think your topic, ensure that these new ideas inform the major organisation of your thesis, not minor. This should take place throughout the first year or year-and-a-half. The longer you leave this, the more problematic such structuring work becomes.
* It is a good idea to keep a dynamic outline of your PhD as you go along.
* It is a big plus for a thesis to have a thesis. It should not be just an exploration of a region of intellectual terrain. Specify and define your case.
* Do not overexaggerate the scale of the project that you are undertaking. Do not take a big book as your model; take a substantial article that does a workmanlike job in your area. A thesis is two or three good articles with supporting and contextual material that evidences your competence in your area.
* The thesis should, according to examiners' criteria, be sufficient to serve as a basis for one monograph or two substantial articles. And whilst your examiners are your ultimate audience, it is worth trying to make your PhD interesting to a wider audience – this will make it easier, if ever, to turn it into a book.
* The classical structure for a PhD tends to be six to eight chapters, an introduction and a conclusion. This functions as a kind of strange attractor to doctoral students. Consider whether this structure is the right one – in at least two recent cases, the imposition of such a structure led to a large number of conceptual problems which were resolved by losing this format. For example, a recent thesis was improved vastly by breaking it into 25 chapters. Although supervisions are often arranged around chapters, don't assume that a unit equals one chapter.
* Avoid having chapters of radically different lengths.http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/students/training/getaphd.html
General
These informal suggestions come from students and members of staff attending previous meetings of the PhD workshop. For the regulations governing the PhD you should consult the Graduate Handbook (PDF file).
HPS PhDs cover such a broad range of possible topics that anything more than general advice is bound to be ad hominem. In the first few meetings with your supervisor, a relatively full account of research should be extracted. PhD topics are always revised massively and amazingly fast...
Scope, form, topic
* You need to end up with a project that is interesting and on a thesis-sized topic. A thesis-sized topic should be something that can be achieved within three years.
* There is always a danger, especially in history theses, that you will put off defining the topic until you know more about it. Don't keep an ideal, multivalent thesis in mind as a model, and in so doing delay making clear statements of your thesis. A thesis is not a utopian project.
* While looking at material, you will come up with original ideas. As you re-think your topic, ensure that these new ideas inform the major organisation of your thesis, not minor. This should take place throughout the first year or year-and-a-half. The longer you leave this, the more problematic such structuring work becomes.
* It is a good idea to keep a dynamic outline of your PhD as you go along.
* It is a big plus for a thesis to have a thesis. It should not be just an exploration of a region of intellectual terrain. Specify and define your case.
* Do not overexaggerate the scale of the project that you are undertaking. Do not take a big book as your model; take a substantial article that does a workmanlike job in your area. A thesis is two or three good articles with supporting and contextual material that evidences your competence in your area.
* The thesis should, according to examiners' criteria, be sufficient to serve as a basis for one monograph or two substantial articles. And whilst your examiners are your ultimate audience, it is worth trying to make your PhD interesting to a wider audience – this will make it easier, if ever, to turn it into a book.
* The classical structure for a PhD tends to be six to eight chapters, an introduction and a conclusion. This functions as a kind of strange attractor to doctoral students. Consider whether this structure is the right one – in at least two recent cases, the imposition of such a structure led to a large number of conceptual problems which were resolved by losing this format. For example, a recent thesis was improved vastly by breaking it into 25 chapters. Although supervisions are often arranged around chapters, don't assume that a unit equals one chapter.
* Avoid having chapters of radically different lengths.http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/students/training/getaphd.html
http://www.unisi.it/dida/kaleidoscope/How_PhD.pdf
Learning skills rather than knowledge
�� The PhD is primarily a research training exercise to get you
from being a beginner in research to the level of
professional.
�� You are playing a game where the goalposts are continually
being moved. Thus you must acquire the ability to evaluate
and re-evaluate others works and your own in the light of
current development.
�� Doing research is a craft skill and can only be learned by
doing. That is why PhD takes time.
You are not doing research in order to do research –
you are doing research in order to demonstrate that
you have learned how to do research.
What is the PhD about?
3
What is the PhD about?
1. The Doctoral Student (DS) demonstrating competency and
understanding of geography
2. The DS further developing and demonstrating expertise in areas
directly related to your dissertation topic
a. Take additional coursework
b. Carry out independent readings
3. The DS independently developing a proposal to carry out unique
and meaningful research
a. Addresses unique goals and objectives
b. Answers new questions and/or addresses unique issues
c. Proves/disproves hypotheses
d. Results in new research methods needed to address a. to c.
4. The DS carrying out the research outlined in the proposal
5. The DS presenting the results of the research in written format
6. The DS defending the research before a panel of peers
www.geog.umd.edu/academic/PhDin3Easy.pdf
What is the PhD about?
1. The Doctoral Student (DS) demonstrating competency and
understanding of geography
2. The DS further developing and demonstrating expertise in areas
directly related to your dissertation topic
a. Take additional coursework
b. Carry out independent readings
3. The DS independently developing a proposal to carry out unique
and meaningful research
a. Addresses unique goals and objectives
b. Answers new questions and/or addresses unique issues
c. Proves/disproves hypotheses
d. Results in new research methods needed to address a. to c.
4. The DS carrying out the research outlined in the proposal
5. The DS presenting the results of the research in written format
6. The DS defending the research before a panel of peers
www.geog.umd.edu/academic/PhDin3Easy.pdf
hawa
Hawa diciptakan
Tatkala Adam a.s sudah berada di puncak kerinduan dan keinginan untuk mendapatkan kawan, sedang ia lagi duduk terpekur di atas tempat duduk yang berlapiskan tilam permaidani serba mewah, maka tiba-tiba ngantukpun datanglah menawannya serta langsung membawanya hanyut ke alam tidur.
Adam a.s tertidur nyenyak, tak sedar kepada sesuatu yang ada di sekitarnya. Dalam saat-saat yang demikian itulah Allah SWT menyampaikan wahyu kepada malaikat Jibril a.s untuk mencabut tulang rusuk Adam a.s dari lambung sebelah kiri. Bagai orang yang sedang terbius, Adam a.s tidak merasakan apa-apa ketika tulang rusuknya dicabut oleh malaikat Jibril a.s.
Dan oleh kudrat kuasa Ilahi yang manakala menghendaki terjadinya sesuatu cukup berkata “Kun!” maka terciptalah Hawa dari tulang rusuk Adam a.s, sebagai insan kedua penghuni syurga dan sebagai pelengkap kurnia yang dianugerahkan kepada Adam a.s yang mendambakan seorang kawan tempat ia boleh bermesra dan bersenda gurau.
http://www.darulnuman.com/mkisah/kisah010.html
Tatkala Adam a.s sudah berada di puncak kerinduan dan keinginan untuk mendapatkan kawan, sedang ia lagi duduk terpekur di atas tempat duduk yang berlapiskan tilam permaidani serba mewah, maka tiba-tiba ngantukpun datanglah menawannya serta langsung membawanya hanyut ke alam tidur.
Adam a.s tertidur nyenyak, tak sedar kepada sesuatu yang ada di sekitarnya. Dalam saat-saat yang demikian itulah Allah SWT menyampaikan wahyu kepada malaikat Jibril a.s untuk mencabut tulang rusuk Adam a.s dari lambung sebelah kiri. Bagai orang yang sedang terbius, Adam a.s tidak merasakan apa-apa ketika tulang rusuknya dicabut oleh malaikat Jibril a.s.
Dan oleh kudrat kuasa Ilahi yang manakala menghendaki terjadinya sesuatu cukup berkata “Kun!” maka terciptalah Hawa dari tulang rusuk Adam a.s, sebagai insan kedua penghuni syurga dan sebagai pelengkap kurnia yang dianugerahkan kepada Adam a.s yang mendambakan seorang kawan tempat ia boleh bermesra dan bersenda gurau.
http://www.darulnuman.com/mkisah/kisah010.html
adam
Adam kesepian
Apa saja di dalam syurga semuanya nikmat! Tetapi apalah erti segalanya kalau hati selalu gelisah resah di dalam kesepian seorang diri?
Itulah satu-satunya kekurangan yang dirasakan Adam a.s di dalam syurga. Ia perlu kepada sesuatu, iaitu kepada kawan sejenis yang akan mendampinginya di dalam kesenangan yang tak terhingga itu. Kadangkala kalau rindu dendamnya datang, turunlah ia ke bawah pohon-pohon rendang mencari hiburan, mendengarkan burung-burung bernyanyi bersahut-sahutan, tetapi aduh hai kasihan...bukannya hati menjadi tenteram, malah menjadi lebih tertikam. Kalau angin bertiup sepoi-sepoi basah di mana daun-daunan bergerak lemah gemalai dan mendesirkan suara sayup-sayup, maka terkesanlah di hatinya keharuan yang begitu mendalam; dirasakannya sebagai derita batin yang tegak di sebalik nikmat yang dianugerahkan Tuhan kepadanya.
Tetapi walaupun demikian, agaknya Adam a.s malu mengadukan halnya kepada Allah SWT. Namun, walaupun Adam a.s malu untuk mengadu, Allah Ta'ala sendiri Maha Tahu serta Maha Melihat apa yang tersembunyi di kalbu hamba-Nya. Oleh itu Allah Ta'ala ingin mengusir rasa kesepian Adam.
Apa saja di dalam syurga semuanya nikmat! Tetapi apalah erti segalanya kalau hati selalu gelisah resah di dalam kesepian seorang diri?
Itulah satu-satunya kekurangan yang dirasakan Adam a.s di dalam syurga. Ia perlu kepada sesuatu, iaitu kepada kawan sejenis yang akan mendampinginya di dalam kesenangan yang tak terhingga itu. Kadangkala kalau rindu dendamnya datang, turunlah ia ke bawah pohon-pohon rendang mencari hiburan, mendengarkan burung-burung bernyanyi bersahut-sahutan, tetapi aduh hai kasihan...bukannya hati menjadi tenteram, malah menjadi lebih tertikam. Kalau angin bertiup sepoi-sepoi basah di mana daun-daunan bergerak lemah gemalai dan mendesirkan suara sayup-sayup, maka terkesanlah di hatinya keharuan yang begitu mendalam; dirasakannya sebagai derita batin yang tegak di sebalik nikmat yang dianugerahkan Tuhan kepadanya.
Tetapi walaupun demikian, agaknya Adam a.s malu mengadukan halnya kepada Allah SWT. Namun, walaupun Adam a.s malu untuk mengadu, Allah Ta'ala sendiri Maha Tahu serta Maha Melihat apa yang tersembunyi di kalbu hamba-Nya. Oleh itu Allah Ta'ala ingin mengusir rasa kesepian Adam.
Keanehan-keanehan Tukang Azan
Keanehan-keanehan Tukang Azan
yekh Syihabuddin Muhammad bin Ahmad di dalam kitabnya “Al-Mustatraf” menceritakan tentang peristiwa-peristiwa tukang azan, di antaranya:
( i )
Seorang muazzin telah ditegur kerana azannya terlalu perlahan: “Kami tidak mendengar suara azanmu, kuatkanlah sedikit.”
“Aku dapat mendengarkan suaraku dari jarak satu batu.” jawab si Muazzin.*
( ii )
Seseorang berkata bahawa dia melihat muazzin melaungkan azan, kemudian keluar dari masjid dan lari seperti mengejar sesuatu.
“Hendak kemana engkau?” tanya orang.
“Aku ingin mendengarkan azanku sampai kemana gemanya.” *
( iii )
Diceritakan pula bahawa ada dua orang lelaki telah bersengketa pasal seorang jariah. Kerana tidak ada yang mahu mengalah, kedua-duanya sepakat menumpangkan jariah itu kepada seorang muazzin. Pada sebelah pagi setelah berazan, tiba-tiba muazzin itu berkata: “La ilaha illallah....telah hilang rasa kepercayaan dari manusia.”
“Bagaimana rasa kepercayaan boleh hilang dari manusia?” tanya mereka.
“Ini buktinya.” kata tukang azan itu sambil menunjuk kepada jariah yang ditumpangkan kepadanya. “Jariah ini ditinggalkan kepadaku. Kata yang menumpangkannya dia masih perawan. Tapi setelah aku menggaulinya, ternyata dia sudah janda.”*
( iv )
Dikota Humas ada seorang tukang azan yang memekik-memekik pada pagi Ramadhan: “Bersahurlah kalian! Aku sudah menyuruhmu. Cepatlah makan, sebelum saya berazan. Allah akan menghitamkan mukamu.” *
Seorang berazan sambil melihat lafaz-lafaz azan yang ditulis pada sehelai kertas.
“Engkau tidak hafal azan?” tanya mereka.
“Jangan tanya kepada saya, tapi pergilah kepada Kadi.” jawab Muazzin itu.
Mereka pun pergi ke rumah Kadi dan mengucapkan: “Assalamualaikum, wahai tuan Kadi.”
Kadi tidak segera menjawab, tapi masih mengeluarkan sehelai kertas lalu dibacanya: “Wa alaikum salam warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.”
Maka orang-orang surau itu pun datang kepada si Muazzin dan meminta maaf setelah mengetahui bahawa kadinya juga tidak hafal Assalamualaikum...” *
( v )
Seorang perempuan mendengar muazzin melaungkan azan Subuh setelah terbit matahari. Ketika sampai pada “Asshalatu khairum minannaum (Solat itu lebih baik daripada tidur), perempuan itu menjawab: “Tidur lebih baik daripada solat seperti sekarang ini.”
^
Dipetik Dari Buku: 6006 Senyum - Himpunan Kisah-kisah Lucu
Pengarang: A. K. Alang Jaafar.
yekh Syihabuddin Muhammad bin Ahmad di dalam kitabnya “Al-Mustatraf” menceritakan tentang peristiwa-peristiwa tukang azan, di antaranya:
( i )
Seorang muazzin telah ditegur kerana azannya terlalu perlahan: “Kami tidak mendengar suara azanmu, kuatkanlah sedikit.”
“Aku dapat mendengarkan suaraku dari jarak satu batu.” jawab si Muazzin.*
( ii )
Seseorang berkata bahawa dia melihat muazzin melaungkan azan, kemudian keluar dari masjid dan lari seperti mengejar sesuatu.
“Hendak kemana engkau?” tanya orang.
“Aku ingin mendengarkan azanku sampai kemana gemanya.” *
( iii )
Diceritakan pula bahawa ada dua orang lelaki telah bersengketa pasal seorang jariah. Kerana tidak ada yang mahu mengalah, kedua-duanya sepakat menumpangkan jariah itu kepada seorang muazzin. Pada sebelah pagi setelah berazan, tiba-tiba muazzin itu berkata: “La ilaha illallah....telah hilang rasa kepercayaan dari manusia.”
“Bagaimana rasa kepercayaan boleh hilang dari manusia?” tanya mereka.
“Ini buktinya.” kata tukang azan itu sambil menunjuk kepada jariah yang ditumpangkan kepadanya. “Jariah ini ditinggalkan kepadaku. Kata yang menumpangkannya dia masih perawan. Tapi setelah aku menggaulinya, ternyata dia sudah janda.”*
( iv )
Dikota Humas ada seorang tukang azan yang memekik-memekik pada pagi Ramadhan: “Bersahurlah kalian! Aku sudah menyuruhmu. Cepatlah makan, sebelum saya berazan. Allah akan menghitamkan mukamu.” *
Seorang berazan sambil melihat lafaz-lafaz azan yang ditulis pada sehelai kertas.
“Engkau tidak hafal azan?” tanya mereka.
“Jangan tanya kepada saya, tapi pergilah kepada Kadi.” jawab Muazzin itu.
Mereka pun pergi ke rumah Kadi dan mengucapkan: “Assalamualaikum, wahai tuan Kadi.”
Kadi tidak segera menjawab, tapi masih mengeluarkan sehelai kertas lalu dibacanya: “Wa alaikum salam warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.”
Maka orang-orang surau itu pun datang kepada si Muazzin dan meminta maaf setelah mengetahui bahawa kadinya juga tidak hafal Assalamualaikum...” *
( v )
Seorang perempuan mendengar muazzin melaungkan azan Subuh setelah terbit matahari. Ketika sampai pada “Asshalatu khairum minannaum (Solat itu lebih baik daripada tidur), perempuan itu menjawab: “Tidur lebih baik daripada solat seperti sekarang ini.”
^
Dipetik Dari Buku: 6006 Senyum - Himpunan Kisah-kisah Lucu
Pengarang: A. K. Alang Jaafar.
kisah teladan
Jin Sebahagian Tentera Nabi Sulaiman
...ulaiman bin Daud adalah satu-satunya Nabi yang memperoleh keistimewaan dari Allah SWT sehingga boleh memahami bahasa binatang. Dia boleh bicara dengan burung Hud Hud dan juga boleh memahami bahasa semut. Dalam Al-Quran surah An Naml, ayat 18-26 adalah contoh dari sebahagian ayat yang menceritakan akan keistimewaan Nabi yang sangat kaya raya ini.
Firman Allah,
“Dan Sulaiman telah mewarisi Daud dan dia berkata, “hai manusia, kami telah diberi pengertian tentang suara burung dan kami diberi segala sesuatu. Sesungguhnya (semua) ini benar-benar suatu kurnia yang nyata.”
Dan dihimpunkan untuk Sulaiman tenteranya dari jin, manusia dan burung, lalu mereka itu diatur dengan tertib (dalam barisan) sehingga apabila mereka sampai di lembah semut berkatalah seekor semut, “hai semut-semut, masuklah ke dalam sarang-sarangmu agar kamu tidak diinjak oleh Sulaiman dan tenteranya, sedangkan mereka tidak menyedari.”
Maka Nabi Sulaiman tersenyum dengan tertawa kerana mendengar perkataan semut itu. Katanya,
“Ya Rabbi, limpahkan kepadaku kurnia untuk mensyukuri nikmat-Mu yang telah Engkau anugerahkan kepadaku dan kepada kedua orang tuaku; kurniakan padaku hingga boleh mengerjakan amal soleh yang Engkau redhai; dan masukkan aku dengan rahmat-Mu ke dalam golongan hamba-hambaMu yang soleh.”
(An-Naml: 16-19)
Menurut sejumlah riwayat, pernah suatu hari Nabi Sulaiman as bertanya kepada seekor semut, “Wahai semut! Berapa banyak engkau perolehi rezeki dari Allah dalam waktu satu tahun?”
“Sebesar biji gandum,” jawabnya.
Kemudian, Nabi Sulaiman memberi semut sebiji gandum lalu memeliharanya dalam sebuah botol. Setelah genap satu tahun, Sulaiman membuka botol untuk melihat nasib si semut. Namun, didapatinya si semut hanya memakan sebahagian biji gandum itu.
“Mengapa engkau hanya memakan sebahagian dan tidak menghabiskannya?” tanya Nabi Sulaiman.
“Dahulu aku bertawakal dan pasrah diri kepada Allah,” jawab si semut. “Dengan tawakal kepada-Nya aku yakin bahawa Dia tidak akan melupakanku. Ketika aku berpasrah kepadamu, aku tidak yakin apakah engkau akan ingat kepadaku pada tahun berikutnya sehingga boleh memperoleh sebiji gandum lagi atau engkau akan lupa kepadaku. Kerana itu, aku harus tinggalkan sebahagian sebagai bekal tahun berikutnya.”
Nabi Sulaiman, walaupun ia sangat kaya raya, namun kekayaannya adalah nisbi dan terbatas. Yang Maha Kaya secara mutlak hanyalah Allah SWT semata-mata. Nabi Sulaiman, meskipun sangat baik dan kasih, namun yang Maha Baik dan Maha Kasih dari seluruh pengasih hanyalah Allah SWT semata. Dalam diri Nabi Sulaiman tersimpan sifat terbatas dan kenisbian yang tidak dapat dipisahkan; sementara dalam Zat Allah sifat mutlak dan absolut.
Bagaimanapun kayanya Nabi Sulaiman, dia tetap manusia biasa yang tidak boleh sepenuhnya dijadikan tempat bergantung. Bagaimana kasihnya Nabi Sulaiman, dia adalah manusia biasa yang menyimpan kedaifan-kedaifannya tersendiri. Hal itu diketahui oleh semut Nabi Sulaiman. Kerana itu, dia masih tidak percaya kepada janji Nabi Sulaiman ke atasnya. Bukan kerana khuatir Nabi Sulaiman akan ingkar janji, namun khuatir Nabi Sulaiman tidak mampu memenuhinya lantaran sifat manusiawinya. Tawakal atau berpasrah diri bulat-bulat hanyalah kepada Allah SWT semata, bukan kepada manusia.
...ulaiman bin Daud adalah satu-satunya Nabi yang memperoleh keistimewaan dari Allah SWT sehingga boleh memahami bahasa binatang. Dia boleh bicara dengan burung Hud Hud dan juga boleh memahami bahasa semut. Dalam Al-Quran surah An Naml, ayat 18-26 adalah contoh dari sebahagian ayat yang menceritakan akan keistimewaan Nabi yang sangat kaya raya ini.
Firman Allah,
“Dan Sulaiman telah mewarisi Daud dan dia berkata, “hai manusia, kami telah diberi pengertian tentang suara burung dan kami diberi segala sesuatu. Sesungguhnya (semua) ini benar-benar suatu kurnia yang nyata.”
Dan dihimpunkan untuk Sulaiman tenteranya dari jin, manusia dan burung, lalu mereka itu diatur dengan tertib (dalam barisan) sehingga apabila mereka sampai di lembah semut berkatalah seekor semut, “hai semut-semut, masuklah ke dalam sarang-sarangmu agar kamu tidak diinjak oleh Sulaiman dan tenteranya, sedangkan mereka tidak menyedari.”
Maka Nabi Sulaiman tersenyum dengan tertawa kerana mendengar perkataan semut itu. Katanya,
“Ya Rabbi, limpahkan kepadaku kurnia untuk mensyukuri nikmat-Mu yang telah Engkau anugerahkan kepadaku dan kepada kedua orang tuaku; kurniakan padaku hingga boleh mengerjakan amal soleh yang Engkau redhai; dan masukkan aku dengan rahmat-Mu ke dalam golongan hamba-hambaMu yang soleh.”
(An-Naml: 16-19)
Menurut sejumlah riwayat, pernah suatu hari Nabi Sulaiman as bertanya kepada seekor semut, “Wahai semut! Berapa banyak engkau perolehi rezeki dari Allah dalam waktu satu tahun?”
“Sebesar biji gandum,” jawabnya.
Kemudian, Nabi Sulaiman memberi semut sebiji gandum lalu memeliharanya dalam sebuah botol. Setelah genap satu tahun, Sulaiman membuka botol untuk melihat nasib si semut. Namun, didapatinya si semut hanya memakan sebahagian biji gandum itu.
“Mengapa engkau hanya memakan sebahagian dan tidak menghabiskannya?” tanya Nabi Sulaiman.
“Dahulu aku bertawakal dan pasrah diri kepada Allah,” jawab si semut. “Dengan tawakal kepada-Nya aku yakin bahawa Dia tidak akan melupakanku. Ketika aku berpasrah kepadamu, aku tidak yakin apakah engkau akan ingat kepadaku pada tahun berikutnya sehingga boleh memperoleh sebiji gandum lagi atau engkau akan lupa kepadaku. Kerana itu, aku harus tinggalkan sebahagian sebagai bekal tahun berikutnya.”
Nabi Sulaiman, walaupun ia sangat kaya raya, namun kekayaannya adalah nisbi dan terbatas. Yang Maha Kaya secara mutlak hanyalah Allah SWT semata-mata. Nabi Sulaiman, meskipun sangat baik dan kasih, namun yang Maha Baik dan Maha Kasih dari seluruh pengasih hanyalah Allah SWT semata. Dalam diri Nabi Sulaiman tersimpan sifat terbatas dan kenisbian yang tidak dapat dipisahkan; sementara dalam Zat Allah sifat mutlak dan absolut.
Bagaimanapun kayanya Nabi Sulaiman, dia tetap manusia biasa yang tidak boleh sepenuhnya dijadikan tempat bergantung. Bagaimana kasihnya Nabi Sulaiman, dia adalah manusia biasa yang menyimpan kedaifan-kedaifannya tersendiri. Hal itu diketahui oleh semut Nabi Sulaiman. Kerana itu, dia masih tidak percaya kepada janji Nabi Sulaiman ke atasnya. Bukan kerana khuatir Nabi Sulaiman akan ingkar janji, namun khuatir Nabi Sulaiman tidak mampu memenuhinya lantaran sifat manusiawinya. Tawakal atau berpasrah diri bulat-bulat hanyalah kepada Allah SWT semata, bukan kepada manusia.
Ordering fast food
One night, a few co-workers at the computer data centre where I work stayed late and we all started to get hungry. We decided to order in food by phone, but our boss thought that, since we work with computers, it would be more appropriate to order by Internet. After we contacted a fast food chain's web site and spent a long time registering as new customers for the delivery service, a message appeared on the screeen: "Thank you for your business. You will be able to order food in three days."
funny cat
A chauffeur worked for a woman who took her cat with her on rides.
During one trip, the driver droped her at a mall before he gasing up. The cat remained in the car, laying down on the top of the limousine's back seat.
The service station's attendant often glanced at unusual passenger. Finally, he asked: "Sir, is that cat someone important?"
How To Write a (Thesis / Dissertation) Proposal October 24, 2002 M. Nussbaum
How To Write a (Thesis / Dissertation) Proposal
October 24, 2002
M. Nussbaum
1. Know the area
a. Read, read, read, …
b. Average 10-15 papers per week
c. Current Journals: at least read/scan abstracts
d. Use reference management software! (e.g. ProCite and EndNote)
e. Use search engines (MedLine, Ergo Abstracts, Psych Info, Compendex, ACM
Digital Library, etc.)
f. Go to the source literature (don’t expect textbooks and other secondary sources to
be either accurate or complete)
2. Go outside your area
a. Good source of new/different ideas
b. Avoids embarrassing overlap (already done by others in another field)
3. Pay attention to methods, analyses, motivations, applications
a. We did this because …
b. This work can be applied to …
4. Tree-in; tree-out
a. Look at paper citations, and who cited particular papers (ISI Citation Index)
b. Note how others interpreted (or how cited) papers you’ve already read; they may
have a different interpretation
5. Don’t get ‘paper-locked’
a. Easy to get overwhelmed and biased by what has already been done
b. Once familiar with an area, what has and hasn’t been done, start working on what
you could do
6. Look at proposals and documents generated by your predecessors
At this point, generate some initial ideas. Be creative, flexible, novel. Good idea to test them, if
possible.
Jumping ahead, what does a faculty member look for in a proposal?
October 24, 2002
M. Nussbaum
1. Know the area
a. Read, read, read, …
b. Average 10-15 papers per week
c. Current Journals: at least read/scan abstracts
d. Use reference management software! (e.g. ProCite and EndNote)
e. Use search engines (MedLine, Ergo Abstracts, Psych Info, Compendex, ACM
Digital Library, etc.)
f. Go to the source literature (don’t expect textbooks and other secondary sources to
be either accurate or complete)
2. Go outside your area
a. Good source of new/different ideas
b. Avoids embarrassing overlap (already done by others in another field)
3. Pay attention to methods, analyses, motivations, applications
a. We did this because …
b. This work can be applied to …
4. Tree-in; tree-out
a. Look at paper citations, and who cited particular papers (ISI Citation Index)
b. Note how others interpreted (or how cited) papers you’ve already read; they may
have a different interpretation
5. Don’t get ‘paper-locked’
a. Easy to get overwhelmed and biased by what has already been done
b. Once familiar with an area, what has and hasn’t been done, start working on what
you could do
6. Look at proposals and documents generated by your predecessors
At this point, generate some initial ideas. Be creative, flexible, novel. Good idea to test them, if
possible.
Jumping ahead, what does a faculty member look for in a proposal?
What is a thesis?
What is a thesis? For whom is it written? How should it be written?
Your thesis is a research report. The report concerns a problem or series of problems in your area of research and it should describe what was known about it previously, what you did towards solving it, what you think your results mean, and where or how further progress in the field can be made. Do not carry over your ideas from undergraduate assessment: a thesis is not an answer to an assignment question. One important difference is this: the reader of an assignment is usually the one who has set it. S/he already knows the answer (or one of the answers), not to mention the background, the literature, the assumptions and theories and the strengths and weaknesses of them. The readers of a thesis do not know what the "answer" is. If the thesis is for a PhD, the university requires that it make an original contribution to human knowledge: your research must discover something hitherto unknown.
Obviously your examiners will read the thesis. They will be experts in the general field of your thesis but, on the exact topic of your thesis, you are the world expert. Keep this in mind: you should write to make the topic clear to a reader who has not spent most of the last three years thinking about it.
Your thesis will also be used as a scientific report and consulted by future workers in your laboratory who will want to know, in detail, what you did. Theses are occasionally consulted by people from other institutions, and the library sends microfilm versions if requested (yes, still). More commonly theses are now stored in an entirely digital form. These may be stored as .pdf files on a server at your university. The advantage is that your thesis can be consulted much more easily by researchers around the world. (See e.g. Australian digital thesis project for the digital availability of research theses.) Write with these possibilities in mind.
It is often helpful to have someone other than your adviser(s) read some sections of the thesis, particularly the introduction and conclusion chapters. It may also be appropriate to ask other members of staff to read some sections of the thesis which they may find relevant or of interest, as they may be able to make valuable contributions. In either case, only give them revised versions, so that they do not waste time correcting your grammar, spelling, poor construction or presentation.
Some sites with related material
Writing and publishing a scientific paper
How to survive a thesis defence
Research resources and links supplied by Deakin University
"Final year projects": a guide from Mike Hart at King Alfred's College, Winchester, UK
Postgraduate Student Resources supplied by University of Canberra
A useful aid to surviving meetings with management
The National Association of Graduate - Professional Students (USA)
Some relevant texts
Stevens, K. and Asmar, C (1999) 'Doing postgraduate research in Australia'. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 522 84880 X.
Phillips, E.M and Pugh, D.S. (1994) 'How to get a PhD : a handbook for students and their supervisors'. Open University Press, Buckingham, England
Tufte, E.R. (1983) 'The visual display of quantitative information'. Graphics Press, Cheshire, Conn.
Tufte, E.R. (1990) 'Envisioning information' Graphics Press, Cheshire, Conn.
Your thesis is a research report. The report concerns a problem or series of problems in your area of research and it should describe what was known about it previously, what you did towards solving it, what you think your results mean, and where or how further progress in the field can be made. Do not carry over your ideas from undergraduate assessment: a thesis is not an answer to an assignment question. One important difference is this: the reader of an assignment is usually the one who has set it. S/he already knows the answer (or one of the answers), not to mention the background, the literature, the assumptions and theories and the strengths and weaknesses of them. The readers of a thesis do not know what the "answer" is. If the thesis is for a PhD, the university requires that it make an original contribution to human knowledge: your research must discover something hitherto unknown.
Obviously your examiners will read the thesis. They will be experts in the general field of your thesis but, on the exact topic of your thesis, you are the world expert. Keep this in mind: you should write to make the topic clear to a reader who has not spent most of the last three years thinking about it.
Your thesis will also be used as a scientific report and consulted by future workers in your laboratory who will want to know, in detail, what you did. Theses are occasionally consulted by people from other institutions, and the library sends microfilm versions if requested (yes, still). More commonly theses are now stored in an entirely digital form. These may be stored as .pdf files on a server at your university. The advantage is that your thesis can be consulted much more easily by researchers around the world. (See e.g. Australian digital thesis project for the digital availability of research theses.) Write with these possibilities in mind.
It is often helpful to have someone other than your adviser(s) read some sections of the thesis, particularly the introduction and conclusion chapters. It may also be appropriate to ask other members of staff to read some sections of the thesis which they may find relevant or of interest, as they may be able to make valuable contributions. In either case, only give them revised versions, so that they do not waste time correcting your grammar, spelling, poor construction or presentation.
Some sites with related material
Writing and publishing a scientific paper
How to survive a thesis defence
Research resources and links supplied by Deakin University
"Final year projects": a guide from Mike Hart at King Alfred's College, Winchester, UK
Postgraduate Student Resources supplied by University of Canberra
A useful aid to surviving meetings with management
The National Association of Graduate - Professional Students (USA)
Some relevant texts
Stevens, K. and Asmar, C (1999) 'Doing postgraduate research in Australia'. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 522 84880 X.
Phillips, E.M and Pugh, D.S. (1994) 'How to get a PhD : a handbook for students and their supervisors'. Open University Press, Buckingham, England
Tufte, E.R. (1983) 'The visual display of quantitative information'. Graphics Press, Cheshire, Conn.
Tufte, E.R. (1990) 'Envisioning information' Graphics Press, Cheshire, Conn.
How to write a thesis proposal
I. Framework
Senior research projects in Environmental Sciences have the following elements in common:
1. An environmental issue is identified.
2. Other people's work on the topic is collected and evaluated.
3. Data necessary to solving the problem are either collected by the student, or obtained independently.
4. Data are analyzed using techniques appropriate to the data set.
5. Results of the analysis are reported and are interpreted in light of the initial environmental issue.
The final outcome of this process is a senior thesis that you will complete in the spring semester. The goal of the fall semester is that you identify a research topic, find a research mentor, formulate a hypothesis, understand the background of your project, develop or adapt appropriate methods, and summarize the state of your project as a thesis proposal. The goal is to progress as far as possible with the elements listed above during the fall semester. The more you can accomplish during the fall, the further you can drive the project in the end, and the more relaxed the spring semester is going to be for you (and us).
The purpose of writing a thesis proposal is to demonstrate that
1. the thesis topic addresses a significant environmental problem;
2. an organized plan is in place for collecting or obtaining data to help solve the problem;
3. methods of data analysis have been identified and are appropriate to the data set.
If you can outline these points clearly in a proposal, then you will be able to focus on a research topic and finish it rapidly. A secondary purpose of the proposal is to train you in the art of proposal writing. Any future career in Environmental Sciences, whether it be in industry or academia will require these skills in some form.
We are well aware that the best laid out research plans may go awry, and that the best completed theses sometimes bear only little resemblance to the thesis planned during the proposal. Therefore, when evaluating a thesis proposal, we are not trying to assure ourselves that you have clearly described a sure-fire research project with 0% risk of failure. (If there was no risk of failure, it wouldn't be research.)
Instead, what we're interested in seeing is if you have a clear handle on the process and structure of research as it's practiced by our discipline. If you can present a clear and reasonable thesis idea, if you can clearly relate it to other relevant literature, if you can justify its significance, if you can describe a method for investigating it, and if you can decompose it into a sequence of steps that lead toward a reasonable conclusion, then the thesis proposal is a success regardless of whether you modify or even scrap the actual idea down the line and start off in a different direction. What a successful thesis proposal demonstrates is that, regardless of the eventual idea you pursue, you know the steps involved in turning it into a thesis.
Resources/Acknowlegements
# The senior seminar website has a very detailed document on "How to write a thesis" which you might want to look at. Most of the tips given there are relevant for your thesis proposal as well.
# Recommended books on scientific writing
# Some of the material on this page was adapted from:
# http://www.geo.utep.edu/Grad_Info/prop_guide.html
# http://www.hartwick.edu/anthropology/proposal.htm
# http://csdl.ics.hawaii.edu/FAQ/FAQ/thesis-proposal.html
# http://www.butler.edu/honors/PropsTheses.html
Senior research projects in Environmental Sciences have the following elements in common:
1. An environmental issue is identified.
2. Other people's work on the topic is collected and evaluated.
3. Data necessary to solving the problem are either collected by the student, or obtained independently.
4. Data are analyzed using techniques appropriate to the data set.
5. Results of the analysis are reported and are interpreted in light of the initial environmental issue.
The final outcome of this process is a senior thesis that you will complete in the spring semester. The goal of the fall semester is that you identify a research topic, find a research mentor, formulate a hypothesis, understand the background of your project, develop or adapt appropriate methods, and summarize the state of your project as a thesis proposal. The goal is to progress as far as possible with the elements listed above during the fall semester. The more you can accomplish during the fall, the further you can drive the project in the end, and the more relaxed the spring semester is going to be for you (and us).
The purpose of writing a thesis proposal is to demonstrate that
1. the thesis topic addresses a significant environmental problem;
2. an organized plan is in place for collecting or obtaining data to help solve the problem;
3. methods of data analysis have been identified and are appropriate to the data set.
If you can outline these points clearly in a proposal, then you will be able to focus on a research topic and finish it rapidly. A secondary purpose of the proposal is to train you in the art of proposal writing. Any future career in Environmental Sciences, whether it be in industry or academia will require these skills in some form.
We are well aware that the best laid out research plans may go awry, and that the best completed theses sometimes bear only little resemblance to the thesis planned during the proposal. Therefore, when evaluating a thesis proposal, we are not trying to assure ourselves that you have clearly described a sure-fire research project with 0% risk of failure. (If there was no risk of failure, it wouldn't be research.)
Instead, what we're interested in seeing is if you have a clear handle on the process and structure of research as it's practiced by our discipline. If you can present a clear and reasonable thesis idea, if you can clearly relate it to other relevant literature, if you can justify its significance, if you can describe a method for investigating it, and if you can decompose it into a sequence of steps that lead toward a reasonable conclusion, then the thesis proposal is a success regardless of whether you modify or even scrap the actual idea down the line and start off in a different direction. What a successful thesis proposal demonstrates is that, regardless of the eventual idea you pursue, you know the steps involved in turning it into a thesis.
Resources/Acknowlegements
# The senior seminar website has a very detailed document on "How to write a thesis" which you might want to look at. Most of the tips given there are relevant for your thesis proposal as well.
# Recommended books on scientific writing
# Some of the material on this page was adapted from:
# http://www.geo.utep.edu/Grad_Info/prop_guide.html
# http://www.hartwick.edu/anthropology/proposal.htm
# http://csdl.ics.hawaii.edu/FAQ/FAQ/thesis-proposal.html
# http://www.butler.edu/honors/PropsTheses.html
kata-kata hikmah
Sesungguhnya Allah tidak pernah melupakan hambanya, tetapi kita yang sering lupa pada Dia ketika diberi nikmat bahagia..
cinta kepada Allah lebih hakiki..tapi tidak cinta kepada manusia..
cinta kepada Allah lebih hakiki..tapi tidak cinta kepada manusia..
SATU KAJIAN KES: ANALISIS LINGUISTIK AFASIA AGRAMATISME
SATU KAJIAN KES: ANALISIS LINGUISTIK AFASIA AGRAMATISME
Chiang Ching Pei
Penyelia: Dr. Rogayah Abdul Razak
Kajian perintis ini bertujuan untuk memberikan deskripsi tatabahasa seorang penutur Melayu yang mempunyai afasia agramatisme dalam konteks perbualan. Sampel pertuturan spontan subjek diperoleh melalui interaksi bebas dalam pelbagai situasi. Rakaman ini dilakukan secara audio di rumah subjek dalam 4 sesi. Sampel bahasa ditranskripsikan dan dianalisa menggunakan Language Assessment, Remediation and Screening Procedures (LARSP). Hasil kajian menunjukkan pada ujaran satu-elemen, ayat kebanyakannya terdiri daripada kata nama. Pada ujaran yang melebihi satu-elemen, didapati terdapat ketidakseimbangan penyebaran yang tertumpu pada ujaran 2-elemen iaitu pada peringkat II, serta sedikit sahaja binaan ayat kompleks dihasilkan. 69.2% daripada frasa yang dibina adalah frasa nama dan klausa jenis negatif mempunyai kekerapan yang paling tinggi, diikuti dengan struktur klausa SV (subjek+kata kerja) dan VO (kata kerja+objek). Subjek menghadapi kesukaran bahasa semasa mencerita di mana banyak ayat tidak lengkap dihasilkan. Subjek menggunakan beberapa strategi untuk menampung kelemahan gramatikal dan semantik dalam perbualan. Didapati topik dan teman perbualan mempunyai pengaruh kepada kekompleksan bahasa yang digunakan. Walaupun profil LARSP hanya terhad kepada 2 tahap, namun kecelaruan gramatikal ini tidak begitu ketara disebabkan oleh ciri idiosinkratik Bahasa Melayu kolokial yang lebih ‘simpleks’ tatabahasanya. Kecelaruan paling ketara bagi subjek adalah pada tahap morfologi dan sintaksis.
Kata kunci: Analisis linguistik, afasia agramatisme
A CASE STUDY: LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF A MALAY AGRAMMATIC SPEAKER
Chiang Ching Pei
Penyelia: Dr. Rogayah Abdul Razak
Kajian perintis ini bertujuan untuk memberikan deskripsi tatabahasa seorang penutur Melayu yang mempunyai afasia agramatisme dalam konteks perbualan. Sampel pertuturan spontan subjek diperoleh melalui interaksi bebas dalam pelbagai situasi. Rakaman ini dilakukan secara audio di rumah subjek dalam 4 sesi. Sampel bahasa ditranskripsikan dan dianalisa menggunakan Language Assessment, Remediation and Screening Procedures (LARSP). Hasil kajian menunjukkan pada ujaran satu-elemen, ayat kebanyakannya terdiri daripada kata nama. Pada ujaran yang melebihi satu-elemen, didapati terdapat ketidakseimbangan penyebaran yang tertumpu pada ujaran 2-elemen iaitu pada peringkat II, serta sedikit sahaja binaan ayat kompleks dihasilkan. 69.2% daripada frasa yang dibina adalah frasa nama dan klausa jenis negatif mempunyai kekerapan yang paling tinggi, diikuti dengan struktur klausa SV (subjek+kata kerja) dan VO (kata kerja+objek). Subjek menghadapi kesukaran bahasa semasa mencerita di mana banyak ayat tidak lengkap dihasilkan. Subjek menggunakan beberapa strategi untuk menampung kelemahan gramatikal dan semantik dalam perbualan. Didapati topik dan teman perbualan mempunyai pengaruh kepada kekompleksan bahasa yang digunakan. Walaupun profil LARSP hanya terhad kepada 2 tahap, namun kecelaruan gramatikal ini tidak begitu ketara disebabkan oleh ciri idiosinkratik Bahasa Melayu kolokial yang lebih ‘simpleks’ tatabahasanya. Kecelaruan paling ketara bagi subjek adalah pada tahap morfologi dan sintaksis.
Kata kunci: Analisis linguistik, afasia agramatisme
A CASE STUDY: LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF A MALAY AGRAMMATIC SPEAKER
Accommodate In My Direction
Accommodate In My Direction
The communication accommodation theory (CAT), also referred to as speech
accommodation theory, asserts that in communication, people unconsciously adapt their
behaviors to fit their situation. Speakers and listeners modify their communication behaviors to
better adapt to other speakers/listeners present (Buzzanell & Burrel, 1996; Watson & Gallois,
1998). It is something that people do everyday when communicating. We adapt our style of
communication with others to either gain approval or separate ourselves (Buzzanell & Burrel,
1996; Gass & Seiter, 2003).
People can react differently to different types of accommodation (Buller & Aune, 1992
The communication accommodation theory (CAT), also referred to as speech
accommodation theory, asserts that in communication, people unconsciously adapt their
behaviors to fit their situation. Speakers and listeners modify their communication behaviors to
better adapt to other speakers/listeners present (Buzzanell & Burrel, 1996; Watson & Gallois,
1998). It is something that people do everyday when communicating. We adapt our style of
communication with others to either gain approval or separate ourselves (Buzzanell & Burrel,
1996; Gass & Seiter, 2003).
People can react differently to different types of accommodation (Buller & Aune, 1992
How do nurses describe health care procedures? Analysing nurse-patient interaction in a hospital ward
How do nurses describe health care procedures?
Analysing nurse-patient interaction in a hospital
ward
ABSTRACT
Objective
Nurses’ communication skills have a significant
impact on their professional effectiveness. This study
examines the communication strategies used by
nurses on the ward in one aspect of the job, namely
the ways that they describe health procedures to
patients.
Design and setting
The data used in this project was collected by nurses
on a busy hospital ward as part of Victoria University’s
Language in the Workplace Project. Three nurses
carried minidisc recorders as they went about their
normal working day, recording their conversations with
patients, visitors, and other staff. Relevant sections
of this talk (totalling 300 minutes) were transcribed
and analysed using a discourse analysis approach,
thus providing a sound basis for analysing the
communicative act of describing a health procedure
and for identifying a range of relevant sociolinguistic
components of the interaction.
Subjects
The data was collected in a women’s hospital ward.
All patients, nurses, cleaners and ward clerks were
female; two doctors were female and two were male.
Analysing nurse-patient interaction in a hospital
ward
ABSTRACT
Objective
Nurses’ communication skills have a significant
impact on their professional effectiveness. This study
examines the communication strategies used by
nurses on the ward in one aspect of the job, namely
the ways that they describe health procedures to
patients.
Design and setting
The data used in this project was collected by nurses
on a busy hospital ward as part of Victoria University’s
Language in the Workplace Project. Three nurses
carried minidisc recorders as they went about their
normal working day, recording their conversations with
patients, visitors, and other staff. Relevant sections
of this talk (totalling 300 minutes) were transcribed
and analysed using a discourse analysis approach,
thus providing a sound basis for analysing the
communicative act of describing a health procedure
and for identifying a range of relevant sociolinguistic
components of the interaction.
Subjects
The data was collected in a women’s hospital ward.
All patients, nurses, cleaners and ward clerks were
female; two doctors were female and two were male.
Langgan:
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