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Students and professors are not playmates -- there should be a great deal of distance between them. Professors are there to teach and conduct research, whereas students are there to learn and to do what they're told until they grow up.
That's one hell of a sweeping generalization. Maybe that attitude is necessary in an intro lecture, but how will students ever be successful if they can't establish mentor relationships with professors, assist them with research, things like that. If they're treated by EVERY professor like just some diversion up until graduation and not actual active participants in whatever they're being taught, what good is the education?
that's hilarious! out of curiosity, i assume that it's frowned upon among military folks to have civvies use their titles casually like that (by that i mean outside of a military setting). is that true?
who the F objects to sir/ma'am. no matter what one's title, it's just polite. what a loser
Students and professors are not playmates -- there should be a great deal of distance between them. Professors are there to teach and conduct research, whereas students are there to learn and to do what they're told until they grow up.
professors value students who can think for themselves far more than they value students whose strongest virtue is obedience. i never understand the infantilization of young adults that occurs on this board
as far as distance, it simply is up to the preference of the professor. my ugrad advisor had me call him by first name when i was 19. somehow i managed to learn anyway and not see him as a "playmate"! my MS advisor preferred to be addressed as "professor" even though i was 33. only a fool would say i hadn't "grown up" by then
First off the bat, this is not about Ph.D.'s "right" to be called "Dr." They've certainly earned the title, and suggesting that MD's are the only "real doctors" is frankly ignorant.
When formally addressing professors with a Ph.D., which is the better or preferred title? Which has been more common in your experience?
Why "Professor" is preferable:
- The vast majority of professors have Ph.D.'s an there are more "doctors" than there are professors, so becoming a professor is more of an accomplishment. I believe that US Diplomatic Protocol ranks the title "Professor" higher than "Dr."
- On the other hand, the title Professor doesn't create a hierarchy between tenured faculty with and without Ph.D.'s, in other words they're being judged on their current accomplishments and position not a degree they may have received decades ago.
Why "Dr." is preferable:
- For the most part, the further up the academic ranks, the more common the doctorate. Many community colleges still have professors with master's degrees, while faculty with no doctorates are much less common in major research universities. Also,
In the UK, the title "Professor" is much more selective with only the equivalent of Full Professors entitled to use it, so it's very distinctive indeed. In the US "professors" are more common, including tenure-track assistants and sometimes even adjuncts so there are a lot more of them.
It really depends upon the individual professor, and what they want to be called.
The PhD is the more "academic" of the two degrees. PhD and MD. There are many MDs who are not exactly intellectuals. Some are. Many are not.
I like "Professor"better for that reason. Also, it does not create so much hierarchy.
it's the opposite. as a lecturer, i was not a professor
if i were a police officer, and someone called me lieutenant or sergeant when i wasn't, it would be similarly inaccurate
not a perfect analogy, but close enough
A better analogy would be addressing a junior member of a royal family. For instance, the noble title "Duke of York" is usually bestowed upon the second son of a British king/queen and their consort - so he's essentially simultaneously a prince and a duke. Obviously the title of prince trumps that of a duke, but in reference he can usually be safely called either Prince X or Duke of York (always in full, never simply Prince or Duke). He can also be called His Royal Highness either as an address or in reference.
First off the bat, this is not about Ph.D.'s "right" to be called "Dr." They've certainly earned the title, and suggesting that MD's are the only "real doctors" is frankly ignorant.
When formally addressing professors with a Ph.D., which is the better or preferred title? Which has been more common in your experience?
Why "Professor" is preferable:
- The vast majority of professors have Ph.D.'s an there are more "doctors" than there are professors, so becoming a professor is more of an accomplishment. I believe that US Diplomatic Protocol ranks the title "Professor" higher than "Dr."
- On the other hand, the title Professor doesn't create a hierarchy between tenured faculty with and without Ph.D.'s, in other words they're being judged on their current accomplishments and position not a degree they may have received decades ago.
Why "Dr." is preferable:
- For the most part, the further up the academic ranks, the more common the doctorate. Many community colleges still have professors with master's degrees, while faculty with no doctorates are much less common in major research universities. Also,
In the UK, the title "Professor" is much more selective with only the equivalent of Full Professors entitled to use it, so it's very distinctive indeed. In the US "professors" are more common, including tenure-track assistants and sometimes even adjuncts so there are a lot more of them.
All of my professors with doctorates (the vast majority) in college were referred to as "Dr."
I don't remember anyone calling them "Professor." They referred to themselves as Dr. on the syllabus they handed out on the first day of class.
If I'm a student in a high school or college, I would address ALL my teachers as Mister, Mrs., or Miss. This is still a recognition of respect. First names in this environment I do believe are disrespectful. I'm pretty tired of overblown elitism though. if you've received your title I'm sure it was by hard work and I'm sure you're getting compensated accordingly. That's satisfactory. You're not a "God". My oldest daughter has a doctorate, but she's a humble and accepting person who goes by Mrs. in her work environment.
So much generalization going on here from a few people. In community college everyone called the person teaching "professor" because honestly they didn't know any better. The CC crowd isn't the most academic group of kids, sorry but been there, done that. However at a CC a person with a Masters (18 credit hours) CAN be granted the title Professor. But at the Uni level its extremely rare for a person without a Phd to be granted the Professor title.
FYI Ive never called a Professor a Dr and had them take offense and correct me.
Assistant and associate professors often respond favorably to the abridged title "Ass Pro".
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