The article highlights the perils of unchecked authority exercised by dissertation supervisors, through a case study of a PhD candidate named Ari. Despite a sound proposal analyzing Harold Pinter, Ari encountered resistance from a department expert who dismissed Pinter's significance without proper evaluation. After switching supervisors, Ari faced relentless demands from the opposing professor on the committee, culminating in a series of unreasonable revisions. Ultimately, Ari felt compelled to abandon the dissertation due to the adverse power dynamics and lack of support from higher academic authorities, emphasizing the need for more balanced oversight.
The situation illustrates the potential for supervisors to misuse their power, ultimately impacting students' careers and leading them to abandon their academic pursuits because of unreasonable demands.
Ari's experience reveals how academic authority can be misused to deny opportunity and unfairly influence the outcome of a student's significant work.
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