06-15-2007, 04:05 AM
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#1 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Davis, CA
Posts: 140
| I passed!!!
*not to moderator, I wasn't sure where to put this, so feel free to move it.
It's been a while since this happened, but in my excitement I forgot to post this anywhere.
On May 5, 2007 I passed my Instructor at Arms in Foil exam at the SJSU Fencing Masters Program!!!
With six candidates the exam lasted a full eight hours and a board of six maestros sat on the board.
I'd like to congratulate the other candidates:
Daniel Williams, Master at Arms
R.E. "Puck" Curtis III, Provost at Arms
Eric Myers, Provost at Arms
David Borland, Instructor at Arms
Kevin Murakoshi, Instructor at Arms
Jeremy Tavan, Instructor at Arms
I'm really just happy that I passed, and I've still got at least two (probably 3 or 4 till i complete the program.
For more information on the exam, I point you to the much better written post by Maestro Sean Hayes http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?t=79482 | 
|  | | And now for this message... |
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06-15-2007, 05:47 AM
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#2 | | Fencing Expert
Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Pennsauken, NJ
Posts: 8,951
| Do you happen to know the title of Mr. Williams's thesis?
Or if a copy will be made available online sometime soon?
Would be nice to get resources such as that publically available, when possible.
And congrats! :)
-B
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06-15-2007, 11:15 AM
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#3 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Davis, CA
Posts: 140
| Quote:
Originally Posted by oiuyt  Do you happen to know the title of Mr. Williams's thesis?
Or if a copy will be made available online sometime soon?
Would be nice to get resources such as that publically available, when possible.
And congrats! 
-B | This is one of the strange quirks of the program. Provost Williams may have passed his Maestro's exam, but he will not get his diploma until the successful completion of his Thesis. AFAIK he hasn't done so, so technically he isn't a Maestro yet.
There are a number of Provosts who are that one short step from their Maestro, but have never turned their Theses in. | |
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06-15-2007, 11:20 AM
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#4 | | Senior Member
Join Date: May 2003 Location: Arlington, VA
Posts: 4,420
| Quote:
Originally Posted by riceboy There are a number of Provosts who are that one short step from their Maestro, but have never turned their Theses in. | Well, a key part of turning in a thesis in is WRITING it, which as it turns out, is usually more difficult than the bit where you hand it to someone...
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06-15-2007, 11:25 AM
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#5 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 3,354
| Quote:
Originally Posted by MyrddinsPrecint Well, a key part of turning in a thesis in is WRITING it, which as it turns out, is usually more difficult than the bit where you hand it to someone... | how hard can it be to write something only two people have to read*.
*read in this case involves placing in on your desk and waiting until it has accumulated the required amount of dust.
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06-15-2007, 11:28 AM
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#6 | | Fencing Expert
Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Pennsauken, NJ
Posts: 8,951
| Quote:
Originally Posted by keith how hard can it be to write something only two people have to read*.
*read in this case involves placing in on your desk and waiting until it has accumulated the required amount of dust. | Go read Qatet's journal in the blog section and then report back to us with the answer....
-B
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06-15-2007, 11:30 AM
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#7 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Davis, CA
Posts: 140
| Quote:
Originally Posted by keith how hard can it be to write something only two people have to read*.
*read in this case involves placing in on your desk and waiting until it has accumulated the required amount of dust. | Well, when the thesis must be a minimum of 50 pages plus footnotes, and will be read by and commented on by Maestro Gaugler who will hold it to the same standard as his Masters Degree students...
It's a little daunting. In additon there are a couple of Provosts out there who in the end decided that they didn't want to wear the black and completed, but never turned in their thesis. | |
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06-15-2007, 11:35 AM
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#8 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 3,354
| Quote:
Originally Posted by oiuyt Go read Qatet's journal in the blog section and then report back to us with the answer....
-B | been there done that (and I don't mean the blog reading)
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06-15-2007, 11:53 AM
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#9 | | Senior Member
Join Date: May 2003 Location: Arlington, VA
Posts: 4,420
| I'm faced with the interesting decision where I really ought to write an undergraduate thesis, but of course, final drafts and lunchbags and defence and such are all scheduled around USACFCs, which I'm organizing. I can't really schedule the thesis stuff that much earlier or later, and I can't really schedule a bunch of the USACFC stuff earlier or later.
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06-15-2007, 12:16 PM
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#10 | | Scavenger
Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 4,658
| Quote:
Originally Posted by keith how hard can it be to write something only two people have to read*.
*read in this case involves placing in on your desk and waiting until it has accumulated the required amount of dust. | Perhaps you're being disingenuous . As you know, it's harder than writing something thousands will read, because you HAVE to please those two (in my committee, three) people. The dissertation was brutal. My novels I wrote to please myself, and that was easy; all they had to do, in order to sell well when they were published, was appeal to that percentage of the public sharing my taste.
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06-15-2007, 12:36 PM
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#11 | | Fencing Expert
Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: CA area
Posts: 6,149
| Quote:
Originally Posted by riceboy Well, when the thesis must be a minimum of 50 pages plus footnotes, and will be read by and commented on by Maestro Gaugler who will hold it to the same standard as his Masters Degree students...
It's a little daunting. In additon there are a couple of Provosts out there who in the end decided that they didn't want to wear the black and completed, but never turned in their thesis. | I never understood theses requirements of a minimum number of pages. Is this a thesis announcing something of note or a writing assignment? I recall one of my math profs whose PhD thesis was all of 8 pages. It's quality, not quantity.
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06-15-2007, 12:57 PM
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#12 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: New Jersey
Posts: 5,074
| The length requirement does seem unnecessary, but as long as the program doesn't involve a vow of celibacy I guess it's not too big a problem.
Congratulations, riceboy!
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06-15-2007, 12:59 PM
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#13 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Davis, CA
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Originally Posted by edew I never understood theses requirements of a minimum number of pages. Is this a thesis announcing something of note or a writing assignment? I recall one of my math profs whose PhD thesis was all of 8 pages. It's quality, not quantity. | I think it's meant as a little of both to be quite honest. You are supposed to contribute something to our understanding of fencing, but I also get the sense that it's meant as a test of intellectual maturity. So yes, in some ways it is a writing assignment, but at the same time you are expected to announce something of note.
As to the length, I haven't talked to Maestro Sahm about this (since i'm not really close enough to start considering my topic), but I also get the sense that the 50 page rule is more of a guideline as to what they are expecting than a hard and fast rule. If you do the work and your thesis is only 10 pages, and they can tell that you did such, then they'd accept it. They want to let the candidates know that they don't just want any essay, but want a REAL masters level thesis. | |
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06-15-2007, 01:00 PM
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#14 | | Senior Member
Join Date: May 2003 Location: Arlington, VA
Posts: 4,420
| Quote:
Originally Posted by edew I never understood theses requirements of a minimum number of pages. Is this a thesis announcing something of note or a writing assignment? I recall one of my math profs whose PhD thesis was all of 8 pages. It's quality, not quantity. | In math or science, it's a lot easier to write something meaningful and new in a short paper than it is in liberal arts.......
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06-15-2007, 01:11 PM
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#15 | | Fencing Expert
Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: CA area
Posts: 6,149
| Go try and write a PhD thesis in math...
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06-15-2007, 03:07 PM
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#16 | | Senior Member
Join Date: May 2003 Location: Arlington, VA
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| Quote:
Originally Posted by edew Go try and write a PhD thesis in math... | I was planning on getting accepted to grad school in math before I started my PhD thesis, but, y'know, whatev.
; )
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06-15-2007, 03:18 PM
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#17 | | Fencing Expert
Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: CA area
Posts: 6,149
| I've also known those who've basically wrote their thesis and then found a grad school to go through the formalities. (It's not hard to find a grad school in that case.)
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06-15-2007, 03:33 PM
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#18 | | Senior Member
Join Date: May 2003 Location: Arlington, VA
Posts: 4,420
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Originally Posted by edew I've also known those who've basically wrote their thesis and then found a grad school to go through the formalities. (It's not hard to find a grad school in that case.) | On the other hand, considering my thesis will probably have to do with abstract algebra, unless I get REALLY lucky this summer, I'm gonna need more information than I can learn in undergrad or on my own.........
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06-15-2007, 04:31 PM
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#19 | | Fencing Expert
Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Pennsauken, NJ
Posts: 8,951
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Originally Posted by MyrddinsPrecint I'm gonna need more information than I can learn in undergrad or on my own......... | Depends on how self-motivated you are.
You really think that _other_ people teach you while you're in grad school?
-B
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06-15-2007, 04:47 PM
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#20 | | Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Scotland
Posts: 4,642
| Quote:
Originally Posted by riceboy *not to moderator, I wasn't sure where to put this, so feel free to move it.
It's been a while since this happened, but in my excitement I forgot to post this anywhere.
On May 5, 2007 I passed my Instructor at Arms in Foil exam at the SJSU Fencing Masters Program!!!
With six candidates the exam lasted a full eight hours and a board of six maestros sat on the board.
I'd like to congratulate the other candidates:
Daniel Williams, Master at Arms
R.E. "Puck" Curtis III, Provost at Arms
Eric Myers, Provost at Arms
David Borland, Instructor at Arms
Kevin Murakoshi, Instructor at Arms
Jeremy Tavan, Instructor at Arms
I'm really just happy that I passed, and I've still got at least two (probably 3 or 4 till i complete the program.
For more information on the exam, I point you to the much better written post by Maestro Sean Hayes http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?t=79482 | What exactly is the SJSU Fencing Masters Program?
SJSU is the San Jose State University - is it not? I can't find a listing for it. It just be that I am not entering in the correct criteria.
So; is this a PE program? Where is the syllabus? What is the coursework required? and can you provide a link?
I am curious about it.
Last edited by Gav; 06-15-2007 at 05:04 PM.
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