1707–1708

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances Harris
Keyword(s):  
The Government ◽  
Poor Relation

The eighth chapter describes the lowest point of the Marlborough-Godolphin partnership. The Allied army in Spain is defeated at Almanza, Sarah is supplanted at court by her poor relation (and Harley’s cousin) Abigail Masham, and the Whigs turn against the government because the queen refuses to consult them over senior Church appointments (‘the bishoprics crisis’). Marlborough says he would be better able to serve in a military capacity only, while Harley tells the queen that the partnership has become a dangerous concentration of power: the Treasury should be put into commission and the war be brought to an end on realistic terms. Marlborough’s loyalty to Godolphin seems to waver. Then the discovery that one of Harley’s clerks, William Gregg, is a spy forces a premature confrontation. Marlborough obliges the queen to part with Harley and goes over to try to ‘get Spain by France’.

The Education of Research Psychologists in Sweden

2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Knut Larsson ◽  
Josef Frischer
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Doctoral Programs ◽  
Science Department ◽  
Research Education ◽  
The Core ◽  
Social Science Department ◽  
Learning Alliance ◽  
Laissez Faire ◽  
The Government

The education of researchers in Sweden is regulated by a nationwide reform implemented in 1969, which intended to limit doctoral programs to 4 years without diminishing quality. In an audit performed by the government in 1996, however, it was concluded that the reform had failed. Some 80% of the doctoral students admitted had dropped out, and only 1% finished their PhD degree within the stipulated 4 years. In an attempt to determine the causes of this situation, we singled out a social-science department at a major Swedish university and interviewed those doctoral students who had dropped out of the program. This department was found to be representative of the nationwide figures found in the audit. The students interviewed had all completed at least 50% of their PhD studies and had declared themselves as dropouts from this department. We conclude that the entire research education was characterized by a laissez-faire attitude where supervisors were nominated but abdicated. To correct this situation, we suggest that a learning alliance should be established between the supervisor and the student. At the core of the learning alliance is the notion of mutually forming a platform form which work can emerge in common collaboration. The learning alliance implies a contract for work, stating its goals, the tasks to reach these goals, and the interpersonal bonding needed to give force and endurance to the endeavor. Constant scrutiny of this contract and a mutual concern for the learning alliance alone can contribute to its strength.

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