The Defence of a Thesis as a Form of English Scientific Discourse
The paper discusses the cultural specifics of the procedure of writing and defending the doctoral dissertation in the UK on the example of Cambridge University. It compares the English and Russian terms referring to the corresponding educational level, describes the dissertation structure, requirements to its content, and provides the outline of the examination of the revised dissertation, including <i>the viva, </i>or <i>the oral. </i>Great attention is devoted to the complex semiotics of the graduation ceremony.