The modern Prometheus in education: a doctoral thesis quest for innovative knowledge

El moderno Prometeo en la educación: una tesis doctoral en busca de conocimiento innovador

Autores/as

  • Ángel Téllez Tula Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla
  • Benjamín Gutiérrez Gutiérrez Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla
  • Norma Elena Mendoza Zaragoza Universidad de Colima
  • Laura Herrera Corona Universidad Anáhuac Campus Querétaro
  • Tutaleni Asino Carnegie Mellon University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56712/latam.v7i2.5763

Palabras clave:

doctoral thesis, academic identity, innovation, knowledge, ethics

Resumen

This article reflects on the importance of dissertation writing, drawing parallels between the writing process and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. The author compares educational systems to Prometheus, suggesting they should illuminate knowledge for the sake of democracy. The dissertation writing experience resembles a creative struggle, like the creation of Frankenstein, emphasizing both the challenges and the rich connections between literature and academia. Despite the pressures that generate stress and emotional exhaustion among doctoral students, the author argues that this struggle is intrinsically linked to academic systems in general. Ultimately, the work advocates for the recognition of the scientific contributions present in classical literature as a means of addressing the demands of research

Descargas

Los datos de descargas todavía no están disponibles.

Biografía del autor/a

Ángel Téllez Tula, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla

Benjamín Gutiérrez Gutiérrez, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla

Norma Elena Mendoza Zaragoza, Universidad de Colima

Laura Herrera Corona, Universidad Anáhuac Campus Querétaro

Tutaleni Asino, Carnegie Mellon University

Citas

Aitchison, C., & Guerin, C. (2020). Writing groups, pedagogy, theory and practice: An introduction. Higher Education Research & Development, 39(3), 441–445. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2019.1692877

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE.

Butler, M. (1979). Romantics, rebels and reactionaries: English literature and its background 1760–1830. Oxford University Press.

Cambra-Badii, I., Guardiola, E., & Baños, J.-E. (2020). The ethical interest of Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus: A literature review 200 years after its publication. Science and Engineering Ethics, 26(6), 2791–2808. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-020-00229

Cardoso, S., Santos, S., Diogo, S., Soares, D., & Carvalho, T. (2022). The transformation of doctoral education: A systematic literature review. Higher Education, 84(5), 885–908. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-021-00805-5

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2022). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Darian-Smith, E. (2024). Knowledge production at a crossroads: Rising antidemocracy and diminishing academic freedom. Studies in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2347562

Diogo, S., Gonçalves, A., Cardoso, S., & Carvalho, T. (2022). Tales of doctoral students: Motivations and expectations on the route to the unknown. Education Sciences, 12(4), Article 286. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12040286

Ferrández-Berrueco, R., Moliner, O., Sánchez-Tarazaga, L., & Sales, A. (2023). University responsible research and innovation and society: Dialogue or monologue? Journal of Responsible Innovation, 10(1), Article 2272331. https://doi.org/10.1080/23299460.2023.2272331

Ketterer, D. (1979). Frankenstein’s creation: The book, the monster, and human reality. University of Victoria, English Literary Studies.

McAlpine, L., & Amundsen, C. (2011). Making meaning of diverse experiences: Constructing an identity through time. Higher Education, 62(4), 411–429. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9392-3

Mellor, A. K. (1988). Mary Shelley: Her life, her fiction, her monsters. Routledge.

Ngulube, P. (2025). Exploring originality in postgraduate education in context: A decade of academic excellence. Discover Education, 4, Article 573. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-025-00997-3

Nicholls, H., Nicholls, M., Tekin, S., Lamb, D., & Billings, J. (2022). The impact of working in academia on researchers’ mental health and well-being: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis. PLOS ONE, 17(5), Article e0268890. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268890

Othman, J., & Lo, Y. Y. (2023). Constructing academic identity through critical argumentation: A narrative inquiry of Chinese EFL doctoral students’ experiences. SAGE Open, 13(4), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231218811

Ruttkay, V. (2020). Anatomy of tragedy: The skeptical Gothic in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 7, Article 35. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-020-0408-5

Shelley, M. (2003). Frankenstein; or, The modern Prometheus. Penguin Classics. (Original work published 1818)

Shin, H. J. (2019). The monster’s language acquisition in Frankenstein: Access to community and identity. Murray State University Digital Commons. https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/scholarsweek/Spring2019/SeniorLiterature/1/

Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. B. (2022). Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills (4th ed.). University of Michigan Press.

Tian, Y., & Liu, D. (2024). A bibliometric study of identity construction in English writing for academic purposes. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, Article 1499917. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1499917

Zhou, L., Li, X., & Wang, F. (2025). Fear of missing out predicts loneliness through psychological and social pathways among doctoral students. Scientific Reports, 15, Article 42804. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-27037-2

Descargas

Publicado

2026-04-28

Cómo citar

Téllez Tula, Ángel, Gutiérrez Gutiérrez, B., Mendoza Zaragoza, N. E., Herrera Corona, L., & Asino, T. (2026). The modern Prometheus in education: a doctoral thesis quest for innovative knowledge: El moderno Prometeo en la educación: una tesis doctoral en busca de conocimiento innovador. LATAM Revista Latinoamericana De Ciencias Sociales Y Humanidades, 7(2), 1785 – 1794. https://doi.org/10.56712/latam.v7i2.5763

Número

Sección

Ciencias de la Educación