The aim of the course is to give the students extensive training in philosophy of science and the application of perspectives of philosophy of science on the research process.

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The course invites participants to a thorough understanding and application of thematic analysis by a stepwise-deductive inductive approach, as well as the use of HyperRESEARCH software for coding, code-grouping, and reporting. Processes of theorizing is emphasized and explored through concepts such as emergence, empirical-analytical reference points (EAR), and abduction. 

The course draws attention to both theoretical/principal considerations of SDI and its basis in Grounded Theory, and the practical application of SDI on the participants own empirical projects.

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The aim of the course is to give the students extensive training in philosophy of science and the application of perspectives of philosophy of science on the research process.

Read more information about the course content, schedule and course materials

In the lectures we will present and discuss the qualitative social research individuality, as well as various principles of analysis. In the seminars the students will get some practical training in analysis of qualitative data. Some seminars will be based on presentation of research papers and chapters in class.

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The course centers on work as a core sociological topic, different understandings of what work is and the impacts of developments within organisations and society. The course focuses on central theoretical perspectives, but also presents empirical contributions from Norwegian and international society. Emphasis is placed on anchoring the discussions in analyses of the Norwegian model for the organisation of working life (autonomy, welfare, collaboration and regulation), and how this model is under pressure by societal challenges such as globalisation and the precarisation of working conditions. Through the work on the term paper, students will have the opportunity to go more in-depth on selected topics.

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The course addresses key issues related to modern media and digitalization and offers analytical tools to enable the students to think critically on the importance of media development and digitalization for social organization. Over the last decade, we have seen a new wave of digitalization. Various digital platforms, such as social media, search engines, streaming platforms, content aggregators and robots, have become key arenas for the development of media and society. Processes of digitalization affect all aspects of social life and social organization, from microphenomena such as identity formation to macrophenomena such as economics, politics and social divisions. Naturally, issues related to digitalization and modern media have become part of most of the sub-fields of sociology, but often without having the tools to systematically reflect the relationship between the technological / material and the social aspects. The course enables the students to do just that. The course will present them to cand current and relevant research and to raise current topics and debates related to media development with a special focus on consequences for citizenship. Current topics to be discussed are for example the influence of digital platforms on our lives, filter bubbles and echo chambers or disinformation ("fake news").

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The course problematizes key sociological discussions on inequalities, integration and welfare, including their inherent relationships. The lectures focuses primarily on central theoretical perspectives and theories, however also present key empirical contributions, from both the Norwegian society and the global community. The discussions are anchored in analyses of key societal challenges, such as the future of the welfare state, migration patterns, crime, poverty, labor markets, technology etc. The course combines class room discussions with students' own investigations, primarily through their work with the papers.

The aim of the course is to encourage PhD-candidates to critically explore and develop the existing theoretical perspectives at the cross-section between inequality, welfare and integration research.

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The content of the course varies. It may be given as an overview course, covering several statistical techniques and methods - such as multilevel analysis, panel data analysis or structural equation models - or it may be concentrated on one technique. The course may also link the analytical techniques to advanced rules and aspects of conducting social research, including research designs and data collection/evaluation techniques. Please consult the course coordinator to receive more information about the exact course content of this year.

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The course starts out with an overview of recent developments in class and inequality research with a focus on theory, methodology and empirical applications. Rather than treating old and new theory and models as fixed we are interested in exploring the possibilities to expand the theoretical vocabulary and methodologies associated with analysis of social class, power and inequality. The course should stimulate the course participants to creativity and independence in their own research. The course is set up as a mix of lectures and workshops where course participants have the opportunity to problematize and develop questions in their own dissertation projects.

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The course will provide an introduction and overview of key perspectives and current theories related to social interaction. The original contributions within the tradition, from among others Blumer, Garfinkel, Goffman, Strauss, Collins, Fine and Rawls are central in the course. Emphasis is also placed on an understanding of how the insights from this "microsociological" tradition can be regarded as generic sociological perspectives on society and social development. Theories from social interactionism will be elucidated by linking them to contemporary social phenomena. Active student participation and the use of everyday examples bring theories and perspectives close to the students' own lives.

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The course provides an overview of the most important theories and empirical studies on the causes and consequenses of political unrest, internal armed conflicts and interstate wars.

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The course offers an introduction to the field of international political economy, i.e. the interaction between markets and states at the international level. The students will be introduced to various theoretical models as well as previous empirical studies.

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The course provides an introduction to "foreign policy", not necessarily "Norwegian foreign policy", but a more general meaning of the concept of "foreign policy". The course will discuss the institutions and processes that are characterized by the politics that take place in the intersection between the national and the international; it will provide an account of states' national decision making arenas and their international (handlingsrom). Since national institutions and the international area of influence vary from state to state this course will have a comparative perspective, it will amongst other things discuss how small states (i.e. Norway) are subject to other external conditions than the Great Powers (i.e. the USA), and how this is reflected in different foreign policy practices. It it assumed that the students have some basic knowledge of modern history as well as national institutions and procedures of decision making.

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More recently, new political cleavages have emerged, volatility has increased and party identification has declined, indicating that the political landscape is changing. This course focuses on how political actors, the media, and the electorate change their strategies in accordance with these new trends. Why do two voters react differently to the same message? Are the voters more influenced by emotion than by knowledge? Have new identities replaced loyalty to class and party? Which strategies of communication do political parties prefer when they are dependent upon the mass media? Has the mass media become an important political power, and how does this power work?

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The course focuses on East Asia after 1989. The post-Cold War period in East Asia has been shaped, on the one hand, by the different dynamics in the region, especially the economic and political rise of China and the complex relationships between China, Japan, and North- and South Korea. On the other hand, global events, developments and political decisions in other parts of the world have also influenced the region, e.g. the war on terror after 9/11, the US administration’s pivot to Asia, the global financial crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its repercussions on energy markets and the global order. In the first part of the seminar, we will take the perspective of Comparative Politics and study the political systems and societies of East Asia and, based on this, the countries’ outlook on the big questions of international relations in East Asia and beyond. In the second part, we will take the angle of international relations and analyse the different bilateral or multilateral constellations, problems and geopolitical conflict potentials in the region, and the relations of the East Asian countries with other countries and regions of the world. Through various case studies, we will also review key concepts, such as institutions, nationalism, the developmental state, regionalism, rule-taking and rule-making, as well as theories and methods of Comparative Politics and International Relations.

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The course provides an introduction to the world of great powers. It discusses how great powers have replaced each other as the leading international actors of the time, and what it is that has led to the rise of some and the fall of others. It puts the focus on processes that have been instrumental with respect to political and economic development, and discusses how these processes contribute to shaping the relationship between the great powers. The course also discusses how the number and behavior of the great powers define the nature of the international system.

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This course gives an introduction to the study of the welfare state and health policy in a comparative perspective. In recent decades, European welfare states have undergone extensive changes in terms of their goals, priorities and instruments, and today’s welfare state is radically different compared to the one that emerged in the last century. This course first gives an introduction to the traditional welfare state: why did we get welfare states, what are their tasks and why are they so different across countries? Next, the course will shed light on the crisis that emerged in the welfare state of many countries in the 1990s: why did the crisis arise, what were the challenges and how were they solved? The third part of the course deals with what we can call "the new welfare state": why is there still a need for reforms of the welfare state, what makes such reforms so difficult and why are they still implemented, what characterizes the policy of the new welfare state, and will it be able to survive the new internal and external challenges it faces? The course consistently uses the health sector to give students a practical and empirical understanding of the issues that are introduced. The health system is the most important and cost-driving part of the welfare state, and because of that it is also the sector that has undergone the most dramatic changes. Many of the reforms have challenged traditional bureaucratic and professional management by introducing principles from the private sector. These changes are often associated with the label "New Public Management" where a fundamental goal has been to achieve a leaner and more efficient public sector with less emphasis on rules and processes and more emphasis on results. Even in countries that traditionally have had universal and publicly controlled welfare states, such as the Nordic countries, more competition and market logic have now been introduced on the assumption that this will increase quality and provide more efficient services. What do these changes mean for the political governance and administration of the welfare state?

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