Developing your research design (2023)

Welcome to Developing your research design

Description:
The aim of this course is to offer participants an opportunity to qualify their Ph.D.-project design within sociology. We do this in sessions where course participants present and reflect upon their research plan, while receiving feedback from other Ph.D.-students and from experienced Ph.D.-supervisors. Another aim of the course is to discuss general topics such as thesis form (monograph or articles), thesis quality demands, and writing and publication of articles.

The course targets Ph.D.-students in the first phase of their thesis work (within their first year).

This is a two days course focusing on participants’ projects. Based on the logic of the course and the reading list, each participant writes a short paper (6 – 8 pages) about his or her project, applying the following structure:

What is your research question and main approach, what is your “imagery” (see H. Becker text for this particular concept and related heuristic ideas in Abbott, see reading list), in the study?

Sampling and object of inquiry? (What parts of the empirical reality do you focus on and why?). You may use Monika Krause’s distinction between “material research object” and “epistemic target” to reflect on this.

Concepts: what are your main theories and concepts?

Logic: what are your methods and analytical strategies?

All participants make short presentations after which follows a discussion of each Ph.D.-project. 1 hour for each.

Besides paper discussions, the course features short presentations and discussions of central topics related to Ph.D.-projects: Research questions and research design, theory and theorizing, thesis form, writing and publishing articles, where to publish, challenges in the Ph.D.-project, etc.

Each participant writes short papers (6-8 pages) about his or her project based on the logic of the course and the reading list. Papers may be written in English or Danish.

Course language will be English or Danish, dependent on the participants.

Organizer:
Lars Skov Henriksen and Annick Prieur, Department of Sociology and Social Work, Aalborg University

Lecturers:
Lars Skov Henriksen and Annick Prieur, Department of Sociology and Social Work, Aalborg University

ECTS: 
2

Time: 
28-29/8 2023

Place: 
Aalborg University

Zip code: 
9220

City: 
Aalborg

Number of seats: 
10 ( PhD fellows at Department of Sociology and Social Work, Aalborg University have first priority)

Deadline for registration:
August 10, 2023.

Deadline for paper upload:
August 21, 2023.

Reading list will be communicated to participants after registration.

Participation fee:
The course is free of charge

Important information concerning PhD courses: We have over some time experienced problems with no-show for our courses. Therefore, the Doctoral School has decided to introduce a no-show fee of DKK 2,000 DKK for each course where the student does not show up. Cancellations are accepted no later than 2 weeks before start of the course. Registered illness is of course an acceptable reason for not showing up.

If you have questions you are welcome to contact Marianne Høgsbro at inst.issa.phd@socsci.aau.dk, Lars Skov Henriksen at larsskov@socsci.aau.dk, or Annick Prieur at ap@socsci.aau.dk