course-details-portlet

SOS8539

Theorizing in Social Science Research

Choose study year

Lessons are not given in the academic year 2024/2025

Credits 10
Level Doctoral degree level
Language of instruction English
Location Trondheim
Examination arrangement Paper

About

About the course

Course content

The purpose of this course is to work with practical application of theory, theory development and concept development. Instead of focusing on one specific social science discipline, or theory, the ambition of this course is to stimulate the course participants to creativity and independence in their own application of theory. Substantial theorizing is a basic skill for new thinking, innovation and quality in social science research. In line with this is also a program of theory analogous to method, i.e. to develop a toolbox for what we as social scientists do with theory in research practice. The course is based on both examples of creative theory and concept application within various social science theory traditions and substantial theorizing in light of research questions, methods and research design. The course is set up as a mix of lectures and workshops where course participants have the opportunity to problematize and develop questions about theory, concepts and the research object in their own dissertation projects.

Learning outcome

Knowledge objectives - The student must:

• Discuss theoretical / methodological topics presented and discussed in the course

Skill objectives - The student must:

• deal with one of the topics addressed in the teaching in an independent way in a written work at an internationally high level.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures and seminars inTrondheim. Whether the course is taught in spring 2024 depends on whether the department has the resources to teach it. Contact the department for information.

Further on evaluation

Form of assessment: Individual paper. An identical version of the exam paper cannot be used directly in the PhD thesis as an article or a chapter. A revised version of the exam paper may be included in the thesis. When repeating a failed exam, the candidate can submit a revised version of a previously submitted paper in the course. If the submission is a revised version of a previously submitted paper, this must be specified in the paper.

Required previous knowledge

Master's degree or equivalent in the social sciences or educational science

Course materials

Stated at the start of the semester

Subject areas

  • Geography
  • Education
  • Social Studies
  • Social Sciences
  • Social Anthropology
  • Sociology
  • Political Science

Contact information

Department with academic responsibility

Department of Sociology and Political Science