The course offers a broad introduction to theories of science and social science and humanities scholarship, with an emphasis on the history and philosophy of science, the social organisation, and the dynamics of various academic fields, including their strategies of producing knowledge, their efforts to provide epistemic authority, and the interaction between research and society. It also focuses on the epistemic aspects of scientific and scholarly communication practices, above all their role in the establishment of scientific validity and reliability. Research ethics, postcolonialism and feminist perspectives on science are prominent topics in this regard.

KULT8850/51 is given in two versions: 7,5 credits (KULT8850) and 10 credits (KULT8851). The course is given every semester, through six days (2x2x2) (usually October/November in the fall and March/April in spring). The course is not offered digitally, and physical participation is mandatory as well as a written course assignment. The course version is distinguished by the length of the course assignment.

Course days autumn 2023

I.           20-21 September –Philosophy and ethics

II.           4-5 October – Science as institution and practice

III.          15-16 November – Critical perspectives

IV.         24 November - Mini-Conference

Here is the detailed program for autumn 2023!

Deadline for applying is 1st of September and 15th of January. All are welcome to apply, but PhDs from faculty of Humanities at NTNU will be given priority.

Access to this course is limited to 25 students per semester.

Registration for spring 2024 will open in December 2023! 

This course provides an advanced introduction to qualitative research methods with an emphasis on analytical approaches and strategies common for humanities and social science research with an empirical focus. The aim of the course is to give a broad overview of some of the most used social science methods with a special emphasis on reflection and methodology. We will address the following topics: 

• Method as research language and starting point for reflection. 

• Research design 

• Methods for collecting data with special emphasis on interviews and documents/texts 

• Analytical strategies, including grounded theory, narrative analysis and text analysis. 

• Representation and writing strategies. 

Practical information 

The course is given in English and held as a combination of lectures, workshops and group work. The course is given as 2+2 days (09.00-15.45) in the spring semester (February-March). Completion of the course requires attendance in the lectures and participation in the group work as well as a course essay handed in some weeks after the course. Group work may be related to essays and/or presentations of literature. 

Readings will be provided as digital files accessible to the participants.   

Maximum number of participants: 20 

Course days for 2024 is:

29-30 January

29 February- 1 March

Follow this link to register for spring 2024  

Deadline for applying is 15th of January. All are welcome to apply, but PhDs from faculty of Humanities at NTNU will be given priority.

Sustainability is an increasing concern of society and a significant impetus to change teaching and research. In the university context, this requires interdisciplinary knowledge that may be used to widely integrate sustainability thinking in scientific and scholarly work. This course provides PhD students with concepts and tools to understand what environmental sustainability (ES) is, the kinds of challenges it raises, the actors involved in such issues, and how academics can help initiate societal transformations towards this goal. With an interdisciplinary approach, the course takes the model of strong sustainability as a point of departure, i.e., the biosphere is considered a life-supporting system that restricts and renders possible human activity. Consequently, the course will explore how this affects technological and scientific development, economic issues, policymaking, and the organisation of society.

Spring 2024

The course is organised through four full days of lectures and group work on February 13 and 14, and April 9 and 10.

Deadline for applying is 15th of January.

Follow this link to register for spring 2024.

About the course 

The course KULT 8873 provides an advanced introduction to science and technology studies (STS) through lectures and discussion of articles. Some of the articles to be deliberated in the discussion sessions are “classics” or raise important issues, others present work from people at the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture, and hence give a glance of the different empirical topics STS researchers are and have been engaged in.  

Some prior knowledge of STS is an advantage. Possible resources are Tomas Moe Skjølsvold (2015). Vitenskap, teknologi og samfunn: en introduksjon til STS. Cappelen Damm akademisk, Sergio Sismondo (2010). An introduction to science and technology studies. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell or Steven Yearley (2005). Making Sense of Science: Understanding the Social Study of Science, London: Sage. 

Practical information 

This course is rewarded with 10 credit points.  

The course is given in English and held physically for 2x2 whole days as a combination of lectures and discussion of articles. Completion of the course requires attendance, presentation of one text during the course, and a course essay of 4000 words handed in some weeks after the course. All PhD participants must give a presentation of one article each during the course. The presentation should be 15-20 minutes followed by some questions for discussion in plenary. Readings will be provided as digital files accessible to the participants.  

Maximum number of participants: 20. 

The course is given every autumn semester, if there are enough participants.

Contact the department for questions about the course or the application process. 

Kursene er samlingsbaserte og er åpne for studenter fra NTNU og andre norske og nordiske universiteter. Kursene forutsetter ph.d-opptak, men kan også tas av andre dersom det er ledig plass. Kursene holdes på engelsk dersom det er behov for det.