Doctoral student in Sociology - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Description 

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is accepting applications for a doctoral studentship leading to a PhD in Sociology at the Department of Social and Psychological Studies.

Sociology is a well-established subject at Karlstad University, which offers a PhD programme as well as courses, programmes and cutting-edge research with a distinct sociology profile.

We have approximately 230 full-time and part-time students annually. Sociology is part of a multidisciplinary department that also includes Social Work, Psychology, and Gender Studies. The discipline comprises approximately 20 sociologists conducting research and teaching various courses. We participate in several research projects, as well as partnerships and networks both in Sweden and abroad. Several multidisciplinary research projects are conducted on a department level.

Our research explores many different areas within sociology, and we organise our research into three overlapping research groups: a) Personal Life and Everyday Social Interaction; b) Sociology of Ageing; and c) Resistance, Power and Knowledge. 

We are looking for a doctoral student with an interest in research studies with focus on one or several of our research areas.

Personal Life and Everyday Social Interaction: The group comprises researchers that conduct theoretical and empirical research on topics such as love, trust, depression, death, singlehood, transnational relationships, fraud, sperm donations, and democracy. It is a diverse group in terms of approaches, united by a passion and curiosity for understanding how emotions, personal identities, and people’s everyday lives are related to broader social and cultural structures. Symbolic interactionism and sociology of emotions are key sources of inspiration.

Sociology of Age: The Sociology of Age focuses on mapping out, analysing, and elaborating on different age-related issues. Aspects include how “age” interacts with as well as generates various social power relationships. The group is interested in exploring and highlighting preconceptions and notions connected to age.

Resistance, Power and Knowledge: The group comprises researchers that examine knowledge as a key factor in political activism and #MeToo, as well as within academia as a social institution.

Sociology of knowledge, resistance studies and critical theory are important sources of inspiration.

Duties 

A doctoral student is primarily expected to engage in doctoral studies. The doctoral programme comprises 240 credits for a Degree of Doctor, and 120 credits for a Degree of Licentiate. The doctoral student is expected to work independently and be prepared to contribute to the activities and development of the subject and the department. Teaching and administration may also be included in the duties upon agreement, but will not constitute more than 20% of full-time. To contribute to a positive work environment and further the department’s activities, we expect you to be a present and active part of the day-to-day operations and workplace community.

Qualification requirements 

To be eligible for doctoral studies, the applicant must meet the general and specific entry requirements (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 35).

To meet the general entry requirements, the applicant must have been awarded a second-cycle qualification, satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 39).

To meet the specific entry requirements for doctoral studies in Sociology, the applicant must have completed courses in Sociology totalling at least 120 credits, of which at least 30 credits are earned at Master’s level.

An applicant can also meet the specific entry requirements after having acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way, in the country or abroad.

The position requires a good command of Swedish and/or English.

Admission and assessment criteria 

To be eligible for doctoral studies, the applicant must meet the general and specific entry requirements, and be considered to have the ability required to benefit from the programme (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 35). Admission is based on individual assessment.

The assessment will focus on the applicant’s performance in previous studies, the quality of any independent projects completed during these studies, research plan, language skills, and whether the applicant intends to be a present and active part of the research environment. The research plan shall describe the intended thesis project as well as how it relates to the research areas described above.

Considerable weight will be given to personal qualities such as the applicant’s social skills, ability to cooperate, take responsibility, show sound judgement, dedication and a positive attitude towards colleagues and students, and the ability to work autonomously as well as part of a group.

Terms 

Upon admission to doctoral studies, the person will be offered the appointment of doctoral student (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 5, Sect. 3). The position comprises four years of full-time studies, or five years at a study rate of 80% with 20% teaching or other departmental duties. The position is fixed-term – one year initially, followed by possible extensions of a maximum of two years at a time, according to agreement.

The salary for the doctoral studentship corresponds to the standard level of salary for doctoral students at Karlstad University.

Application 

Applicants shall include documents that verify their qualifications and facilitate the assessment thereof. Submit the application via the University’s web-based recruitment tool, Varbi. Applicants are responsible for submitting a complete application in accordance with the advertisement and for ensuring that the documentation allows for objective and qualitative assessments. A complete application must be submitted by the application deadline. An incomplete application may jeopardise a fair assessment of qualifications.

All submitted documents must be in Swedish or English. The application should include:

• A list of qualifications (CV)
• Copy of Master’s thesis (60 or 120 credits) or equivalent
• A cover letter where the applicant briefly describes themselves and their research interests
• A research plan comprising a maximum of 2,500 words
• Where applicable, copies of publications or certificates for other qualifications
• Degree certificate with a complete transcript of the courses included, or a certified list of completed courses with grades and dates
• Any letters of recommendation
• Two references, such as a teacher, supervisor or current superior.

Applicants with qualifications from abroad 

If you have qualifications from a university outside Sweden or if they have not been recognised by a Swedish authority before, it is important that you attach degree certificates and official transcripts to facilitate the recognition of foreign qualifications. Provide a contact for the degree-awarding institution (phone number or email) who can verify your qualifications.

Please note that all applications must be in Swedish or English. All submitted documents (i.e., theses, certificates, publications, etc.) must be in Swedish or English.

Attach all the documents and publications you wish to be considered to the electronic application. Do not just provide links. Documents that cannot be submitted electronically should be sent to the following address;

Karlstad University
HR Office
Ann-Louise Gustafsson
651 88 KARLSTAD

Application deadline: 27 August 2023
State the ref. no: REK 2023/59
We look forward to your application! 

Karlstad University has chosen advertising channels for this recruitment and firmly declines any contact with advertising or recruitment agencies.