$61,000 Ph.D. Stipends Official Announcement

The invitation to apply for the two new Ph.D. stipend positions in theology at the University of Agder has now been posted:

 

http://uia.easycruit.com/vacancy/372819/35068?iso=gb

 

For those of you in the US, Great Britain (or elsewhere) who are not familiar with the Norwegian system, becoming a PhD stipend here means that you are employed by the University for three years and given a salary of approximately 353,200 kroner (about 61,000 US dollars) per year, as well as office space, travel funds, etc.  As explained in the announcement, you also receive contributions toward a pension.

 

The Institute for Religion, Philosophy and History is emphasizing internationalization and so explicitly encourages non-Norwegians to apply for the stipends.  Dissertations can be written in ENGLISH.

 

The deadline for application materials is 15 April 2010.  Applications received after this date will not be considered.  The top candidates will be flown in for interviews, most likely in late spring.

 

If you have practical questions about the application process or about the administration of the program, you may contact the leader of the Institute, Dr. Årstein Justnes: arstein.justnes@uia.no.  We have already received hundreds of inquiries, so please only contact Dr. Justnes if you need special help. 

 

PLEASE NOTE: The Norwegian system for hiring PhD stipends has strict regulations to avoid nepotism.  The committee will include members from other Scandinavian universities as well as representatives from UiA.  As a likely member of the selection committee, I cannot respond in detail to particular proposals.  However, I do plan on posting general advice to all applicants here on my blog.

 

I will develop a series of posts, offering clarifications and suggestions, and responding to frequently asked questions.  Please use the “search blog” function, or read through the following posts, to see if your question is already answered. 

 

http://leronshults.typepad.com/my_weblog/phd-stipends/

 

If you have a new question, feel free to post a "comment" and I will try to respond with a new post.

 

Here are some initial clarifications of terminology in the announcement:

 

Use of English.  The site that describes the doctoral program indicates that instruction is normally in a Scandinavian language.  However, if non-Scandinavian students are in attendance, all lectures will be given in English. 

 

Women and persons with an immigrant background are encouraged to apply.   “Immigrant background” simply means “not a Norwegian citizen.”  UiA aims to diversify its academic staff and so encourages applications from prospective students from other countries. 

 

"Theology" should be understood broadly.  Applicants can propose projects in sub-fields, such as contextual or comparative theology, or traditional themes in philosophical or systematic theology.  However, the PhD program is in "Religion, Society and Ethics" and requires interaction with empirical material as well.  This means that inter-disciplinary proposals are also encouraged.

 

The 8-page “Project Proposal” (or “project description”).  This is one of the most important documents and plays a key role in the committee’s decision.  Keep in mind that – technically speaking – the Norwegian government is hiring you to do research for three years, and so they want to know what you plan to do and why they should support it.

 

The easiest way to develop the project proposal is with an outline something like this:

 

1.     Brief statement of the research topic or theme

2.     Brief description of your tentative thesis or research problem

3.     Relevant background and theoretical issues surrounding the theme, including social and academic relevance. 

4.     Conceptual framework(s) to be utilized in research. 

5.     Initial methodological plans (including ideas for new empirical research, if appropriate).  For example, interviews, case study, textual analysis, etc.

6.     Tentative timeline for completion, broadly identifying the steps to be taken in the research. 

7.     Preliminary bibliography

 

This is NOT written in stone, but just a suggestion.  Your topic or approach may require different sections or ordering.  The committee will be looking for clarity, creativity and completability. 

 

Here is a link to the general description of the doctoral program:

 

http://www.uia.no/en/portals/study/info_centre/ects/09-10/religion_ethics_and_society_phd_programme

 

Link to the University general website: http://www.uia.no/en/portals/study

 

Link to Kristiansand, Norway, tourist website: http://www.sorlandet.com/

 

Comments

[Jason Derr]

When are applications/application material due by? Do you want all material for application by the deadline, or can they be postmarked the last day and still count?

[LeRon]

Jason, the answer to the first question is on the site and in the blog announcement (right sidebar). The second is the kind of question that could be addressed to Dr. Justnes.