Type of course

The course may be taken as a single course. There is no course fee, but participants will have to cover their own travel and accommodation expenses.

The course is suitable for PhD candidates in sociolinguistics or related fields of study concerned with multilingualism in social life.

If you are unsure whether your research would fit within the scope of the course, please contact the organizers to discuss.

Admission requirements

PhD candidates or holders of a Norwegian Master´s Degree (or equivalent). (A Norwegian Master´s Degree of 5 years or 3 (Bachelo’s Degree) + 2 years (Master’s Degree). PhD candidates must upload a document from their university stating that they are registered PhD candidates.

Holders of a Master´s Degree must upload a Master´s Diploma with Diploma Supplement / English translation of the diploma. Applicants from listed countries must document proficiency in English. To find out if this applies to you see the following list:Language requirements | HK-dir (hkdir.no)

For more information on accepted English proficiency tests and scores, as well as exemptions from the English proficiency tests, please see the following document: https://uit.no/Content/254419/PhD_EnglishProficiency_100913.pdf

All participants must have an MA degree or similar in a relevant field of study.

All applicants are kindly asked to submit (together with their application):

• A 250-word description of the data and method(s) that they would like to present for discussion during the course. During the course, the students will be asked to give a short presentation introducing their study and a challenge they have encountered and discuss it in the light of relevant publications on the reading list for the course.
• A brief letter of recommendation from their supervisor indicating that the course is relevant for the applicant.

Course content

The course is designed for PhD candiates working with qualitative sociolinguistic research methods in multilingual settings. We aim to share experiences from a range of qualitative approaches and research techniques to untangle and explore the complexities of multilingual life, e.g., linguistic (team) ethnography, interviewing, combined and creative methods, and the analysis of semiotic landscapes and other aspects of multilingual spaces. Relevant research contexts may include (but are not limited to) migration, mobility, revitalization and reclamation of minoritized languages within settings such as education (kindergartens, schools, universities etc.), family life, workplaces, leisure and sports or public spaces. The course will highlight different temporal and spatial dimensions of such contexts and how to deal with these methodologically. Further, knowledge in qualitative research is generated in relations between researchers and participants. Researcher-participant relations are never static and may vary largely when we encounter children, adolescents or adults in private, institutional or professional settings. During the course, we will reflect on ethical and ideological aspects of researcher-participant relations.

The course will build on field examples from the lecturer’s research as well as the participants’ own projects.

Objectives of the course

The candidates will have the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge

The candidate has:

• gained an overview of the development of multilingualism as a field of empirical enquiry.

Skills

The candidate is able to / can:

• apply, critically evaluate and discuss qualitative sociolinguistic research methods and relate these to central theories and concepts in the study of multilingualism in society
• critically assess and adapt research methods to research contexts, participants and field relations
• discuss questions of research ethics and adapt to potential ethical challenges in the field and throughout the research process
• engage in discussions about how to move the field forward

Language of instruction and examination

Teaching methods