As a supplement to the appointments plan, ILOS intends to clarify which research areas the department considers to be particularly strong; it also wants to identify areas where newly appointed researchers may contribute.
The department has selected a total of five research fields, three of which are within the department's strategic priorities. In addition, the department wants to associate new appointments to two of UiO's interdisciplinary research areas.
ILOS' strategic research fields
Contextual translation
The research topic is centred around the Projects Voices of Translation and Traveling Texts (one of the faculty’s thematic research areas). At present it involves researchers from several of the department's disciplines.
Symbolic nation building
The research topic is closely linked to the RCN-financed project Nation-building and nationalism in today's Russia (NEORUSS) and Post-Soviet Tensions. From 2014-2018 the department also finances the project Discourses of the Nation and the National, a project which includes researchers from several of the department's disciplines.
Theoretical linguistics and computational linguistics
The research topic centers around the project SynSem and builds in part on past projects where ILOS researchers participated. At present this field involves researchers from several of the department's disciplines.
UiO's interdisciplinary research areas
Life Science
Life Science (in Norwegian) is one of the interdisciplinary research areas currently under development. At ILOS, researchers in Comparative Literature and English literature have contributed to the development of ideas.
Unpacking "The Nordic Model"
Unpacking "The Nordic Model" was approved by the University Board in June 2014. The initiative will commence in 2015, with a full start from January 2016. At ILOS, researchers in several disciplines have submitted project proposals. The RCN-financed project The Scandinavian Moment in World Literature (Scanmo) is relevant to the initiative.