Purpose
The purpose of the text development seminars is to
- provide systematic training in writing, presenting and further developing academic texts
- strengthen candidates’ ability to give and receive constructive academic criticism
- develop an understanding of quality requirements in academic writing, particularly in PhD theses
- support work on the thesis throughout the entire fellowship period
- contribute to a good academic and social environment among the PhD candidates
The candidates primarily work on thesis-related texts: chapters, articles and draft sections. The main activities in the seminars are:
- Presentation of own text: During the first two years, candidates must present their own text at least twice.
- Reading and commenting on others’ texts: All candidates must read and comment on other participants’ texts and, on at least two occasions, act as the main commentator on another candidate’s text.
- Academic and social meeting place: The seminars function as regular academic and social meeting points throughout the fellowship period.
Organisation
All PhD candidates are assigned to a regular text development seminar, and these may take somewhat different forms.
- The seminars meet at least twice per semester, and most meet more frequently than this.
- Candidates are expected to attend all meetings of their seminar and to follow the academic and administrative routines of that seminar.
- If seminar meetings clash with other academic activities, candidates are generally expected to give priority to the text development seminars.
- Absence must be reported to the seminar leader in advance.
Candidates are normally permanent members of a seminar organised or co-organised by their own department. However, a candidate may choose to join a seminar at another department, provided this is academically justified and practically feasible. In such cases, this must be agreed with the seminar leader of the relevant seminar, and the PhD coordinator and PhD academic coordinator at the candidate’s own department must be informed.
Credits
Text development seminars constitute between 4–6 ECTS in the educational component.
Basic credits (compulsory)
The basic credit for participation in regular text development seminars is 4 ECTS (equivalent to approx. 100–120 working hours).
Basic credits are normally awarded after four semesters of regular participation. Absence may be compensated by additional participation later in the fellowship period.
Extended credits
An additional 2 ECTS (equivalent to approx. 50–60 working hours) may be included in the educational component.
These may be awarded in one of the following ways, subject to academic assessment and approval by the PhD academic coordinator at the candidate’s department:
- through continued active participation for one further semester, including one additional presentation of the candidate’s own text and one further occasion as main commentator
- through participation in external text seminars or similar activities that serve a comparable function and maintain a similar level of quality, such as national or international research and writing seminars.
- IMK organises a final text development seminar three months before the planned submission date. This seminar is compulsory for PhD candidates at the department and is included in the extended credits. The seminar is worth 1 ECTS.
Text development seminars by department
Language at ILN, in collaboration with ILOS
Organised by ILN in cooperation with ILOS and IKOS and led by Anna Catharina Horn.
Administrative contact is Bitten Forsudd.
In your first semester, you will present your project to the other PhD candidates. During the following four semesters, you are expected to present a text twice and act as a main opponent twice.
Even in seminars where you are not presenting or acting as a main opponent, you must come prepared.
Depending on the number of PhD candidates and needs, the number of text seminars may be adjusted.
Litterature at ILOS, in collaboration with ILN
Organized by ILOS and led by Rasmus Vangshardt.
Administrative contact is Tor Erik Risvik Johnsen.
The seminar is open to all PhD candidates at HF who conduct research on literary topics and who wish to participate in text development related to theoretical and historical literary studies.
Text development at ILOS is organized as two-hour meetings, three to four times during each semester. One to three PhD candidates will present a text at each meeting, with one main opponent for each text.
Registration to present a text and/or serve as main opponent is done via a form to which all participants in the seminar are given access.
The texts presented at the seminar meetings should be around ten pages and be genuine drafts, i.e. texts that are in progress, not completed chapters or articles. All participants are expected to read all the texts and prepare to take part in the discussion of them.
We use the same three-step format for all texts that are to be discussed:
- Presentation of the text (approx. ten minutes)
- Comments from the main opponent (approx. ten minutes)
- Plenary discussion (approx. ten minutes)
Culture, communication and area studies at IKOS in collaboration with IMK, ILN and ILOS
Organized by IKOS in collaboration with IMK, ILN and ILOS.
Led by Kathinka Frøystad and Cristina Archetti.
Administrative contact and registration: Kari Andresen
This is an interdisciplinary text development seminar aimed at PhD candidates in religious studies, area studies, media studies, and related fields. The feedback you receive here will primarily concern structure and argumentation rather than discipline-specific details.
The texts sumbitted must be genuine drafts of the PhD thesis, i.e. drafts of chapters, articles, or the introductory “kappa”. Resubmission of course essays, conference papers or other kinds of double-dipping is not accepted.
Texts may range from early, tentative sketches to nearly finished chapters or articles. If you submit more than 20 pages, you must indicate at the top of the first page which 20 pages you want the readers to focus on. If you submit fewer than ten pages, you may want to consider whether you might benefit more from waiting until a later seminar.
Those presenting a draft will have up to 10 minutes to contextualize their text in relation to the planned PhD thesis as a whole. The discussant will then have ten minutes for constructive comments before we open the round-table discussion. Everyone attending is expected to have read the drafts in advance and prepare comments.
A detailed schedule, registration, and folders for uploading and downloading drafts can be found in the seminar’s shared space on Teams.
Sound, Image and Technology at IMV
Organised by IMV and led by Judith I. Haug.
The administrative contact is Malene Bøyum.
This text development seminar covers a wide thematic and methodological range that reflects the research conducted at IMV and the centres RITMO and MishMash.
- Music technology and psychology
- Popular music and media
- Music history, aesthetics and philosophy
The seminar is open to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research and is aimed at PhD fellows working with sound, image and technology in various academic contexts.
History at IAKH
Organised by IAKH and led by James Cameron.
The administrative contact is Nora Birkeland.
The text seminars at IAKH require compulsory active participation during the first two years of the fellowship period. By active participation is meant at least one oral presentation of the thesis work and at least two or more written submissions.
All presentations given in the thesis seminars must receive both written and oral comments. In special cases, participation in IAKH’s text development seminars may yield 6 ECTS through additional activity. This must be clarified with the PhD academic coordinator.
Fellows who, for various reasons, have to be absent from some text development seminars during the first two years must make up for this absence in their third year. Participation in text development seminars at foreign educational institutions may replace participation in the department’s seminar, but must be approved by the PhD academic coordinator.
Archaeology at IAKH
Organised by IAKH and led by Julie Lund.
The administrative contact is Nora Birkeland.
The text seminars at IAKH require compulsory active participation during the first two years of the fellowship period. By active participation is meant at least one oral presentation of the thesis work and at least two or more written submissions.
All presentations given in the thesis seminars must receive both written and oral comments. In special cases, participation in IAKH’s text development seminars may yield 6 ECTS through additional activity. This must be clarified with the PhD academic coordinator.
Fellows who, for various reasons, have to be absent from some text development seminars during the first two years must make up for this absence in their third year. Participation in text development seminars at foreign educational institutions may replace participation in the department’s seminar, but must be approved by the PhD academic coordinator.
The text seminars cover archaeological topics from the Paleolithic up to contemporary archaeology, critical heritage studies, and interdisciplinary methods and theory.
Conservation at IAKH
Organised by IAKH and led by Noëlle Streeton.
The administrative contact is Nora Birkeland.
The text seminars at IAKH require compulsory active participation during the first two years of the fellowship period. Active participation means at least one oral presentation of the thesis work and at least two or more written submissions.
All presentations given in the thesis seminars must receive both written and oral comments. In special cases, participation in IAKH’s text development seminars may yield 6 ECTS through additional activity. This must be agreed with the PhD academic coordinator.
Fellows who, for various reasons, have to be absent from some text development seminars during the first two years must make up for this absence in their third year. Participation in text development seminars at foreign educational institutions may replace participation in the department’s seminar, but must be approved by the PhD academic coordinator.
Philosophy at IFIKK
Organised by IFIKK and led by Michael Barnes.
The administrative contact is Paal Andre Hermansen.
In the first semester, you must present your project to the other fellows. During the following three semesters, you must present text twice and act as opponent twice.
You are also expected to come prepared to the seminars where you are not presenting or acting as opponent.
Depending on the number of fellows and needs, there may be changes in the number of text seminars, and seminars may also be organised across the disciplines at IFIKK. Some of the seminars will be open to supervisors and other academic staff.
Please inform the seminar leader if you are unable to attend.
Art history at IFIKK
Organised by IFIKK and led by Pasi Väliaho.
The administrative contact is Paal Andre Hermansen.
Rediger
In the first semester, you must present your project to the other fellows. During the following three semesters, you must present a text twice and act as opponent twice.
You are also expected to come prepared to the seminars where you are not presenting or acting as opponent.
Depending on the number of fellows and needs, the number of text seminars may be adjusted, and seminars may also be organised across the disciplines at IFIKK. Some of the seminars will be open to supervisors and other academic staff.
Please inform the seminar leader if you are unable to attend.
Classics and History of Ideas at IFIKK
Organised by IFIKK and led by Christine Amadou.
The administrative contact is Paal Andre Hermansen.
In the first semester, you must present your project to the other fellows. During the following three semesters, you must present a text twice and act as opponent twice.
You must also come prepared to the seminars where you are not presenting or acting as opponent.
Depending on the number of fellows and overall needs, the number of text seminars may be adjusted, and seminars may also be organised across the disciplines at IFIKK. Some of the seminars will be open to supervisors and other academic staff.
Please inform the seminar leader if you are unable to attend.
Special adaptations and transitional arrangements
In special cases, the PhD academic coordinator at the department where the candidate is admitted may agree on adaptations to the requirement of regular attendance at the department’s text development seminar. Examples of such situations include extended research stays abroad, long-term illness or heavy care responsibilities. This presupposes that the candidate participates in other seminars or schemes that serve an equivalent academic function, maintain a comparable academic quality, and can be documented and approved as part of the educational component.
Until summer 2026, some departments at the Faculty of Humanities organised text development seminars as individual seminars with separate ECTS credits. Candidates who obtained ECTS in text development through individual seminars before 01.08.2026 will earn any remaining credits needed in their educational component through participation in the ongoing seminars.