Course topics
This course deals with the field of history and the various public and semi-public roles historians play in society. The course will investigate the various public roles of historians by asking how their knowledge about ideas, ideologies, past events, and processes manifest themselves in politics and public debate.
The course covers 5 topics, prepared by as many teachers. These topics include “history and ideology”, “history and policymaking”, “the value of historical knowledge in journalism and public debate”, “research dissemination” and “writing for the public”. The candidates need no prior knowledge of any of the topics. Rather, the purpose of this course is to open new perspectives and give rise to creative thinking and critical analysis. All the topics will be concretized with specific historical cases and examples. For a more detailed overview of the different modules, please see the course plan below.
The lecturers are both scholars and professionals with experience in policymaking, dissemination, and journalism. The lecturers will interact with the students through plenary discussions, and by commenting on their essays.
Confirmed lecturers
- Senior Research Fellow Johannes Due Enstad, Institute for Social Research (ISF)
- Associate Professor Ketil Zachariassen, UiT The Arctic University of Norway
- Professor Roy Krøvel, Oslo Metropolitan University
- Senior Advisor Ellen Cathrine Lund, Norgeshistorie.no, University of Oslo
- Advisor Emil Nicklas Johnsen, Norgeshistorie.no, University of Oslo
- Postdoctoral Fellow Ola Morris Innset, BI Norwegian Business School
Course work
- The course will be conducted in English, and typically, a module will consist of a 45-minute keynote presentation by a lecturer, followed by a 45-minute plenary discussion led by the lecturer. The five modules will serve as a prism through which the course aims to illustrate and critically discuss how historians may deepen and empower public connection with the past. Together the modules comprise a mix of academic reflections and practical knowledge.
- The PhD candidates will read approximately 50 pages of relevant literature in advance for each module. This literature will be selected by the lecturer responsible for the module.
- The PhD candidates will write a short essay (2500-3000 words) on a topic of their choice related to one of the course modules. These essays will be read by faculty/lecturers in advance and used directly or indirectly in the discussions.
- Essays should be named: Essay_[surname of doctoral candidate]. The first page should have your name, a title, a short abstract, your e-mail address, the name of the target course module, and a word count. Please paginate the manuscript.
- In addition, PhD candidates must write short response papers (maximum 600 words each) for the modules they are not selecting for their essays. The response papers could be career- or research-related reflections on the literature connected to the modules.
Practical information
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Credit amount: 3 ECTS
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Three nights of hotel accommodation, from the 9th to the 12th of June, will be booked and covered by the Norwegian Research School in History (NRSH) for PhD candidates who do not reside in the Oslo area.
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The NRSH will offer a welcome dinner on Monday, along with lunches and coffee breaks during the course dates.
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PhD candidates are required to book and cover their own travel expenses.
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The ECTS credits will be registered by the University of Oslo (UiO) after the mandatory course activities, including essay submission and consistent physical attendance, are completed.
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Max 15 PhD candidates will be accepted to the course, and priority will given to applicants who are affiliated with one of the NRSH's member institutions (see below).
Deadlines
- Application deadline: 21st March
- Essay submission deadline: 13th May
- Reading responses' submission deadline: 31st May
Application
NRSH's partner institutions
- University of Agder, Department of Religion, Philosophy and History
- University of Bergen, Department of Archaeology, History, Cultural Studies and Religion
- BI - Norwegian Business Schoow, Department of Law and Governance
- Nord University, Faculty of Social Science
- NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Humanities
- University of Oslo, Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History
- UiT - The Artic University of Norway, Department of Archaeology, History, Religious Studies and Theology
- Volda University College - Social Sciences and History
- University of South-Eastern Norway - Department of Culture, Religion and Social Studies & Department of Business, History and Social Sciences