Communicating Social Science and Humanities - Mastering methodological challenges and learning how to publish and disseminate findings early on – News

CIVIS focus area: Society, culture, heritage
Open to: Master's

PhD candidates/ students
Field of studies: Social Science and humanities
Type: Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP)
Course dates: 7 March - 27 June 2025

In this blended intensive programme, we bring together MA and PhD students from the disciplines of Anthropology, Folklore Studies, Sociology, Cultural Studies, Ethnology and Social Sciences of Religion, Education and Literary Studies, who work on their own research/ study projects.

We will teach general skills like research methodology, data management, analysis and interpretation of data, publishing and presenting data. Examples for creative means of disseminating results will be provided to inspire final works. Students will be able to present and discuss their projects in an interdisciplinary and international peer group format, thereby creating synergies by bringing together MA and PhD students as well as teachers from the CIVIS network. These synergies will help students and teachers exchange ideas, strategies and techniques for research, analysis and presentation, by fostering a framework of mentoring and exchange.

In the first phase we will meet digitally and prepare the physical part with the help of essential literature and group discussions.

In the second phase, i.e. during the physical part, we will work in smaller, thematically structured, groups. Students are encouraged to present their respective research projects, at different stages through various means, so that we can work with these concrete projects.

Main topics addressed

Qualitative research methodology and fieldwork, with ethics related matters being touched upon
Developing arguments and themes
Using theoretical and topical literature for analysis and interpretation
Ways of disseminating results, both in traditional (i.e. journal articles, book chapters) and creative (i.e. comics, films, b-/vlogs) forms.

Learning outcomes

During this course, the students will:

enhance skills in methodology, analysis and presentation of results;
become capable of producing creative outputs which target a broader public: short film, comic, blog;
be learning critical and constructive peer review techniques;
gaine communication and moderation skills in an international and interdisciplinary context;
discuss and probe their communication skills when disseminating research results in different formats;
understand and learn from different academic traditions to critically reflect on different academic subjects;
establish an interdisciplinary an international teaching and learning network of students and lecturers across CIVIS universities;
create and sustain research and discussion networks within CIVIS among MA/PhD students exploring similar topics and applying similar methods.

Dates: 7 March - 27 June 2025	Total workload: 75 hours
Format: Blended	ECTS: 3*
Location: Bucharest, Romania	Language: English (C1)
Contact: adrian.stoicescu@litere.unibuc.ro

*Recognition of ECTS depends on your home university.

Physical mobility

The physical mobility will take place in Bucharest, Romania, between 23-27 June 2025. Students will opt for one of the two streams which will further explore the two main themes of the program:

Stream 1: Focus on methodology
Stream 2: Focus on dissemination of results

Students will join into small groups and, under the guidance of the teaching teams will elaborate on their research or dissemination projects, stemming from the proposals they have made during the application stage.

This small group collaborative undertaking will focus on peer-feedback, in the sense that students will take turns providing critical appraisal of the other students’ project development.

During the last stage of the physical mobility, the students will present their projects in a free format, depending on their choice, so as to outline the knowledge gains both from the online presentations and from the collaborative tasks.

For 3 additional ECTS points, students should hand in a written assignment showcasing their progress as instructed during the mobility phase.

Virtual part

The virtual section of the programme consists of 5 online meetings, spread between 7 March - 30 April 2025.

Meeting 1: 7 March 2025, 16:00 - 18:00 CET - Kick-off meeting: presenting teams, students and goals of the BIP
Meeting 2: 14 March 2025, 16:00 - 17:30 CET - Research study case(s) UniL
Meeting 3: (TBA) - Research study case(s) UT
Meeting 4: 11 April 2025, 16:00 - 17:30 CET - Research study case(s)
Meeting 5: (TBA) - Research study case(s) UB

Requirements

This course is open to Master's and PhD's students at CIVIS member universities, who are working on a research project in the fields of Social Sciences and Humanities and, more specifically, from Anthropology, Folklore Studies, Urban Studies, Cultural Studies, Sociology, Ethnology, Religious studies, Education and Literary Studies.

Also, the participants should:

have excellent English skills (C1),
know research techniques and research methodology
have ethical awareness
have organising and thinking through data skills
have applying theoretical approaches for analysing empirical data skills
have writing and developing an argumentative structure skills
have creativity and out-of-the box thinking, in order to develop innovative means of dissemination

NB: Visiting Students - Erasmus Funding Eligibility

To be eligible for your selected CIVIS programme, you must be a fully enrolled student at your CIVIS home university at the time you will be undertaking the programme. Click here to learn more about the eligibility criteria.

Students from CIVIS’ strategic partner universities in Africa cannot apply for participation in this course.

Application process

Send your application by filling in the online application form by 31 October 2024, including:

CV
Motivation letter
Research projects outlines
Level of English (According to CEFR)
Current or foreseen research project outlines or a short essay of no more than 4 pages or an idea for a creative dissemination project (video, blog, drawing)
If applicable - a chapter or first draft

Applications will be evaluated based on:

level of English - C1 is mandatory;
how this intensive course might help the student in advancing their carreers, as expressed by the Motivation Letter;
relevance of the research topic or the creative idea of dissemination.

Apply now

Assessment

Course assessment will be based on the progress made by individual student as indicated by the final presentations which will weigh against the application proposal.

The students who want the 3 additional credit points will go through the assessment of a draft article for a journal or a blog or a short comic.

Blended Intensive Programme

This CIVIS course is a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP): a new format of Erasmus+ mobility which combines online teaching with a short trip to another campus to learn alongside students and professors across Europe. Click here to learn more about CIVIS BIPs.

GDPR Consent

The CIVIS alliance and its member universities will treat the information you provide with respect. Please refer to our privacy policy for more information on our privacy practices. By applying to this course you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.

Gabriele Alex, University of Tübingen, Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology

Monika Salzbrunn, University of Lausanne, Full Professor of Religions, Migration, and Arts and former PI of the ERC ARTIVISM project.

Léonore Vuissoz, M.A., University of Lausanne, anthropologist specialised on gender and burlesque theatre and scientific assistant of prof. Monika Salzbrunn.

Vassiliki Chryssanthopoulou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Associate Professor of Folklore Studies

Antigone-Alba Papakonstantinou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Assistant Professor

Athanasios Barmpalexis, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, postdoctoral researcher

Claudia Câmpeanu, University of Bucharest, Associate Professor

Adrian Stoicescu, University of Bucharest, Associate Professor of Ethnology and Folklore Studies

Magda Crăciun, University of Bucharest, Lecturer

Gabriel Tamaș, University of Bucharest, Assistant Professor of Ethnology and Folklore Studies