Welcome to the 5th edition of the PhD course Culture, Sport and Society. The aim of the course is to advance student interest in, and understanding of, the social and cultural aspects of sport, with particular reference to broader issues of culture, cultural production and cultural politics. The course will feature a mix of lectures, seminars and workshops on these themes.
Lectures and seminars will be given by leading academics from Norwegian and other European universities. Workshops will enable students to discuss their projects with lecturers and fellow students. Students will also receive practical advice and guidance on writing up their projects, and on how to write for publication in academic books, journals, and other media. The course seeks to provide the basis for the development of long-term international research networks involving PhD students and more established scholars and researchers.
Content
The course will cover a wide range of substantive topics and theoretical issues that will be of direct relevance to student research interests. Our proposed topics and issues include:
- Sport and cultural politics and policies
- Sport and cultural identities
- Sport and marginalised social groups (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, disability, indigenous populations, sexuality)
- Sport and body cultures
- Sport and community
- Sport, AI and technology
- Fan cultures in sport
- Sport, activism, protest and resistance
- Theories and concepts of sport
- Research methods for studying sport
Further aspects of the course will include student presentations and group discussions of research projects; and guidance on the development of student writing skills and publication plans. The social programme will include a dinner for participants, and students will also have the opportunity to participate in sport and outdoor life activities.
Speakers
We are delighted to present a very strong team of speakers providing lectures as well as feedback on student presentations:
- Adam Evans (University of Copenhagen)
- Arve Hjelseth (Norwegian University of Science & Technology)
- Åse Strandbu or/and Ørnulf Seippel (Norwegian School of Sport Sciences)
- Astrid Schubring (German Sports University, Cologne)
- Hans Hognestad (University of South-Eastern Norway)
- Josef Fahlen (Umea University, Sweden)
- Nils Asle Bergsgard (University of South-Eastern Norway)
- Rob Book (University of South-Eastern Norway)
Further speakers to be confirmed…
Key Contacts
Key contact for the organization of the academic side of the course is Nils Asle Bergsgard (nils.a.bergsgard@usn.no). For administrative matters, the central PhD administration at USN can be contacted at phdhku@usn.no.
Teaching Structure and Credits
The credit value of the course is 5 ECTS. The course will run for five working days, and consist of lectures, paper presentations, seminars, workshops, and supervisory sessions. At the end of the course, students will be required to submit a scientific essay. When assessed and graded as a ‘pass’, a diploma will be issued by USN in cooperation with the participating universities.
Participation and Application
The course is open to all PhD students. Please apply to join the course by completing this application form.
Priority will be given to PhD student participation, but if possible we may consider the involvement of Masters and post-doctoral students.
Course Costs
Participating students will be expected to cover the costs of their participation, in terms of travel, accommodation and meal costs.
There are several accommodation options. The Bø Hotel is a five-minute walk to the main USN building, and offers reduced rate accommodation for visiting students – please use this link to make your booking: https://shorturl.at/874WH.
Lower cost accommodation is also available at Beverøya Camping (cabins), approximately 2 km from campus, email: post@beveroya.no, and Bø Camping, approximately 5 km from campus, email: bo@firstcamp.no.
